SJ Earthquakes fall in home opener against Galaxy; Report links Carlos Vela

SAN JOSE – There is still time for improvement.

That was the only silver lining for San Jose Earthquakes coach Lucie Gonzalez after his team was knocked off the field by their rival in a sold-out home opener.

The Los Angeles Galaxy scored the first three goals and cruised to a 3-1 win in the 99th California Clásico in front of 18,000 fans at PayPal Park on Saturday night, with the Quakes managing two shots on target.

“There are still a lot of points to play for,” Gonzalez said. “That's the only positive thing from tonight, honestly.”

The Quakes (0-2-0) are the only team in the 14-club Western Conference without a point. They lost their opener to FC Dallas by a goal four minutes into overtime.

The Galaxy (1-0-1) put all seven of their shots on frame, including goals in the 18th, 43rd and 48th minutes. Former Galaxy player Preston Good pulled one back in the 70th minute for the Quakes.

“It's a derby match and we didn't play with enough pride, physicality and energy to reflect that,” Gonzalez said. “We are really disappointed and I apologize. I am responsible for this as head coach. I apologize to our fans. I believe in our group’s ability to respond.”

The Quakes earned the final berth in the Western Conference playoffs in Gonzalez's first season last year thanks to an excellent home record – they have lost just two of 17 home games. Although this season is only two weeks old, they already face an uphill climb, and getting a result out of next Saturday's home game against Vancouver (0-0-1) is crucial.

The Quakes dominated crosses (33-6) and corners (10-2) but lacked aggression in the box. Only two of their 13 shots were put on frame, and their expected goals came in at just 1.1.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy absorbed pressure and were lethal on the counter-attack, giving the Quakes something to work on during training this week.

“We can talk about the speed of our recovery and tracking, but it is also intense, which shuts things down immediately,” Gonzalez said. “So, you just have to have a more aggressive shape and organization to be able to stop those counterattacks, or you have to be physical and make a mistake.”

The game marked the home debut of four new players. Amahl Pellegrino, the top scorer in the Norwegian Premier League for the past two seasons, made his first start but did not make any impact. By the start of the second half, Judd and defenders Bruno Wilson and Vitor Costa had joined him to make their PayPal Park debut. Costa replaced full-back Carlos Acapo, who left the field due to a heel injury at halftime.

Judd, 24, made 17 appearances for the Galaxy as a rookie last season. He hit a loose ball in front of the goal to put the Earthquakes on the board.

Judd's goal prevented the Quakes from matching their worst ever loss in a home opener since joining MLS in 1996. Real Salt Lake won 3-0 to start the 2010 season when the Quakes played at Buck Shaw Stadium. But Gonzalez said the result was a reflection of the team's mentality, not its strategy.

“Aggression is more important than any tactics you can use,” Gonzalez said. “I know we have this in our group.”

There may be reinforcements coming. The Athletic reports that the Quakes are the favorites to sign 35-year-old Mexican star Carlos Vela, the 2019 MLS Player of the Year who recently left Los Angeles.

The team still has a players' slot available (plus an Under-22s spot), and attacking midfielders are high on the list of needs. But any additions will not be available immediately, leaving the current group recovering from a frustrating competition loss.

“We have the pieces to fight back now,” Gonzalez said. “This group, whether with an addition or not, our team is good enough to take care of business. That's the focus right now.”

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