LAFC vs San Jose Earthquakes
Saturday, July 8 at 7:30pm PT
Location: BMO Stadium - Los Angeles, California
Radio: 710 AM ESPN, ESPN LA App, 980 AM La Mera Mera
Coming off a Fourth of July defeat to LA Galaxy at the Rose Bowl, the Black & Gold host Northern California rivals San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, July 8 at BMO Stadium.
A headed goal from LAFC midfielder Ilie Sánchez leveled the Galaxy match at 1-1 in the 57th minute but Riqui Puig’s goal in the 73rd proved the deciding factor in front of an MLS-record crowd of 82,110 fans.
The Black & Gold are in third place in the Western Conference standings behind the Seattle Sounders, with 32 points in 20 regular season games. Last season, during its run toward the Western Conference and MLS Cup titles, LAFC stood at 42 points after 20 games played.
LAFC and San Jose square off Saturday night for the third and final time this season, and for the 15th time in the clubs’ history. LAFC leads the series with nine wins versus San Jose’s six.
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EARTHQUAKES IN-DEPTH
Led by head coach Luchi Gonzalez, the Earthquakes are looking to return to form after going winless in four straight matches, including a 2-2 draw against Galaxy on July 1. The Quakes (7W-7L-7D) currently sit in the 6th place in the West, with 28 points.Â
San Jose has struggled on the road, winning just two of its 27 away matches in MLS play since the start of the 2022 season, with 17 defeats in that span.Â
Argentinian forward Cristian Espinoza leads the club with nine goals in 21 games played, including two against LAFC on May 6 at Levi's Stadium.Â
The Earthquakes are expected to be without captain Jackson Yueill and winger Cade Cowell, who are both on international duty with the US Mens National Team.
LAFC WILL WIN IF
They can look past their recent struggles and focus on the goals that lay ahead. LAFC has lost eight of its last 11 matches across all competitions, an uncharacteristic run of form for a club used to success. Look for captain Carlos Vela, who has scored six goals in his eight career matches against San Jose, to continue producing against the Quakes.
EARTHQUAKES CAN WIN IF
They find a way around an LAFC backline that could receive a boost from the return of Mamadou Fall. Defenders Jesùs Murillo, Aaron Long, and Sergi Palencia will likely be unavailable on Saturday, so the return of Fall could prove timely. Quakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse has scored in four out of five matches at BMO Stadium and will look to take advantage of any space given to him.
