SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes defeated LAFC 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at PayPal Park. The victory sees the Earthquakes extend their unbeaten streak to seven (2-0-5), the longest active streak in Major League Soccer. Forward Jeremy Ebobisse, acquired via trade with Portland on Thursday, made his Earthquakes debut.
San Jose took the lead in the 11th minute. Cristian Espinoza sent a free kick towards the near post and Nathan got just enough on the ball to redirect it past goalkeeper Tomas Romero. The Quakes added a second 17 minutes later when Espinoza dribbled past his defender and laid off a pass to Chofis, who scored with a low shot from close range.
LAFC would halve the lead minutes before halftime when a Carlos Vela free kick caromed off Quakes midfielder Jackson Yueill for an own goal.
Earthquakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski made six total saves in the victory. He has allowed no more than a single goal in each of the Quakes’ last six matches.
The Earthquakes will remain in San Jose to host Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Friday, Aug. 13, presented by CEFCU. The match kicks off from PayPal Park at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
GAME NOTES
The Earthquakes now hold a 5-7-6 record (21 pts.) during the 2021 MLS regular season and are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference.
The Quakes extended their unbeaten streak to seven matches (2-0-5). It marks the club’s first unbeaten stretch of 7+ matches in a single season since the final seven matches of 2013 (5-0-2).
The Quakes extended their winning streak against LAFC to three. San Jose is now 3-5-0 all-time vs. LAFC, including a 2-2-0 record at home.
Defender Nathan scored his second goal of the season and the second of his MLS career. He has now scored two goals in his first seven appearances with the Quakes.
Midfielder Chofis scored his fifth goal of the season and the fifth of his MLS career, making him the team’s goal leader. He has now scored in each of the last two matches. Today’s goal marked the first game-winning goal of his MLS career.
Midfielder Cristian Espinoza tallied assists on Nathan and Chofis’ goals, marking his fifth and sixth assists of the season and 27th and 28th of his MLS career. It marks the first time an Earthquakes player tallied two or more assists in a single match since April 24, 2021 (Cade Cowell; two vs. D.C. United). Espinoza has now tallied six assists, including two game-winning assists, in six regular season appearances vs. LAFC.
Midfielder Jackson Yueill made his 100th MLS appearance, starting and playing 90 minutes.
Forward Jeremy Ebobisse made his Earthquakes debut, entering the match as a substitute in the 36th minute.
MLS Regular Season
San Jose Earthquakes 2 – 1 Los Angeles Football Club
Aug. 8, 2021 – PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
Attendance: 18,000 (sellout)
Michelob Man of the Match: Cristian Espinoza
Scoring Summary: SJ – Nathan (Cristian Espinoza) 11; SJ – Chofis (Cristian Espinoza) 28; LAFC – Jackson Yueill (own goal) 39.
Misconduct Summary: LAFC – Jesus Murillo (caution) 10; SJ – Cade Cowell (caution) 38; SJ – Jeremy Ebobisse (caution) 76; LAFC – Diego Rossi (caution) 78.
* SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: *JT Marcinkowski; Luciano Abecasis (Jeremy Ebobisse 36), Oswaldo Alanis, Nathan, Tanner Beason; Shea Salinas (Carlos Fierro 70), Judson, Jackson Yueill (Chris Wondolowski 83), Cristian Espinoza, Chofis (Eric Remedi 70); Cade Cowell (Paul Marie 46).
Substitutes not used: Siad Haji, Andy Rios, Jack Skahan, Daniel Vega.
SHOTS: 15; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 6
LAFC: Tomas Romero, Diego Palacios, Tristan Blackmon, Moonhwan Kim, Jesus Murillo (Mamadou Fall 46); Francisco Ginella (Danny Musovski 74), Jose Cifuentes (Latif Blessing 63), Eduard Atuesta; Carlos Vela, Brian Rodriguez (Diego Rossi 46), Cristian Arango (Raheem Edwards 68).
