LA Galaxy vs New England Revolution, 2016 MLS: Match Preview

Riding a six game unbeaten run in the league, the LA Galaxy return home to host the New England Revolution in their first and only match-up of the 2016 MLS regular season.

To begin, the Galaxy have been excellent at home, only the Portland Timbers have managed to stop Bruce Arena's side from scoring less than three goals in a match, and any time you have trouble stopping the Galaxy's attackers, it is going to be a tough time for opposing teams.

The Galaxy have only been growing in confidence. They have learned to pick their moments well and look more confident pouring forward. In particular, Giovani dos Santos has broke free in the past three matches, scoring four times and even earning himself a spot in Mexico's preliminary roster for the Copa America Centenario in the process.

In the midfield, Bruce Arena welcomes the return of Nigel de Jong after serving a three match ban for his tackle on Darlington Nagbe. The Galaxy haven't seemed to have struggled much without him, but his brio in the midfield could prove useful in games like this one.

Speaking of suspensions, Ashley Cole will be on the sidelines following his red-card performance from last weekend, and potentially also unavailable is Steven Gerrard, who picked up a groin injury in training. The good news on the injury front is that Robbie Keane is nearing a return and is already listed as questionable for Sunday's game.

In stark contrast, the New England Revolution are struggling with injuries of their own. Coach Jay Heaps could be without Chris Tierney, Charlie Davis, Teal Bunbury, and Je-Vaughn Watson for their visit Carson, as they look to reverse a five game run without a win.

The Revs came close to grabbing all three points last weekend, but a last-minute Carlos Rivas goal took away any hope of winning their first match since early April.The question for them now is how do they go from last weekend's disappointing draw to a quality performance against the Galaxy.

It's difficult not to see the hosts pick up where they left off in their last home game, and another vibrant performance in front of their own crowd could be what the Galaxy need continue their great run of form.

LAST MEETING

New England Revolution 2-2 LA Galaxy - May 31, 2015 - MLS

The New England Revolution and the LA Galaxy both scored twice in the first half to play out to a 2-2 draw at Gillette Stadium. Teal Bunbury and Diego Fagundez scored for the hosts, while Ignacio Maganto and Gyasi Zardes netted for Bruce Arena's side.

LIKELY LINE-UPS

LA Galaxy (4-4-2): Rowe; DeLaGarza, Steres, Van Damme, Rogers; Boateng, Husidic, de Jong, Magee; Dos Santos; Zardes

Sporting Kansas City (4-2-3-1): Shuttleworth; Watson, Farrell, Goncalves, Smith; Koffie, Caldwell; Rowe, Fagundez, Nguyen; Femi