The San Jose Earthquakes hoped to bounce back from their California Clasico loss at the weekend with a matchup against the suddenly reeling LAFC, but it was not meant to be, as the Southern California side worked them over in a 5-1 thrashing Wednesday at Banc of California Stadium.
The loss was San Jose’s second in a row since returning to action in an unprecedented 2020 season, and leads to some real concerns the gains the team experienced at the MLS is Back Tournament earlier this year may be slipping away already.
Matias Almeyda maintained the same starting XI as Saturday’s game against the LA Galaxy, with 16-year-old Cade Cowell getting another start after his shining performance at the weekend.