LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC: Expect El Trafico Fireworks LAFC

It’s quickly become the MLS rivalry game that the rest of the world stops to watch, and El Trafico takes place again this matchday, with the two sides in very different situations. 

Once the flagship of MLS success, Galaxy find themselves in all sorts of trouble near the foot of the Western Conference, while their neighbors from across town sit second in the table, but in a horrible run of form.

Jack Collins here from The Game Day to take a look at the LA Derby and see which side of the City of Angels will be celebrating the bragging rights on Wednesday morning. 

LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC Odds

LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC betting lines are current as of Monday, July 3, at 9 a.m. ET and were found at bet365 Sportsbook.

• Three-Way Moneyline: LAFC (-106) • Tie (+275) • Galaxy (+260)
• Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-163) • Under 2.5 (+125)
• Both Teams To Score: Yes (-175) • No (+125)

LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC Match Prediction

LA Galaxy 2:3 Los Angeles FC

It’s a well-trodden cliché to state that the form book goes out the window in a derby game, but there’s more reason than ever to believe that this one could be an encounter where little makes sense. 

Hosted at the Rose Bowl, the 20th edition of El Trafico looks set to be the highest-attended MLS game in history, with over 80,000 spectators expected at the iconic old stadium in Pasadena, surpassing the previous record of 74,479 at Bank of America Stadium for Charlotte’s first MLS game - interestingly, also against LA Galaxy. 

So, we have neutral ground and a record attendance - but what can we expect on the pitch? It feels weird to say it, given the respective positions of these two sides in the West, but the Galaxy come into this game in a better vein of form. 

Greg Vanney’s side are unbeaten in five and have picked up seven points from their last six games, while their cross-town rivals have just six from the same time period. It’s fair to say that since the CONCACAF Champions Cup final loss against Club León, very little has gone right for Los Angeles’ black-and-gold. 

And yet, even with that said, LAFC come into this game as heavy favorites. There’s a reason for that, too - they boast the league’s second top scorer in Denis Bouanga, who has 11 strikes to his name already in this campaign from his favored left-wing spot. At the same time, even in a run of questionable form, Carlos Vela’s record 12 El Trafico goals mean that he will surely come back into the starting lineup and look to hurt his favorite opponent once again. 

Defensively though, LAFC are all over the place. Despite the presence of Italy legend Giorgio Chiellini in this back line, 11 goals conceded in this dreadful six-game run has been the dagger in their back. 

Aaron Long’s absence from the Gold Cup isn’t helping things, but there’s a reason that Steve Cherundolo switched to a back three at the weekend against Dallas - to try and stop the leak. It didn’t work, with a Dallas side missing talisman Jesus Ferreira still managing to put his team to the torch. 

On the other side, there’s a stark truth, too, in that the Galaxy simply struggle to win games. Three wins all season is why MLS’ most successful franchise are languishing at the bottom of the table. While they have proved some resilience in the recent run of draws, their inability to convert a point into three has been their own Achilles’ heel.  

Saturday’s tie against San Jose in the Cali Clasico was another example - Galaxy twice took the lead through Raheem Edwards and Preston Judd, respectively, but twice were pegged back by their hosts, ensuring more dropped points from winning positions. 

If this one was being held at Dignity Health Sports Park, a share of the spoils might have been the prediction. Still, the neutral territory and baying crowd might just spark LAFC’s superstar forward line into life - and if the big stage does genuinely get the best out of big-game players, then that might just be enough to edge this the way of the reigning MLS Champions. 

LA Galaxy vs Los Angeles FC Best Bet

Over 2.5 Goals Scored (-163) • bet365 Sportsbook

The fact that neither side can seemingly defend with any confidence right now suggests we might have another high-scoring encounter between these two on our hands, and when you add to that the history of goals and entertainment in this game, all signs point to excitement. 

Carlos Vela Anytime Goalscorer (+120) • bet365 Sportsbook

He’s out of form. He’s scored just three times in his last 12 MLS outings. But he’s El Trafico’s top goalscorer. He bagged twice against the Galaxy back in April, and he just loves this fixture. Can you bet against LAFC’s mercurial Mexican?