- D.C. United have won one, drawn two and lost two of their last five MLS 2026 matches.
- LAFC have won three and lost two of their last five MLS 2026 contests.
Home side have heart and a hitter
D.C. United may come into this game as the underdogs, but they have enough heart and goal power to keep it close at Audi Field on Saturday. Washington come into the contest with mixed form, having lost their last two games, 3-0 at home to New England Revolution and 3-1 away to Charlotte FC.
Since René Weiler took over in July 2025, he has turned the Black-and-Red into a compact, tough to crack 4-4-2 unit that can be a handful at the other end if things go their way. D.C. United's game is based around good structure and selective pressing, with enough attacking quality in Tai Baribo to really challenge defences.
And Baribo is in great form with three goals. Weiler will want the Black-and-Red to choke up the central lanes and slow the tempo down in order to stifle LAFC's high-tempo, short-passing game and their ability to punish turnover play in transition.
LAFC are likely to edge it, but D.C. United can keep it tight
They can't be as strong as their MLS 2026 record would suggest because they sit 24th with 24 points from 21 games compared to LAFC's 6th position on 34 points from the same number of matches. The LA club's record away from home has been solid, but not great, with them winning one and losing one in their last two away matches.
The odds make LAFC very slightly favourites at 1/1 with D.C. United 23/10 and the draw 27/10, but the home side's grit and the goal power of Baribo could well keep this close. LAFC have been playing in a similar way to previous years under Marc Dos Santos, who took over at the helm in December 2025, and it has been a front-foot, possession-heavy game.
Both teams to score, yes, at 11/20 and over 2.5 goals, yes, at 13/20 look excellent bets for what should be an open game at Audi Field on Saturday. D.C. United have won just three, drawn three and lost four of their ten home games in MLS 2026, so it has been a tough place to visit, but they have conceded multiple goals in half of those ten matches.
