San Jose Earthquakes’ Jack Skahan (16) is swarmed by Jeremey Ebobisse and Christian Espinoza after scoring a goal in the first half against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Saturday, July 1, 2023 in Stanford, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
STANFORD – It was fitting that the San Jose Earthquakes and L.A. Galaxy played to a 2-2 tie in their annual California Clasico tilt at Stanford Stadium.
Almost two-thirds of the way through the season, the Quakes have been exactly average. Seven wins, seven losses, seven draws.
It’s an improvement from last year’s bottom-of-the-table performance. But the season can still go in any direction.
The Quakes are seventh in the 14-team Western Conference in points per game, and in sixth place overall. They’re two points from fourth and home-field advantage in the first round, and two points from eighth place and a spot in the play-in game. They’re four points from second and home-field advantage through at least the conference finals, and four points from 10th, which is out of the playoffs completely.
The Quakes came back twice against their rivals in front of 42,823 at Stanford Stadium on Saturday night, including a goal in the 81st minute by MLS All-Star Cristian Espinoza, his ninth of the season.
“I think it shows that we’re a resilient team, that we’re a team that doesn’t want to put their heads down in this situation,” captain Jackson Yueill said. “Of course the last couple of games we wanted to get wins, especially at home, but I’m proud of the guys for the effort, the attitude, and the response.”
The Quakes had a 1.6-0.7 edge in expected goals Saturday, but even getting the one point was in jeopardy when the referee initially awarded the Galaxy a penalty kick in the 88th minute. The call was reversed after video review.
Still, the tie was a continuation of the team’s downward trend. San Jose has claimed two points in its last four games.
“In recent weeks we’ve lacked a little clinical finishing, maybe rushing more in the attacking half and in the box,” Yueill said. “But with the guys that we have and the quality that we have, we can definitely compete for a top spot at the end of the year.”
After producing just four goals in five June games, the Quakes shifted winger Cristian Espinoza to the left side and started Stanford product Jack Skahan on the right against the Galaxy.
First-year coach Luchi Gonzalez’s move worked wonders. Skahan, a second-round pick in the 2020 SuperDraft, scored his second career goal in the first half during his homecoming appearance.
“He has been in and out of opportunities but has always kept an amazing attitude,” Gonzalez said. “He is a great teammate and has given us a slight verticality with runs in behind and in the box. He brings energy and pressure. He has been coming into games and giving us sparks of energy. He earned the opportunity to start tonight, and he took advantage of it.”
Meanwhile, Espinoza continued the form that has put him into MLS MVP discussions. His dangerous crosses gave him a game-high 0.42 expected assists, and his all-around effort was rewarded on the tying goal when his shot from well outside the box hit off a Galaxy defender and went in.
“We’re never going to be afraid to try different things,” Gonzalez said. “Other teams know Cristian from scouting, video – they see his actions on the right side and we just wanted to do something different. Give him a different stimulus and give a different challenge to the other team.”
Espinoza’s goal ensured the Quakes at least got a result against the 13th-place Galaxy, who had won just once on the road all season. San Jose has two more games coming up against the two teams currently tied for second – Saturday at LAFC and July 12 at PayPal Park against Seattle – before taking a five-week break for Leagues Cup competition.
The Quakes have ensured they will be in the playoff hunt this year, no small feat for a team that hasn’t made the postseason since 2020 or won a playoff game since 2012. But to solidify their position, they need more than draws at home against teams below them in the standings, especially if they continue their subpar performances on the road (1-6-3).
Originally published at Harold Gutmann