SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Town FC, the San Jose Earthquakes’ MLS NEXT Pro team, will face St. Louis CITY2 in a Western Conference Semifinals match on Sunday, Oct. 27, at CITYPARK in St. Louis, Missouri (2 p.m. PT). The game will be broadcast via MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.
The game will serve as the rubber match between the teams in 2024. On May 27, also at CITYPARK, CITY2 edged The Town FC 1-0 on a 72nd-minute penalty kick. However, The Town returned the favor with a 2-0 win on Sept. 22 behind goals from Julian Donnery and Cruz Medina. This time, The Town enters Sunday’s playoff tilt having won seven of their last eight matches, including a 2-1 victory over Houston Dynamo 2 in last week’s Western Conference Quarterfinals. CITY2 also emerged by a 2-1 margin in the previous round thanks to a second-half comeback against LAFC2.
In only his second full season as head coach, Dan DeGeer has not only led the team to their best regular-season finish ever with 51 points, he has already matched last year’s playoff march, which also culminated in a berth in the Western Conference Semifinals.
Overall, the club has prioritized development for its young players, using more academy players than any other team to log minutes. The Town FC finished first in the league in both average player age (18.1) and academy players registered (37).
A parade of standout performances across a carefully constructed roster of predominantly locally based players have lifted The Town FC to unprecedented heights, starting with 19-year-old goalkeeper Emi Ochoa. The Salinas native and Mexico youth international was recently named MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month for September after recording three consecutive clean sheets.
Fellow Homegrown Players and U.S. youth internationals Cruz Medina and Edwyn Mendoza are also signed with the first team, and the pair of 18-year-old midfielders have likewise seen a rapid rise in their professional growth for The Town FC. Hailing from San Francisco and San Jose, respectively, Medina and Mendoza recorded assists in last Sunday’s 2-1 playoff win over Houston. Meanwhile, a pair of San Jose State alumni, midfielder Beau LeRoux and defender Joel Garcia, were on the receiving end of both goals.
Combined with the attacking trio consisting of Quakes Academy products Eduardo “Lalo” Blancas (8g/1a) and Aaron Edwards (7g/4a), along with 2024 MLS SuperDraft third-round pick Riley Lynch from St. Mary’s College (7g/3a), DeGeer has no shortage of weapons to rely on heading into what shapes up to be another exciting playoff run.
About The Town FC
The Town FC is a community-based professional soccer organization that launched in early 2022, that now includes a men’s team in MLS NEXT Pro via a partnership with the San Jose Earthquakes’ MLS NEXT Pro affiliate. The club seeks to offer programs for players of all ages and skill levels from youth development to adult leagues and on to professional levels of play. Fans can stay up-to-date with the team's schedule and latest news by visiting www.thetownfc.com or following @TheTown_FC.
About MLS NEXT Pro
Launched in 2022 by Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro is a professional men’s soccer league in the United States and Canada that completes the pro player pathway from MLS NEXT to MLS first teams. MLS NEXT Pro continues to grow the game through innovation and diversity, bringing professional soccer to new communities and creating opportunities both on and off the field. MLS NEXT Pro will celebrate its third season in 2024 with 29 teams, 27 MLS-affiliated and two independent, Carolina Core FC and Chattanooga FC. Additional MLS-affiliated and independent clubs will join in the years ahead, including Cleveland, Jacksonville Armada FC and Connecticut United FC. The majority of MLS NEXT Pro’s matches are broadcast on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV as part of the groundbreaking partnership between Apple and MLS. For more information about MLS NEXT Pro, visit mlsnextpro.com.
