The San Jose Earthquakes head to Southern California on Sunday afternoon to face rivals Los Angeles Football Club. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT at BMO Stadium, with the match broadcast on Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire (English/Spanish). The game will also air on local radio via KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).
San Jose enters the matchup riding momentum after a 2-0 home win over Phoenix Rising FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, improving to 7-1-0 across all competitions—the best start in club history. Currently even on points with first-place Vancouver Whitecaps FC with only goal differential separating them in the table, the Quakes can send a message with a road win over a potent LAFC, who are coming off an impressive 4-1 aggregate victory over Mexican giants Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals.
The Quakes have impressed on both ends of the pitch, with nine different goal scorers across all competitions while conceding just two goals in 2026. In MLS play, Daniel Munie, Niko Tsakiris, and Jack Skahan have each notched a pair of goals, trailing team leader Preston Judd, who leads the squad with three this season. They’ve spread the wealth as well, with 10 players across all competitions dishing out at least one assist, led by Tsakiris’ four helpers.
Defensively, the team has amassed a club-record six shutouts in eight games across all competitions, and five in MLS play behind the strong play of goalkeeper Daniel and the back line.
Recent matchups between San Jose and LAFC have tilted in the latter’s favor, with the Black and Gold winning the last five meetings in MLS play. Still, the rivalry has delivered plenty of memorable moments, including their most recent clash at Levi’s Stadium in 2025, which drew a record-setting Earthquakes standalone crowd of 50,978. Fueled by the NorCal-SoCal dynamic, this fixture consistently produces high-energy, open contests.
LAFC boasts a star-studded roster, led by South Korean standout Son Heung-min, who tops the league with seven assists. In goal, Hugo Lloris has been dominant, yet to concede this season while also leading MLS with six clean sheets. Meanwhile, forward Denis Bouanga has already tallied eight goal contributions (4g/4a) and is chasing a fourth consecutive 20-goal MLS campaign.
Quakes Designated Player Timo Werner, who is coming off an assist in Wednesday’s win over Phoenix, previously shared the field with Son and Lloris at Tottenham Hotspur during the 2023–24 season. Son led the attack with 27 goal contributions (17g/10a) in that span, while Werner added five goal contributions (2g/3a) in 13 league appearances after arriving midseason, with Lloris providing veteran leadership in goal during that campaign.
In addition, former Quakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse (2021-24), who enjoyed three straight seasons with double-digit goals across all competitions for San Jose, will be on the opposite bench Sunday.
Sunday’s matchup adds another chapter to a rivalry defined by attacking play and momentum swings. The Quakes enter in strong form and will look to turn their early-season success into a statement result on the road at BMO Stadium.
