Los Angeles FC vs Houston Dynamo Prediction: Houston’s struggles in the last round might be good for LAFC.

Los Angeles FC have a chance to end their season on a positive foot. They had one hell of a season and managed to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season. For a team of their quality, winning trophies is their objective and after missing out on the Supporter’s shield, they have a real chance to win a silverware if they win against Houston Dynamo.

Houston Dynamo are also an ambitious side and their resilience up until this stage is proof that they mean serious business.

So, for the final time this season and this year, Los Angeles FC and Houston Dynamo will go to battle for the ultimate prize.

Los Angeles FC

Los Angeles winning this trophy would be a major boost to the team's morale. They've had one very disappointing season where they failed to end at the top of the log and also missed out on some trophies. The team managed to push into the playoffs despite their poor form and woes. And in the playoffs they were in fine form, winning all 3 matches they played in.

   Their first Playoff game against Vancouver Whitecaps finished 5-2 in favor of Los Angeles FC. Ryan Hollingshead and Denis Bouanga both grabbed a brace and Jesus Murillo was also on target in the win. The possession (50%) was shared equally between both clubs and Los Angeles registered 3 shots on target and 7 corner kicks.

       In the return leg, Los Angeles won 1-0, this time away from home and Denis Bouanga scored the only goal from the penalty spot to give them passage into the next round. And in the next Playoff match, they faced Seattle Sounders in a one legged match away from home and again they won 1-0 courtesy of Denis Bouanga goal in the 30th minute.

       Los Angeles FC will now face Houston Dynamo and they hope to get the right result. They lost both games against Houston Dynamo last season. Can they end that poor result with an important win here?

Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo have proved once again that they are a top team in the league by getting into this final match. They also had a good season by their standards and they made it to the playoffs by finishing 4th on the western conference table and 9th on the MLS table. And in the playoffs, they won 3 games out of 4 and lost the remaining 1.

Their first Playoff match against Real Salt Lake ended in a 2-1 win. Hector Herrera got the first goal in the 22nd minute and Amine Bassi put them ahead in the 79th minute and eventually won the game at full time. Houston Dynamo had 71% possession, while taking 5 shots on target and 9 corner kicks. And in the second leg, they came up short, losing on penalties after playing a 1-1 draw at full time.

   Then in the 3rd game, they won on penalties after another 1-1 draw. In their second playoffs, they faced Sporting Kansas City and they won 1-0 courtesy of Franco Escobar’s effort in the 39th minute.

        Houston Dynamo will now face Los Angeles FC for the third time this year. At the moment, they have the bragging rights over Los Angeles FC after defeating them twice this year. But of course that counts little in such a huge game and writing off Los Angeles FC because of their league form is just risky.

Head to Head

Los Angeles FC still leads the head-to-head meetings by a narrow margin. In their last 13 matches against each other, Los Angeles FC won 5, while Houston Dynamo won 4 and 4 games ended in a draw.

Analysis and Predictions

A big match no doubt and both clubs can prove their superiority by the end of the game. At the moment, Los Angeles FC are the favorites while Houston Dynamo will have to worry about their recent struggles against Real Salt Lake. But in such games, it can always go either way. There's also a worry of Los Angeles FC form in finals this year. They will be eager to put those fears behind them and prove their doubters wrong.

      From their past meetings, Los Angeles FC have not kept a clean sheet in 13 matches. And both teams scored in 8 of their last 10 matches. They also played more than 10.5 corners in 5 of their last 7 meetings.

• Under 11 Corners at 1.73 Odds
• Home Win or Draw and Under 3.5 Goals at 1.59 Odds
• Home Win at 1.62 Odds