Los Angeles Football Club vs. San Jose Earthquakes | 2018 MLS Match Preview

Dylan Butler

LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
2018 MLS Regular Season — Week 30
Banc of California Stadium — Los Angeles
Sept. 22 — 3:30 pm ET
WATCH: Univision, Twitter, MLS LIVE on DAZN (Canada)

LAFC look to move up the Western Conference table, while the San Jose Earthquakes look to snap a three-game losing streak when the sides meet Saturday at Banc of California Stadium.

LAFC, which drew the New England Revolution, 1-1, at home on Saturday, are in third place in the Western Conference with 47 points, four points behind first-place Sporting Kansas City.

This will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams. LAFC scored twice at the death on goals by Adama Diomande and Joao Moutinho to rally for a 4-3 victory at Avaya Stadium on June 9.

Four minutes after Diomande canceled out Vako’s early go-ahead goal, Steven Beitashour gave the visitors a 2-1 lead. Chris Wondolowski struck for a brace in an 11-minute span in the second half to put the Quakes ahead before Diomande leveled in the 90th minute and Moutinho netted the winner in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time.

LAFC

LAFC (13-7-8) stretched an unbeaten streak to five matches, but were stung again by conceding late in a 1-1 home draw with the New England Revolution Saturday night.

Marco Ureña notched his long-awaited first goal for LAFC in the 52nd minute, but Brandon Bye leveled in the 82nd minute for the rookie’s first MLS goal as the sides shared the points at the Banc.

“The part of becoming a very good team that knows how to win big games – that knows how to win games that become physical, that knows how to win every kind of game because different opponents mean different kinds of games – that is still where we’re finding our way,” LAFC head coach Bob Bradley said. “I think in our moments we play good football, but not every team is going to come in and try to play the football we play. When we get in that part of the game and there’s less flow, it’s more physical, more second balls, we have to be better at those things, but then we also have to be able to have the confidence in what we do every day.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Eduard Atuesta, D - Walker Zimmerman
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: GK - Quillan Roberts (right fibular fracture), M - Mark-Anthony Kaye (fractured ankle), M - Aaron Kovar (left knee irritation); QUESTIONABLE: F - Adama Diomande (left adductor strain)

Projected Starting XI
(4-3-3, right to left)
GK: Tyler Miller — Steven Beitashour, Danilo Silva, Walker Zimmerman, Jordan Harvey — Benny Feilhaber, Eduard Atuesta, Lee Nguyen — Carlos Vela, Marco Ureña, Diego Rossi

San Jose Earthquakes

The first game of the Steve Ralston era was a wild one, as San Jose (4-17-8) saw a pair of two-goal leads evaporate in a 4-3 loss to Atlanta United Wednesday night at Avaya Stadium.

Nick Lima opened the scoring in the 13th minute and Danny Hoesen followed in the 43rd to give the Quakes a two-goal lead. Hector Villalba scored in first-half stoppage time to pull the Five Stripes within one at the break, but Vako again gave the Quakes a cushion with a 58th-minute goal.

Josef Martinez scored from the penalty spot in the 70th minute, Miguel Almiron leveled three minutes later and Martinez netted the stoppage-time winner — his 30th of the season.

“I thought our guys stood toe-to-toe with them for most of this game tonight,” Ralston said. “We showed that we can play with the best teams, and we just have to be able to do it consistently.”

Suspended: None
Suspended after next caution: M - Anibal Godoy, M - Luis Felipe
International duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D - Kevin Partida (right ACL reconstruction surgery and partial meniscectomy)

Projected Starting XI
(4-1-4-1, right to left)
GK: James Marcinkowski — Nick Lima, Guram Kashia, Harold Cummings, Shea Salinas — Luis Felipe — Vako, Anibal Godoy, Jackson Yueill, Magnus Eriksson — Danny Hoesen