SAN JOSE – There’s still plenty of time to improve.
That was the only silver lining for San Jose Earthquakes coach Luchi Gonzalez after his team was run off the field by its rival at its sold-out home opener.
The LA Galaxy scored the first three goals and cruised to a 3-1 win in the 99th California Clasico in front of 18,000 at PayPal Park Saturday night, holding the Quakes to two shots on goal.
“There’s a lot of points still to play for,” Gonzalez said. “And that’s the only positive 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 at FC Dallas on a goal four minutes into extra time.
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 Judd pulled one back in the 70th minute for the Quakes.
“It’s a derby and we didn’t play with enough pride and physicality and energy reflecting that,” Gonzalez said. “We’re just really disappointed and I apologize. I’m responsible for that as a head coach. I apologize to our fans. I do believe in our group to respond.”
The Quakes earned the last playoff spot in the Western Conference in Gonzalez’s first season last year thanks to a stellar home record – they lost just two of 17 home games. Even though this season is just two weeks old, they are already facing an uphill climb, and getting a result out of next Saturday’s home game against Vancouver (0-0-1) is crucial.
The Quakes dominated in crosses (33-6) and corners (10-2) but lacked aggressiveness in the box. Only two of their 13 shots went on frame, and their expected goals only added up to 1.1.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy absorbed pressure and were lethal on counterattacks, giving the Quakes something to work on during training this week.
“We can talk about the speed in our recovery and tracking but it’s also intensity, closing things down right away,” Gonzalez said. “So just having a little bit more aggressive shape and organization to be able to shut down those counters, or be physical and take a foul.”
The match served as the first home appearance for four newcomers. Amahl Pellegrino, the leading scorer of the top Norwegian league the past two seasons, made his first start but didn’t make an impact. By early in the second half, he was joined by Judd and defenders Bruno Wilson and Vitor Costa as PayPal Park debutants. Costa replaced fullback Carlos Akapo, who left with a heel injury at halftime.
Judd, 24, made 17 appearances for the Galaxy as a rookie last season. He smashed in a loose ball in front of goal to put the Quakes on the board.
Judd’s goal prevented the Quakes from matching its worst-ever home-opening loss 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 that the result was more a reflection of the team’s mentality rather than its strategy.
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“The aggressiveness is more important than any tactics you can have,” Gonzalez said. “I know we’ve got that in us in our group.”
There might be reinforcements coming. The Athletic reported that the Quakes are frontrunners to sign 35-year-old Mexican star Carlos Vela, the 2019 MLS MVP who recently left LAFC.
The team still has a designated player spot available (as well as an under-22 spot), and attacking midfielders are high on the list of needs. But any additions wouldn’t be available immediately, leaving the current group to bounce back from the discouraging rivalry loss.
“We have the pieces to have a response now,” Gonzalez said. “This group, whether with an addition or not, our team is good enough to take care of business. And so that’s the focus right now.”