St. Louis City SC is comfortably in first place in the Western Conference, while LA Galaxy is in second-to-last place. So, it seems like this game should be easy to predict.

But that’s not what’s happening.

On Sunday, September 10, Matchday 31 of Major League Soccer will feature a matchup that is much tighter than the Western Conference standings would suggest.

When these two teams played in Missouri in June, it seemed pretty clear that St. Louis would win at home. They were at the top of the Western Conference and in great shape, but every time an opponent struck, the Galaxy’s defense looked scared.

Still, the Los Angeles team pulled off a 1-1 draw against the league leaders, which turned out to be a big turning point. This led to a streak of wins that ran until the last game before the Leagues Cup break.

They lost their last game in Vancouver, but that’s the only league loss they’ve had since June 1. Since then, they’ve won seven out of nine games, beating Chicago at home and San Jose on the road in the Cali Clasico, and then getting a hard-fought draw against a hot Houston team last time out.

Even though the Galaxy are five points behind the last Western Conference Playoff spot (though they do have a game in hand), there are enough good things about this team to think that they might just coast into the playoff picture.

Since MLS came back, both Tyler Boyd and Riqui Puig have scored two goals each, and the addition of Billy Sharp, who scored from the penalty spot in his first league game, gives them a player who can change games late in the second half.

Puig has been especially happy lately. His work with Uri Rosell, who also went to La Masia, has gone smoothly. Still, he has proven himself to be the best player for the Galaxy this summer, especially since Chicharito has been hurt and can’t play.

Even though he didn’t have the best start in Los Angeles, Puig has found the flow he needs to take control of games. When he’s at his best, he’s a whirlwind in midfield, but he has the smarts to keep the ball moving, bouncing off his teammates to speed past opponents.

Most opponents would be scared by that, but St. Louis is still a bit of a mystery at the time. The Missouri team is still in first place in the Western Conference. They are six points ahead of the Sounders, who are in second place (but have played one more game), and seven points ahead of LAFC, who are in third place (but have played one less game).

That’s a huge accomplishment, and it’s even more amazing for a team in its first MLS season, which has been easy to forget as the season has gone on. What St. Louis is doing has never been done before, and it is also making history.

And yet, even with all of that, they look a bit weak lately. Since coming back from a poor Leagues Cup, St. Louis has lost on the road to both Orlando and Kansas. This was followed by a hard-fought 2-1 win over 10-man Dallas at CITYPARK, which was probably harder than it needed to be.

Even though they started the season strong, their road record hasn’t been great either. Since April, St. Louis has only won twice on the road, losing seven times and drawing once. And even though they always score, their defense has looked pretty weak.

So, despite where they are in the league, it seems like a good idea to bet on the Galaxy to keep pushing for the playoffs and, by doing so, help their crosstown rivals LAFC try to take back the top spot a week before El Trafico comes back to town again.

St. Louis City SC vs. LA Galaxy The best bets are that both teams will score (-225). • Sportsbook at bet365The Galaxy have scored in 27 of their last 29 games at home, but they have lost 12 of their last 14 league games at Dignity Health Sports Park. Both teams have scored goals here fairly easily, and we expect that to keep happening.

bet365 Sportsbook: Tyler Boyd Anytime Goalscorer (+210)Since coming back from the Leagues Cup, the former Besiktas player has scored twice, giving him four goals in his last six MLS games.

He works well with Riqui Puig and the other attackers, and St. Louis’ defense has trouble stopping players who run at them. He could use this to his advantage again.