Los Angeles Galaxy Need to be on the Lookout for These 2 LAFC Stars | OneFootball

Another edition of El Trafico Clasico is set to take place at BMO Stadium on Saturday. The defending MLS Cup champions have their shortest road trip of the season when they face off against their rival, Los Angeles Football Club.

The LA Galaxy are at a much different place than they were this time last season. They were doing battle in the MLS Western Conference standings with LAFC.

LAFC ended up with the top seed out West (thanks to a goal-differential tiebreaker) and the LA Galaxy locked up the second seed. As it played out, it worked for the Galaxy.

The Los Angeles Galaxy reached their tenth MLS Finals and secured their sixth title. LAFC enjoyed a few weeks off before the championship game after being eliminated by the Seattle Sounders.

What to look forward to this time between the LA Galaxy and LAFC

As poorly as the 2025 MLS regular season has gone for the Los Angeles Galaxy, they at least made it competitive the last time they played LAFC. The two teams walked away from Rivalry Week with one point in the MLS Western Conference standings thanks to a 2-2 draw at Dignity Health Sports Park.

The reigning Player of the Month for the LA Galaxy, Marco Reus, scored twice in that contest. He has had eleven goal contributions in the past two months of play for his team. LAFC, however, has a scoring machine of its own.

1. Denis Bouanga

The French-born forward has 11 scores on the season. Bouanga is not only the team leader in goals, he is also leading the way with seven assists.

Bouanga has given the LA Galaxy fits before. The 30-year-old athlete had one of the two goals against the defending MLS Cup champs during Rivalry Week.

Despite struggling in the first two months of the season, Bouanga has really turned it on as of late. The former Gabon player has scored all 11 of his goals in the past 13 games he's played. In addition, he has scored in the last three games in a row for LAFC.

If the Los Angeles Galaxy want to avoid another loss, especially against their rival, they need to lock down Bouanga and force others to be involved.

2. Marky Delgado

This player should look familiar to both fan bases. Delgado is with LAFC for the second time in his career. He played for the LA Galaxy for the past couple seasons including last year's championship season.

General Manager of the LA Galaxy, Will Kuntz, had some difficult decisions to make this winter. Delgado became a salary-cap forced trade, sending him back to the other LA-based team.

Also 30 years old, the veteran midfielder has two goals on the season to compliment his five assists. One of those five assists came in the game against the LA Galaxy earlier in the year.

Delgado has won multiple MLS titles with the current LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney. The two were together in 2017 for Toronto FC's championship season. The former Galaxy player knows Vanney's ways and constructs better than anyone else on LAFC's roster.

Thus making him a threat to impact Saturday's game in favor of his new team and against his old one. Former LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy is still benched for Novak Micovic.

Reus, Diego Fagundez and Company will take the field for kickoff at 7:30 p.m. (PT) and 10:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday evening. This will be both teams' last game before the All-Star break next week.