LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes fell to LAFC 3-1 on Saturday afternoon at Banc of California Stadium.
LAFC got on the board very early, taking a 1-0 lead in the third minute. Cristian Arango played a back-heel pass into the path of Danny Musovski, who scored from close range.
LAFC then doubled their advantage in the 28th minute when Arango converted a penalty kick.
The Earthquakes used all five of their substitutes by the 55th minute, bringing on a number of attacking players in search of a comeback. The Quakes then got on the board in the 61st minute when Chofis sent a corner kick into the box that was headed across the front of goal by Andy Rios and put away by Carlos Fierro.
San Jose created several scoring opportunities late, but LAFC were able to capitalize on the counterattack with Arango tallying his second goal of the match in the 88th minute.
The Quakes return to San Jose for a pair of home matches next week. Wednesday’s match vs. Austin FC, presented by the City of San Jose, kicks off from PayPal Park at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF
GAME NOTES
The Earthquakes now hold an 8-12-9 record (33 pts.) during the 2021 MLS regular season and are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference.
San Jose’s four-match winning streak over LAFC came to an end. San Jose is now 4-6-0 all-time vs. LAFC, including 1-4-0 away from home.
Midfielder Carlos Fierro scored his first goal of the season and third of his MLS career.
Chofis and Andy Rios each tallied an assist on Fierro’s goal. It marked Chofis’ fourth assist of the season and of his MLS career. The assist was Rios’ first assist of the season and second of his MLS career.
Forward Jeremy Ebobisse started and played 90 minutes, marking his first appearance since suffering a head injury on Sept. 4.
MATCH INFORMATION
MLS Regular Season
Los Angeles Football Club 3 – 1 San Jose Earthquakes
Oct. 16, 2021 – Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Attendance: 22,003
Scoring Summary:
LAFC (1-0) – Danny Musovski (Cristian Arango, Jose Cifuentes) 3’
LAFC (2-0) – Cristian Arango (penalty) 28’
SJ (2-1) – Carlos Fierro (Andy Rios, Chofis) 61’
LAFC (3-1) – Cristian Arango (Brian Rodriguez, Daniel Crisostomo) 88’
Misconduct Summary:
SJ – JT Marcinkowski (caution) 28’
SJ – Chofis (caution) 40’
LAFC – Jesus Murillo (caution) 81’
LAFC – Cristian Arango (caution) 86’
LAFC – Marco Farfan (caution) 90+3’
LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB: Jamal Blackman, Mamadou Fall (Sebastien Ibeagha 65), Marco Farfan, Kim Moonhwan (Tristan Blackmon 82), Raheem Edwards (Diego Palacios 65), Jesus Murillo, Latif Blessing, Francisco Ginella (Daniel Crisostomo 46), Jose Cifuentes, Cristian Arango, Danny Musovski (Brian Rodriguez 76).
Substitutes not used: Bryce Duke, Jordan Harvey, Michee Ngalina, Tomas Romero.
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 18; CORNER KICKS: 2; SAVES: 5
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: JT Marcinkowski; Luciano Abecasis (Jack Skahan 46), Oswaldo Alanis (Cade Cowell 55), Nathan, Shea Salinas (Carlos Fierro 46); Chofis, Judson, Jackson Yueill, Cristian Espinoza (Andy Rios 55); Benji Kikanovic (Chris Wondolowski 55), Jeremy Ebobisse.
Substitutes not used: Tanner Beason, Paul Marie, Tommy Thompson, Daniel Vega.
SHOTS: 15; SHOTS ON GOAL: 7; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MATIAS ALMEYDA
On his impressions of the match:
“I think we were imprecise in the first half when we recovered the ball. LAFC put their chances away and we did not. The game became even. We were a team trying to play short from the back, and LAFC tried playing the long ball from behind. They are a team with great quality in terms of their players. In the second half, we were a different team. We were precise, creating chances. We scored a goal, brought the margin closer and in those moments we could have tied the match.”
On turnovers impacting the match:
“It’s more about our buildup and how we attempt to control the game. We were losing the ball too quickly, especially in the first half. Once we started to play, we trapped them into their half and started having control of the match. This tells us that we need to keep improving. The season is yet to be over and we have been committing these mistakes throughout the year and last season also. We keep insisting on giving confidence to the players.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SHEA SALINAS
On the team’s formation change and his different role:
“Yeah, kind of a wingback situation. It usually suits me pretty well, running back and forth. It was a difficult afternoon. I think the first half, that formation’s tough because a team comes out and usually has more energy, but as you could tell, the second half once we wear them down a bit, I think it opens up a lot of space for us to get to get the ball wide and then come back through the middle and shoot it. Obviously, the first half is difficult. The first 20-30 minutes is tough, I think, but our team settled in and ended up playing well the second half. It just wasn’t enough.”
On the return of Jeremy Ebobisse:
“Yeah, Jebo’s [Jeremy Ebobisse] obviously a really important player for us. Holds the ball up well, he’s dangerous in the box, he can score goals. We seriously missed him when he was gone. It was really good to have him back in practice the last few weeks and to see him play today was impressive. With the heat, and to play as many minutes as he did, it’s really impressive. He’s got a big recovery to do because we’re going to need him Wednesday.”