Substitutes not used: Daniel Crisostomo, Marco Farfan, Sebastien Ibeagha, Pablo Sisniega.
SHOTS: 16; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 14; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MATIAS ALMEYDA
On the team’s improvement:
“I do think that we have improved a lot. We have modified some things. We have to keep on improving in order to grow. Keeping in mind the teams we are up against and the way we are playing, I think there has been a lot of growth. We have to stay on this path and that is the most important thing.”
On the debut of Jeremy Ebobisse:
“I think it was sped up because I had to make a quick change. I think he Is a player that will give San Jose a lot. Whenever a player wins on their debut, that is important. He and his teammates gave their maximum effort.”
On Nathan’s impact on the Quakes:
“I think he is an excellent reinforcement. Game after game, he has been adapting very well. He is a great professional and teammate. Nathan and his teammates keep growing game after game.”
On Chofis’ form and recent performances:
“I am looking at Chofis’ form from a day-to-day perspective. He is very professional. He is focused on growing and improving, I don’t think he’s even realized his potential. He is performing well. He still has room to improve and he is in search of reaching that level I think he can get to. He went a year and half without playing and the season he is having says a lot about him.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER CRISTIAN ESPINOZA
On the tactical changes during today’s match:
“I think the team did well because we had been training with different tactical options during the week. We were ready so that each one of us knew what to do in case there would be a tactical change during the game.”
On his thoughts on Jeremy Ebobisse since his arrival:
“He’s great player, complete, very technical and powerful. As he continues to train more and more, he will continue to adapt better to Matias’ style of play, although I think he did well today. Hopefully we can help him in the best way possible in the attack.”
On what the team needs to do to earn more wins and extend the unbeaten streak:
“I think it’s fundamental that we continue to keep the order that we’ve had in these last few matches. The last three or four matches were against really good teams, the best in the league in my opinion. We’ve done well. We’ve been able to take the victory in two of them, so I think it’s about keeping order and continue to be a team that gets better physically. We know there are a lot of things that we need to improve on, both defensively and offensively. We’re on the right path to accomplish our goal.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD JEREMY EBOBISSE
On debuting at PayPal Park:
“It’s better to play for them than against. I’ve had some tough experiences playing here at PayPal Park. It was always a battle, and you can feel the energy that they fed to the team and the team would run with it and put us under a ton of pressure. To have them on our back this time was reenergizing, and it was great to get a big win against LAFC in front of them and I think there’s many more to come.”
On adjusting to the pace of the match:
“I think it was up to getting up to speed on the tactics as quickly as possible, understanding who was coming out and who was sliding into which position and making sure my entry into the game didn’t cause any setbacks from a tactical perspective. From there, it was about enjoying the game and coming out with energy and feeling natural. I think for my first game, I did that pretty well and I was pleased with the connection with the wingers and the way they read my touches on the ball and they were able to find the spaces that I would eventually put the ball in. Then obviously in a striker you look for goals and I understand that’s something I’ll be looking to contribute even more in my next performances. I think we got into good spaces as a team. The pressure put LAFC under a lot of difficulty. Our counter-attacks and the way we built up put them in tough spots as well. We have threats from every position on the field and it’s about utilizing that and complimenting each other moving forward.”
On his transition into San Jose:
“It was a really warm welcome from everyone, starting with the fans and getting into the locker room with players, coaches. Everyone in the team environment has been super open and have been trying to make it as easy as possible for me to feel settled in. Once we get onto the field, we all speak the same language, the language of the sport and we start to see different connections popping up. It’s just really exciting and refreshing to be in this environment. There’s more for me to give from a personality standpoint and then from a footballing standpoint. The first couple of days, with the hectic nature of packing up, taking a flight and getting acquainted with a new system, meeting everyone and getting to know different names and different tendencies, I think it’s been a relatively smooth transition.”
