The month ahead: Checking out LAFC’s schedule for June

LAFC needed a break given the slump they are currently on, they’ve gotten a break, and in a matter of days they’ll be back in action following MLS’s international pause.

So what’s the schedule look like for the remainder of this month? There aren’t a lot of games but once they come, they’ll come fast.

Saturday, June 19: vs. Houston Dynamo

The second rematch opponent of the season, the Dynamo will come into town having not found much success against LAFC at The Banc. Will that hold up, or will they even the score a bit? We’ll find out before long, but as we saw when these teams played in May, the Dynamo may not be the most, uh, dynamic team in MLS but they seem to be getting better at finding weaknesses in their opponents and attacking them in those soft spots. We know LAFC has had some real soft spots defensively at times.

Of course, LAFC didn’t have Carlos Vela and had a rusty Diego Rossi in the first meeting against Houston, so hopefully those two will help raise the level considerably. This is a game LAFC should win. Will they? We’ll have to see what happens.

Wednesday, June 23: vs. FC Dallas

Following the resumption of play, LAFC will immediately go on short rest, when they host another Texas team, FC Dallas, the following Wednesday. Dallas have historically been a tough team to face, but they are really struggling out of the gate this year, sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference and often looking like they’ve taken a big step backwards.

Is that just a poor start or are they indeed going to struggle this season? I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but I would not be shocked if they enter this next phase of the season rejuvenated and rip off a series of victories. Given Dallas’ struggles, I’d say LAFC really should aim for a victory here, too, but listen, Dallas could very well be saying the same thing given LAFC’s troubles of late.

Saturday, June 26: at Sporting Kansas City

Now here’s a really tough game for LAFC. They’ve traditionally struggled playing this team at their stadium, and Sporting look good if Alan Pulido is playing. There are other good players on Sporting’s team, but I think he’s a game changer, capable of scoring goals himself or setting teammates up better than you would expect for a player who’s mostly played as a No. 9 in his career. If he’s playing, then LAFC need to buckle up.

However, even if the start to this season has been disappointing for LAFC, this is exactly the kind of game that can help turn a campaign around. If LAFC come in with two results from the previous games, play well against Sporting and take a result here too, then they could vault up the standings and also make a statement that it’s not time to bury the 2021 season for Bob Bradley’s crew. A lot of things have to happen to get to that point, but we know this team is capable of doing it, they just have to go out and, well, do it.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.