A depleted San Diego side returns home with three wins on the spin, but the absence of top scorer Marcus Ingvartsen and four other regulars from their usual starting XI forces a reshuffle against an LA Galaxy team missing five starters of their own. San Diego have scored in…
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Sign inSan Diego host LA Galaxy on August 30 in the 22nd round of the 2026 MLS regular season, with Hirving “Chucky” Lozano set to face his former club for the first time since his loan move to the Galaxy. The fixture carries a heavy narrative around Lozano’s return, while both teams contend with significant injuries that could shape the contest.
Galaxy are without influential playmaker Riqui Puig, striker Klauss, and defender Carlos Emiro Garces Torres due to injury. JT Marcinkowski is expected to continue in goal after keeping a clean sheet against San Jose on August 19 — his third shutout in 16 starts. Lozano started his first two matches for the Galaxy and should retain his place against the team where he last started an MLS game on October 4, 2025. San Diego, meanwhile, are missing attacking pair Ryu Marcus Alstrup and Anders Dreyer, both listed as not expected to play ahead of their recent 3-0 win over Colorado. That victory was built on goals from Onni Valakari and Elias Achouri, who will again be key in the final third.
LA Galaxy ended a six-match winless streak — which included three draws and three defeats — with a gritty 1-0 win at home to San Jose. Joseph Paintsil scored the decisive goal from a Harbor Miller cross, but midfielder Lucas Sanabria was sent off just before half-time, forcing the Galaxy to defend with 10 men for the entire second half. The resolve shown was followed by a 2-2 draw at Montreal, where Rubén Ramos Jr. and Maya Yoshida both scored, though a late equaliser from Prince Owusu denied them back-to-back wins. That result left the Galaxy with a 6-9-7 record, still searching for consistency.
San Diego come into the derby off a comprehensive 3-0 home win over Colorado Rapids, with Valakari and Achouri on the scoresheet. The performance was a timely morale boost after a 3-1 loss at Portland in their previous outing. Managerial emphasis on defensive solidity paid off as the side kept its first clean sheet since late July. Dreyer’s absence, however, strips away their primary creative outlet — he had been involved in four goals across the six games prior to his injury.
Lozano’s loan switch from San Diego has dominated the build-up. The Mexican forward made his first Galaxy start against San Jose and then featured again at Montreal, bringing direct dribbling and quick transitions. He will look to exploit a San Diego backline that was rarely tested by Colorado but had conceded seven goals in the three matches before that. With Alstrup unavailable, the hosts’ defensive rotation is thinner, and the emotional dimension of facing a recent teammate often sparks an edge. How San Diego’s full-backs deal with Lozano’s pace on the counter could decide the pattern of the game.
The Galaxy have not won back-to-back matches since mid-May. A victory would represent a tangible step forward as they try to climb out of the lower reaches of the Western Conference. San Diego will want to use the Colorado win as a platform, aware that a defeat would drag them back towards the playoff line.
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