LA Galaxy

On Sunday, more than 50,000 spectators will attend Minnesota United’s final match at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis (the club will move into Allianz Field in Saint Paul next year), and they’ll be treated to a visit from Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy.

MLS is reaching its most interesting stage; no margin for error if you want to be in the MLS Cup playoffs and compete for the title. 

Now, life in the Western and Eastern Conferences differs largely. Out of the four teams that have already secured a spot in the postseason, three of them come from the East (Atlanta United, NY Red Bulls, and NYCFC). The West, on the contrary, has FC Dallas as its only qualified representative. 

It’s been over 40 years since 49,572 curious fans entered the now demolished Metropolitan Stadium (now the site of Mall of America) to watch the ingloriously named Minnesota Kicks take on the San Jose Earthquakes in the NASL Conference Championship. That number has since served as the high water mark for a professional soccer team in Minnesota — until Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s LA Galaxy come to town on Oct. 21. 

The Los Angeles Galaxy’s playoff hopes — and perhaps Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s future in LA — received a much-needed boost last night in the form of a 3-0 win over the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic LA Galaxy stats improved to a tally of 20 goals and nine assists in 24 MLS matches.

It’s easy to imagine that when Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined the LA Galaxy back in March, he saw the distinct similarities between joining the MLS side and his previous move to Manchester United. Just like United’s malaise following the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Galaxy were struggling despite its standing as the most decorated club in the history of the league.