The SoCal team's dominance blurred what was supposed to be a night of celebration.
STANFORD, CA - The LA Galaxy's victory was sealed with goals by Joseph Paintsill in the 37’, Dejan Jovelijic in the 72’, and Mauricio Cuevas in stoppage time, marking their 4th consecutive win against a struggling San Jose team. This win further solidified the Galaxy's dominance over their Northern California rivals, leaving the Earthquakes with a lot to ponder.
Nights at Stanford are always magical, full of excitement, expectancy, and illusion. Throughout the years, they have been a spectacle to attend on the heated summer nights. Last Saturday marked the 101st meeting between two founding teams of the top-tier soccer league in the United States, a significant milestone in MLS's history.
The task was daunting for San Jose: securing a win against the dominant LA Galaxy, a consistently outperforming team.
For Los Angeles, they arrived with a sense of confidence. The odds were undeniably in their favor, a testament to their recent performances.
Earlier this week, the team let former coach Luchi Gonzalez go due to a technical decision, and interim coach and former player Ian Russell came on board to rescue a team that desperately needs to win matches to stay in contention for a spot in the 2024 MLS Playoffs.
This is the third meeting of the season between these two teams. The final meeting is coming up during the Leagues Cup in late July.
The match's first goal was scored in the 37th minute, with an assist by Gabriel Pec. Paintsil scored the first goal of the game. The result remained 1-0 leading up to halftime.
During halftime, the San Jose Earthquakes paid homage to former players who wore the jersey during the club's 50th anniversary. Important faces walked on the Stanford field to be recognized and honored, remembering the days of the NASL, the days from where they used to be the “Clash” to the present history of the team.
Despite the San Jose team's results, Supporters from both teams made themselves a date to the stadium.
The second half started with questions. The question was if the local team would find a way to fight back and equalize. Nonetheless, Los Angeles scored again in the 72’ minute of the game. Jovelijic took advantage of the poor defense of San Jose; the night did not end there.
To put the cherry on top, in stoppage time, Mauricio Cuevas scored his first MLS goal, assisted by his teammate, Miki Yamane, with a beautiful pass that cemented the final score of three – nil.
The San Jose Supporters showed their frustration by chanting against the interim coach and the players. This loss marked the fifth game in a row that San Jose did not feel like winning. The last match San Jose won was on May 11th. This loss complicates the way to turn it around in the playoff race.
After the game, as it became a tradition at Stanford, fireworks were displayed, which worked to ease the pain of the loss for the San Jose Supporters.
As for Los Angeles, they are sharing points with rival neighbors, LAFC. A win will move them up to the top of the standings. The next meeting in El Trafico is on Independence Day, while San Jose is on the road against St. Louis.
