No help needed, The Quakes advanced to the Round of 16 with a 5-0 score over Necaxa and goes on the road to go against one of the best teams in the west
Starting Xl ahead of Leagues Cup Round of 32 - Photo by Rocha Multimedia
SAN JOSE, CA –– When was the last time the San Jose Earthquakes celebrated in knockout instances. Across all competitions, it has been a long time. With Authority, The Quakes sealed a 5-0 win over Liga MX side, Club Necaxa.
Even though both teams came under the same circumstances and statistically speaking, very equal game, the message is clear that the San Jose Earthquakes will do whatever it takes to advance to the final instances of the tournament and erase some of the bad weather showering the team throughout their 50th anniversary.
Attendance was low for a do-or-die game, but it surely delivered surprises for anyone doubting the Quakes.
From the first whistle, the Quakes dominated the game with a simple game plan consisting of simple passes, touch, and accuracy in positions along the lines of attack. It did not take too long for the Goonies to strike scoring in the 5th minute of the game preparing a long night for the Mexican Club.
The offensive then took care of the rest as the main man Hernan López orchestrated the second goal with a powerful left shot assisted by Amahl Pellegrino, adding more struggles for Necaxa that could not find a strategy to face against the brilliant connection of the Quakes attackers.
The Earthquakes had another reason to celebrate, Jeremy Ebobisse scored a double in the 29’ and 35’ minutes of the game making him the top scorer of this tournament so far. Ebobisse’s hungriness paid off and helped to equilibrate the poise of the game sealing four goals before halftime.
With 4 goals on the scoresheet, Necaxa looked desperate demonstrated by a little scuffle between Alan Montes and William Yarbrough towards the end of the half. The polemic moment was reviewed by the referee through VAR sending off Montes leaving Necaxa with a man less.
Photo Courtesy by Jose Rocha // Rocha Multimedia
Kicking off the second half, it was very clear that the winner of the game belonged to the Blue and Black. The pace throughout the second half was simply preventing Necaxa from opportunities to score. For the Mexican side, defending as much as possible to avoid Quakes from lengthening the humiliation of Thursday’s nightmare.
For the Goonies, four goals were not enough, they needed to seal five to put the cherry on top as Paul Marie got a turnover inside of the box and got his own in the 87th minute of the game to close out the night in the 90th minute of the game with no stoppage time.
Before the game started, the Quakes already knew their rival ahead to the next round and the Bay Area’s team is flying to Los Angeles to face LAFC on August 13th in search of history. The real challenge for San Jose is to replicate another win in 2024 over the 3252 just as it happened back in May with a 3-1 score.
This upcoming Round of 16 showdown is a statement that San Jose can dismantle defenses and can do things in their way. All the momentum is for the underdog San Jose as LAFC currently stands in the 2nd place in the Western standings. Also, this game marks the first time in Leagues Cup history that San Jose faces both Southern California clubs.
San Jose understands the games are getting tougher and the Leagues Cup is the perfect time to demonstrate how to turn things around.
