Telepeer

LAFC unravels in loss to Earthquakes

April 20, 2026

LAFC supporters celebrate after an own-goal by the San Jose Earthquakes during the second half of an MLS match at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, on Sunday, April 19, 2026. San Jose Earthquakes won 4-1. (Photo by Raul Romero Jr., Contributing Photographer)

1 of 17

Expand

LOS ANGELES — Major League Soccer’s lone contest Sunday brought together the stingiest defenses in the league through seven matchdays.

For almost an hour at BMO Stadium, the defensive efforts of the Los Angeles Football Club and San Jose Earthquakes held up.

Then the Earthquakes, second place in the Western Conference, added to their club-record start to a season by exposing a fatigued Black & Gold side that was third in the west coming into the contest.

Dominating much of the second half, the Earthquakes finished a 4-1 winner against an opponent that was 9-1-1 at home against San Jose since 2018.

LAFC (5-2-1, 16 points) had been perfect in four previous MLS home matches early in 2026, shutting out opponents in each contest on the way to setting a league record scoreless streak.

Having conceded twice in a losing effort last weekend at Portland for their first blemish of the year, LAFC met up with an Earthquakes (7-1-0, 21 points) team that was flying high under sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena.

Unlike their first defeat, LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos did not start a rotated lineup against San Jose. Instead, LAFC went with the same XI that played Tuesday in Puebla, Mexico, where they drew Cruz Azul 1-1 to reach the semifinal round of the CONCACAF Champions Cup by an aggregate score of 4-1.

A few days later, as LAFC faced the first of four games in 11 days, including the opening leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal on April 29 against Deportivo Toluca FC, Dos Santos’ group was tasked with ensuring the visitors did not improve their road record to 4-0-0.

San Jose had something else in mind.

Starting German star Timo Werner for the first time since mid-March, the Earthquakes played compactly before the halftime break, squabbling over the middle of the park with LAFC as both teams fell short in the final third.

In the 53rd minute, however, LAFC defenders were stretched and Werner, on the left, struck a cross that found Ousseni Bouda for the first of the Burkina Faso native’s two goals on the day.

That ended a 593-minute run by LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris without conceding to begin an MLS season, the fourth longest in league history.

Three minutes later, San Jose made it 2-0 when a scrambling LAFC back line could not stop Werner, who picked up the ball near midfield and dribbled into the box, where he avoided a slide tackle and finished his first goal for the Earthquakes.

In the 59th minute, the visitors added another on a Porteous own-goal.

LAFC got on the board with an own-goal at the other end when Denis Bouanga’s cross was redirected past Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel, who trails Lloris by one clean sheet on the season.

Bouda’s second of the game in the 80th minute was a rocket inside the far post.

LAFC returns Wednesday for an MLS match at BMO Stadium against Colorado.

LAFC unravels in loss to Earthquakes Orange County Register

News Details

LAFC unravels in loss to Earthquakes

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS