LAFC vs. Houston Dynamo 9/18/22 - Major League Soccer Picks & Predictions

LAFC hosts the Houston Dynamo on Sunday in a MLS Western Conference fixture. LAFC sits at the top of the conference table at 19-4-8 on 61 points with a goal difference of +26. LAFC is seven points clear of second-place Austin. LAFC was held to a 1-1 draw on the road last Tuesday by Minnesota United. Carlos Vela scored an equalizer in the 64th minute for LAFC but Los Angeles could not score another and had to settle for sharing the spoils.

LAFC has just one victory in its last six matches in the MLS with one draw and four losses. However, LAFC has won eight straight matches at home. Cristian Arango is the leading goal scorer for LAFC with 16, while Carlos Vela has scored nine and Kwadwo Opoku and Jose Cifuentes each have scored seven. Vela is the leader in assists with nine and Cifuentes has seven.

Houston is 13th in the conference table at 9-6-16 on 33 points with a goal difference of -10. Houston scored two late goals on Tuesday to defeat the New England Revolution 3-1. Houston opened the scoring with a goal by Darwin Quintero in the 37th minute but New England leveled with a goal in the 63rd minute. However, Fabrice Picault scored a brace in the final 24 minutes with a goal in the 76th minute and another in the 85th minute.

Houston has won just three of its last 40 matches played on the road with 10 draws and 27 losses. However, two of the three wins over that stretch came in matches played in California with victories over the LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes. Sebastian Ferreira is the leading goal scorer for Houston 10, while Darwin Quintero has scored eight. Adam Lundqvist is the leader in assists with five.