LAFC will be looking to bounce back from a crushing 2-1 defeat in El Trafico when they play host to another California rival, the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday in MLS action. The kick-off is scheduled for 10:30 PM ET at BMO Stadium. The Black and Gold are in poor form at the moment with three losses in a row and desperately need a positive result here. San Jose isn’t playing much better, last winning on June 10th, losing twice since then, and settling for a 2-2 stalemate with the LA Galaxy last weekend. Below, find the LAFC vs San Jose Earthquakes picks.
Before we get into the odds, match preview, and picks, check out the biggest Vegas online soccer betting sites if you plan to put money down on this fixture.
As you can see, the hosts are a massive favorite to win this fixture with -206 odds at Bovada online sportsbook for an implied win probability of 67.32%. The Quakes come back at +505 and have a mere 16.53% chance of coming out with the three points. The lopsided odds are quite surprising though because prior to LA’s 2-1 win over San Jose in May, the visitors did win back-to-back meetings. Overall, LAFC has nine wins in this matchup while the Earthquakes have six.
The reigning MLS Cup champions, LAFC is having a respectable campaign. They’re 9-6-5 and sit three points back of first-place St. Louis City in the Western Conference. But Steve Cherundolo’s men, as previously mentioned, aren’t playing their best football at the moment. During this current cold skid, the Black and Gold have scored only three times and were held scoreless last weekend against FC Dallas.
In front of a packed Rose Bowl with over 80,000 people on July 4th, LAFC looked vulnerable versus their city rivals, the Galaxy. LAG got on the scoresheet early through Tyler Boyd before Ilie Sanchez equalized in the 57th minute. But, former Barcelona man Riqui Puig bagged the winner and put the Galaxy ahead for good just 16 minutes later.
The biggest issue with Cherundolo’s squad right now is the lack of production from their attack. Carlos Vela has scored only twice in his last eight appearances and was even benched last weekend due to his struggles in the final third. As for Denis Bouanga, their leading scorer with 11 tallies to his name, he last found the back of the net on June 24th and has two goals in his previous seven games. Not good enough. These two in particular must play better. On a more positive note, LAFC is 6-2-2 at home this term as opposed to 3-4-3 on the road. They thrive at BMO Stadium.
With a 7-7-7 record, San Jose is currently in the playoff mix, but not by much. The Quakes are only three points clear of the last postseason spot, much in part to their recent play. Luchi Gonzalez’s group isn’t winning a whole lot these days, notching just two victories in their last 10 fixtures. Back-to-back defeats to Houston and St. Louis were deflating as can be before San Jose bounced back and snatched a point on July 1st against the Galaxy in a very entertaining draw.
Both sides exchanged blows, with midfielder Cristian Espinoza scoring the equalizer in the 81st minute to help his club salvage a respectable result. The Earthquakes have enjoyed some success against LAFC in recent years as well, which should give them much-needed confidence ahead of Saturday’s affair.
Attacking-wise, striker Jeremy Ebobisse has scored seven times this season, but it’s actually Espinoza who is standing out. He’s bagged nine goals and also supplied four assists. Outside of those two, there haven’t been a lot of contributions up top. After all, the Goonies do have only 25 goals in 21 outings while conceding 28.
Something else to keep an eye on when betting on this game is San Jose’s 1-6-3 record away from home. This side does not play well on the road, with their only win coming in late May in Seattle against the Sounders.
I simply can’t look past LAFC’s dominance on home soil and they have extra motivation after losing El Trafico, never mind the two losses prior. Confidently take the moneyline. San Jose won’t salvage another draw this time, especially considering their poor form anywhere but Stanford Stadium.
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