The San Jose Earthquakes will host LAFC on Sunday, August 8 at PayPal Park, presented by Unilever. Sunday’s match will be the first meeting between San Jose and LAFC in 2021. San Jose’s last encounter with LAFC was on November 4, 2020, in which the Quakes defeated LAFC 3-2 at PayPal Park on goals from Chris Wondolowski and Cristian Espinoza.
The Quakes will defend their six-game unbeaten streak and two-game winning streak vs. LAFC on Sunday. San Jose’s unbeaten streak increased to six on Wednesday through a 1-1 draw against the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. Chofis tallied San Jose’s lone goal, bringing his goal total to four in 2021.
Head coach Matias Almeyda was pleased with the buildup to the goal should be the style that San Jose are identified with.
“That goal reflects our intentions,” Almeyda said after Wednesday night’s draw. “We want every player at San Jose to identify with the style. Those goals are always a prize. I think we've had similar instances in which we controlled the match but were just missing the finish that could have potentially won us the match tonight."
Looking ahead to Sunday, Almeyda says the team will need to bring their very best in order to get a positive result. LAFC are winless in their last four matches (0-2-2), most recently falling 4-1 on Wednesday against Sporting Kansas City. Despite the difficult stretch for LAFC, Almeyda knows they have quality in their roster and system and says the Quakes need to have a proactive approach.
"Every opponent we face is challenging,” Almeyda said. “In fact, the teams that we are up against are the teams that are above us. LAFC is a team that has defeated us many times. We can't look at what they have been doing, we have to see what we can do against them."
LAFC currently occupy fifth in the Western Conference Standings (6-6-5, 23 pts.), and are led by midfielders José Cifuentes and Carlos Vela, and forward Diego Rossi, who each possess five goals in 2021. Vela had tallied at least one goal in four straight matches prior to Wednesday night’s defeat. Vela has also been productive in his obligations as a playmaker, having been credited with five assists this season.
Kickoff at PayPal Park is set for 4 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
