The Earthquakes’ surprise run in the Leagues Cup ended Wednesday as they lost 4-1 to Los Angeles FC 4-1 in the round of 16.
The match was San Jose’s first road date of the tournament, and the Quakes were forced onto the back foot early. LAFC’s Cristian Olivera poked a bouncing ball past San Jose defender Daniel Munie, then beat keeper William Yarbrough one-on-one with a shot to the right corner in the 17th minute to open the scoring.
Cristian Espinoza created a strong shot from outside the box immediately after the return to action, but LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris punched it away. The Quakes again had a chance in the 25th minute, but Lloris dived to his left to stop a driven shot by Amahl Pellegrino.
Hernán López did knot the score for the Quakes in the 41st minute, sliding in to score on a cross from Benji Kikanović, but LAFC retook the lead in stoppage time of the first half when Denis Bouanga scored on a penalty kick to the top right corner. LAFC’s Eduard Atuesta dribbled past Yarbrough and the sliding keeper’s knee made slight contact with Atuesta’s foot, drawing the penalty call.
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The Quakes had chances early in the second half to equalize again, but a misplay by Yarbrough on a long driven shot from Bouanga put them down 3-1 as the ball slipped through his arms.
“We started the half off very well. We had a lot of possession,” Quakes interim head coach Ian Russell told media after the game. “We were playing in there, and then we had a mistake for the third goal. And actually, we had a big chance with Jackson Yueill right before that happened. But again, you just can’t make mistakes against a team like LAFC.”
Bouanga scored his third of the game and made the final tally just five minutes later on a transition chance he buried with his left foot.
San Jose advanced out of the group stage by beating Chivas de Guadalajara on penalty kicks, then blew out 10-man Necaxa last week in a knockout home match to set up the date with LAFC.
Their next match, Aug. 24 at Real Salt Lake, will be back in regular-season MLS play, where they sit last in the Western Conference with 14 points from 25 matches played.
