LA Galaxy hosts San Diego FC on Saturday, October 17, 2026, for Matchday 31 of the Major League Soccer (MLS, the top-flight soccer league in the United States and Canada) regular season. Kick-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local stadium time) at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, with live streaming coverage in the United States on Apple TV.

The Western Conference matchup carries direct playoff implications. LA Galaxy enters the round in 8th place in the West (14th overall in MLS) with 39 points from 30 matches (10 wins, 9 draws, and 11 losses, with 41 goals scored, 50 conceded, and a -9 goal difference), coming off a 2-0 home win over the Portland Timbers on Wednesday (14) with goals from Marco Reus and Justin Haak. San Diego FC sits in 12th place in the conference (22nd overall) with 33 points in 29 games (8 wins, 9 draws, and 12 losses, 51 goals for, 54 against, and a -3 differential), five points below the 9th-place playoff cutoff line. In its previous outing on Wednesday (14), San Diego FC drew 3-3 at home at Snapdragon Stadium against the Houston Dynamo, with goals from Anders Dreyer (via penalty), Cédric Bakambu, and Gabriel Pirani in the 86th minute. In the most recent meeting between the two clubs on August 29, 2026, San Diego FC defeated LA Galaxy 3-1.

Where to watch LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC live

Fans in the United States can watch the Matchday 31 contest through the official league broadcast partner.

• Apple TV (streaming)

Kick-off time and venue for LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC

• Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
• Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local stadium time in America/Los_Angeles)
• Venue: Dignity Health Sports Park, in Carson, California
• Competition: MLS — Major League Soccer (Matchday 31)

Read also: Portland Timbers vs Colorado Rapids: where to watch live, kick-off time and lineups (MLS, Oct 17)

Probable lineup for LA Galaxy

Head coach Greg Vanney, who has led the team since January 2021 and is in his sixth season in charge, is expected to field LA Galaxy in a 4-2-3-1 formation: JT Marcinkowski; Lucas Calegari, Justin Haak, Emiro Garcés, and Jayden Nelson; Pablo Ruiz and Sergi Roberto; Joseph Paintsil, Marco Reus, and Robert Taylor; João Klauss. Reus has recorded 8 goals and 9 assists across 28 MLS appearances in 2026.

According to the official MLS Player Status Report for Matchday 31, LA Galaxy has four players ruled out due to injury:

• Kyōgo Furuhashi (forward, out with a thigh injury)
• Hirving Lozano (forward and former San Diego FC player, out with a thigh injury suffered while on international duty with Mexico during the October FIFA window)
• Isaiah Parente (midfielder, out with an ankle injury)
• Riqui Puig (midfielder, placed on the Season-Ending Injury List — SEI, the league register for players unavailable for the remainder of the campaign)

No LA Galaxy players are suspended for this match, and the nominal list of players one yellow card away from suspension was not disclosed in the club previews or the open text of the MLS status report.

Probable lineup for San Diego FC

Head coach Mikey Varas, the first manager in the franchise’s history and in his second season after signing a contract extension in January 2026, is projected to line up San Diego FC in a 4-3-3 system: Carlos dos Santos; Dagur Dan Thórhallsson, Christopher McVey, Manu Duah, and Kieran Sargeant; Jeppe Tverskov, Aníbal Godoy, and Gabriel Pirani; Anders Dreyer, Cédric Bakambu, and Elias Achouri. In the 2026 MLS season, Dreyer has registered 12 goals and 13 assists (25 goal contributions), tying Marcus Ingvartsen (12 goals) as the team’s top scorer.

On the official MLS availability report, San Diego FC has one confirmed injury absence: defender Osvald Søe is out with a lower-body injury. Following the October 14 match against the Houston Dynamo, MLS fined San Diego FC, head coach Mikey Varas, midfielder Gabriel Pirani, and performance scientist Carson O’Coyne for violating the league’s Mass Confrontation Policy (rules against multiple team members surrounding match officials or opponents), but issued no suspensions. No San Diego FC players are suspended for Matchday 31, and the list of players nearing a yellow-card accumulation ban was not detailed in the official pre-match reports.

Read also: MLS fines Lionel Messi for slapping opponent after game against Philadelphia Union

Match officials for LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC

The Professional Referee Organization (PRO, the body responsible for managing professional soccer officials in the United States and Canada) assigned the following crew for the match:

• Referee: Rubiel Vazquez (PRO)
• Assistant Referee 1: Jose Da Silva (PRO)
• Assistant Referee 2: Meghan Mullen (PRO)
• Fourth Official: Brandon Stevis (PRO)
• Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Jose Carlos Rivero (PRO)
• Assistant VAR (AVAR): Tom Supple (PRO)

Head-to-head history and next match for LA Galaxy and San Diego FC

Saturday’s game marks the fourth regular-season meeting between the two Southern California clubs since San Diego FC joined MLS as an expansion franchise in 2025. San Diego FC won all three previous encounters (two in 2025 and one in 2026). In their last clash on August 29, 2026, at Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego FC won 3-1 with goals from Elias Achouri (11′), Kieran Sargeant (48′), and Amahl Pellegrino (70′), while Hirving Lozano scored for LA Galaxy against his former club in the 55th minute.

At Dignity Health Sports Park, Saturday’s match will feature “Marvel Night” and a pre-game tribute and photo session for former forward Gyasi Zardes. A LA Galaxy homegrown product and 2014 MLS Cup champion, Zardes announced his retirement the previous month after 13 seasons in the league. Following Matchday 31, LA Galaxy returns to regular-season action on October 25, 2026, in an away derby against LAFC.