Match Preview: San Jose Earthquakes versus LA Galaxy

The recent performance of the San Jose Earthquakes has been quite solid, taking 8 points from their last five matches both at home and on the road, an average of 1.6 points per match. Their scoring has been reasonably consistent with 6 goals in this five-match span. The Earthquakes’ home performance has looked especially robust, with the team not tasting defeat in two consecutive games. A tough task lies ahead for the LA Galaxy defense, given that the Earthquakes have found the net in their last three home games. Despite failing to score in two home games this season, the Earthquakes have an otherwise sturdy home front. Out of the last five games, they’ve lost only one, with two wins and two draws. Both teams managed to score in only two of these matches.

Keeping the momentum going is also the mission for the LA Galaxy, who’ve attained 10 points from their previous five games. LA Galaxy’s scoring prowess has been impressive, with 12 goals in their last five matches. Furthermore, their games have been quite high-scoring, ending with three or more goals. With a total of 20 goals in the last five games, some goal-scoring action from them is highly anticipated. The Galaxy has lost only a single game in their last five, coming away with three victories and a draw. Both teams scored in four of these five games, suggesting we can expect some goals today.

When these two teams last clashed on June 30, 2024, it was the SJ Earthquakes who triumphed 3-1 over LA Galaxy. Out of 42 matchups between these clubs, Earthquakes claimed victory 15 times and LA Galaxy 16, with 11 draws to round off the tally. A high-scoring game with an average of 3.38 goals per match was a common feature, and both teams scored in 67% of the time.

Currently, in the MLS season, the SJ Earthquakes average 0.78 Points Per Game at home while LA Galaxy tally 1.45 Points Per Game on away turf. However, the home form of the Earthquakes has been sub-par compared to Galaxy’s remarkable away performance. With the comprehensive records and trends for both teams, this fixture promises to be a gripping showdown.

Insights

• SJ Earthquakes have a decent performance record coming into the game, with an average of 1.6 points per game from the last 5 games. LA Galaxy have a slightly better record, averaging 2 points per game from their last 5 fixtures.
• LA Galaxy’s strong offensive play is evident from their 12 goals scored in the last 5 games.
• While both the teams have mostly been on a winning streak recently, LA Galaxy has won 3 games compared to Earthquakes’ 2 from their last 5 matches.
• The BTTS statistic is more prominent in LA Galaxy’s recent matches (4 of the last 5 games) compared to SJ Earthquakes’ (2 of the last 5 games).
• San Jose Earthquakes has a good home record, remaining unbeaten in the latest 2 home games.
• LA Galaxy shows impressive scoring performance, with their last 5 games ending with 3 or more goals.
• Historically, when these two teams meet, goals are to be expected, as they’ve averaged 3.38 goals per meeting.
• SJ Earthquakes have the home advantage, but their home performance is irregular, with an average of 0.78 Points Per Game. In contrast, LA Galaxy has superior away performance with an average of 1.45 Points Per Game.
• Previous matches between these two teams have been fairly even in terms of wins, with SJ Earthquakes winning 15 and LA Galaxy securing 16 victories. There have also been 11 draws.
• In the last meeting between these two teams, SJ Earthquakes emerged victorious with a scoreline of 3-1.

Match Forecast

• San Jose Earthquakes may struggle to protect a lead if they get one due to their weak ability in this aspect.
• LA Galaxy’s counter-attacking strength could exploit the Earthquakes’ weak defense. Expect LA Galaxy to score during counter-attacking play.
• Given the Earthquakes’ weakness in defending set pieces, LA Galaxy could take advantage of it due to their strength in attacking these situations.
• The Earthquakes are likely to attempt creating chances using through balls and attacking down the wings, but LA Galaxy’s strong defense against set pieces might neutralize this tactic.
• LA Galaxy’s play style suggests they’ll take a lot of shots, which could lead to goals considering Earthquakes are prone to individual errors and struggle stopping opponents from creating chances.
• LA Galaxy’s weakness in finishing scoring chances could reduce the number of goals they score.
• San Jose Earthquakes are likely to get penalized due to frequent fouls in dangerous areas, which may result in set-piece opportunities or penalties for LA Galaxy.
• The aggressive nature of LA Galaxy could lead to fouls and potential set piece opportunities for Earthquakes, but given Earthquakes’ weakness in set pieces, they may not be able to capitalize on these opportunities.

Match Facts

• Across 27 home games against LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes have recorded 11 victories, while the latter have won 8, with 8 games ending in a draw.
• In a total of 54 encounters, San Jose Earthquakes have won 20 games, losing 21 to LA Galaxy, and tying the rest.
• San Jose Earthquakes are currently on a 3-match losing spree in the Major League Soccer.
• Interesting Fact: 26% of the goals San Jose Earthquakes scores are between the 31st and 45th minutes of play.
• Interesting Fact: LA Galaxy scores 22% of their goals within the 46th to 60th-minute range.
• San Jose Earthquakes have unfortunately lost their last 3 consecutive matches.
• Their last 7 matches have not yielded a victory for San Jose Earthquakes.
• Four successive home matches have ended without a win for San Jose Earthquakes.
• LA Galaxy has not recorded a win in their past 5 away matches.
• In 3 out of 9 home matches of this MLS season, San Jose Earthquakes haven’t been able to score.
• Similarly, LA Galaxy hasn’t been able to find the back of the net in 3 of their 10 away matches this season.
• LA Galaxy’s away season record stands at 3 winnings, 4 losses, and 3 draws.
• Amahl Pellegrino is the leading goal scorer for San Jose Earthquakes with 5 goals, while Dejan Joveljic leads LA Galaxy with 11 goals.
• Cristian Espinoza leads in assists for San Jose Earthquakes with 9, while Gabriel Pec from LA Galaxy has 8 assists.
• San Jose Earthquakes have conceded goals in their last 8 matches.
• However, they managed to score a goal in each of their last 5 matches.
• LA Galaxy too have scored a goal in each of their last 5 matches.
• San Jose Earthquakes take the lead in the first half in 23% of their matches, while LA Galaxy lead in 25% of their games.
• The last match between these two ended in favor of LA Galaxy.
• In the last encounter, LA Galaxy won with a one-goal margin.
• When leading by 1 goal at home, San Jose Earthquakes have emerged victorious in 71% of instances, while LA Galaxy have a 60% win rate when they have a one-goal lead away.
• San Jose Earthquakes have never overturned a match when trailing by a goal at home. On the other hand, LA Galaxy have won 10% of games when they were a goal down on foreign soil.
• Comparatively, LA Galaxy performs better than San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS.
• The recent performance of LA Galaxy across 5 games is superior to that of San Jose Earthquakes.
• In their last 5 confrontations with San Jose Earthquakes, LA Galaxy hasn’t registered a single loss in any competition.
• Among the last 5 encounters, San Jose failed to secure a win, LA Galaxy won thrice, and the rest two ended as draws.
• San Jose Earthquakes have not registered a victory in their last five MLS matches against LA Galaxy.
• On average, San Jose Earthquakes scores 1.8 goals and LA Galaxy scores 2.6 goals in matches between these two.
• The average total goals in a match between San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy is 4.4.
• While playing at home, San Jose Earthquakes average 1.26 goals per match, LA Galaxy bag an average of 1.76 goals per match when playing away.