Los Angeles FC welcome New York Red Bulls to BMO Stadium on Thursday in Major League Soccer's Regular Season matchday 24, with kick-off scheduled for 02:30 UTC. The hosts sit third in the table with 37 points from 24 matches, while the visitors occupy tenth place with 27 points from 23 matches.
The ten-point gap between the sides tells much of the story heading into this fixture. Los Angeles FC carry a record of ten wins, seven draws and seven defeats, with a goals record of 38 scored and 24 conceded. New York Red Bulls have won seven, drawn six and lost ten of their 23 matches, scoring 32 and conceding 46.
Despite their position in the table, Los Angeles FC arrive in uncertain form. They have taken three points from their last five matches, a sequence that includes three consecutive draws. Their most recent outing ended 2-2 against Real Salt Lake, following a goalless draw with DC United and a 1-1 draw with Portland Timbers before that. Prior to the current run, they suffered defeats to Colorado Rapids and San Diego.
New York Red Bulls have managed only two points from their last five matches. Their recent results include a draw with Seattle Sounders, a 1-3 defeat to Philadelphia Union, a draw with Chicago Fire, a defeat to Nashville SC, and a loss at Atlanta United FC. Both clubs are within the top third of the 30-team table, though their respective trajectories over the past five matches differ markedly.
With Los Angeles FC having played one match more than their opponents, the table standings going into Thursday's fixture are set out plainly by the numbers already on record.