In a battle of teams looking to end winless streaks, the San Jose Earthquakes visit Los Angeles FC on Saturday.
The Earthquakes are 0-2-2 in their last four matches, while Los Angeles has lost three consecutive games.
Los Angeles FC (9-6-5, 32 points) dropped a 2-1 result to the LA Galaxy on Tuesday in front of an MLS-record attendance of 82,110 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
With only a 2-5-1 record in their last eight games, LAFC could be wearing down after a brutally busy schedule. Since March 4, Los Angeles has played a combined 30 games in MLS regular-season play, the CONCACAF Champions League, and the U.S. Open Cup.
“We’re still not firing at full strength … but I don’t think that’s exclusive to LAFC,” Los Angeles coach Steve Cherundolo said. “There’s a lot of clubs right now who are missing players. It’s a tough stretch for us, a lot of games, but we’ll get through it.”
Los Angeles dealt forward Kwadwo Opoku to CF Montreal on Wednesday in exchange for $1.75M in general allocation money, giving LAFC extra salary cap space for roster upgrades this summer.
San Jose (7-7-7, 28 points) will be short some key personnel on Saturday. Jackson Yueill and Cade Cowell are away on international duty, and Jamiro Monteiro and Michael Baldismo are both questionable due to injuries.
The Earthquakes are also coming off a rivalry match with the Galaxy, a 2-2 draw on July 1 in Stanford, Cal. The Galaxy twice held leads, but San Jose equalized on goals from Jack Skahan in the 42nd minute and Cristian Espinoza in the 81st minute.
“I am proud of our response. … I am proud of our guys in terms of fighting, responding and showing our fans that we don’t give up,” San Jose coach Luchi Gonzalez said.
San Jose is 1-6-3 in away matches this season, while LAFC are 6-2-2 at home.
The two teams exchanged 2-1 home victories in their first two meetings of the regular season. The Earthquakes won in Santa Clara on May 6, and LAFC triumphed on May 20 in Los Angeles.
–Field Level Media
