When the San Jose Earthquakes walked off the field at Banc of California Stadium on June 20, tears were flowing down the cheeks of Cristian Espinoza. The 24-year-old ran LAFC’s defense ragged, sprinted down every long ball, and gave everything he had despite clearly being a target for physical play over 90 minutes.
The Quakes were eliminated from U.S. Open Cup play but strongly felt they were the better team on the night. Espinoza’s assist to Vako gave San Jose an early lead, but the visitors would go on to rue the several missed chances that kept LAFC in the match.