ATLANTA — Atlanta United returns to action Wednesday when it travels to face Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium.
The match is set to kick-off at 10:30 p.m.
Atlanta holds a 2-1-0 all-time record against LAFC in MLS regular season play: 2-0-0 at home and 0-1-0 on the road. The only previous meeting between the clubs at BMO Stadium ended in a 4-3 win for LAFC on July 26, 2019.
Thiago Almada continues to play his way into the MVP conversation as MLS approaches the halfway point of the season. The 21-year-old is MLS' top chance creator, leading the league with 47 chances created, 37 chances created from open play and 40 key passes. Almada is also tied for the league lead with eight assists and ranks second in goal contributions, adding seven goals.
Giorgos Giakoumakis scored his ninth goal of the season against New England and ranks second in the MLS Golden Boot race, one behind LAFC's Denis Bouanga. The Greek striker has now scored in six of his seven MLS starts this season and eight of his last 10 appearances while averaging a league-best 1.19 goals per 90 minutes.
Franco Ibarra won 10 duels against New England, the sixth match this season in which the midfielder has won at least 10 duels. He leads the team with 98 duels won this season.
LAFC heads into Matchday 17 in third place in the Western Conference despite having played just 12 MLS matches. On Sunday, LAFC fell to Liga MX side León 1-0 at BMO Stadium in the second leg of the Concacaf Champions League final, losing the series 3-1 on aggregate. In league play, the defending MLS Cup champion has yet to lose a home match at BMO Stadium this season where it holds a 5-0-1 record.
