On the surface, FC Cincinnati would figure to have little trouble with their road trip Saturday night when they travel to take on the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Cincinnati (17-9-4, 55 points) clinched a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs last Saturday with a dramatic 2-1 home win over Nashville.
The win moved FC Cincinnati to just two points behind the Philadelphia Union for first place in the Eastern Conference and the overall Supporters’ Shield.
Los Angeles (4-16-9, 21 points), meanwhile, has struggled mightily this season, ranking last in the Western Conference and having the third-worst goal differential in MLS.
Cincinnati has the opportunity to earn its 10th road victory of the season Saturday, which would make back-to-back seasons of double-digit road wins for the club.
FC Cincinnati, though, will have to do it without goalkeeper Roman Celentano, who remains out with a leg injury.
“Our staff does a really good job of preparing our players with the right information to have the right diet, to have the right sleep, to get the recovery and just make that adjustment in the best way possible,” FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan said. “But I think the success that we’ve had is a lot in the preparation, from the things I just mentioned to just position the players the best way possible, physically, to go and play the game.”
FC Cincinnati is 4-0-1 against Western Conference teams this season.
Injuries and roster turnover have made this season a tough one for the Galaxy, but the reigning MLS Cup champions are having a much better second half of the campaign.
They enter Saturday night undefeated in their last three matches and have only lost twice in their last six dating back to the Leagues Cup. The Galaxy drew the Seattle Sounders 2-2 on Saturday.
“We showed some stabilities,” defender Maya Yoshida said after the match. “Even though we had a lot of injured players, we showed stabilities and great spirits.”
Saturday is Cincinnati’s first trip to play the LA Galaxy on the road.