San Jose Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Football Club

The night at Levi’s Stadium on September 13, 2025 will linger long in the minds of Quakes fans—not just for attendance records (50,978 in a standalone match), but for the harsh lesson delivered by LAFC’s 4–2 rout. This was not just a defeat—it was a dismantling at home, and a reminder of how thin the margin is between control and collapse in MLS.


In truth, the result read like a blur for San Jose. Within the first 12 minutes, LAFC had already surged to a 3–0 lead: Son Heung-Min struck inside the first minute, and Denis Bouanga added two more by the 12th. The Earthquakes regrouped briefly, and Preston Judd cut the deficit in the 18th minute — his poise and opportunism a rare bright spot in an evening otherwise full of anxiety.


But LAFC’s response was ruthless. Bouanga completed his hat trick in the 87th minute to punctuate the night, and a late own goal by Sergi Palencia deep in stoppage time made the final 4–2. For San Jose, the damage wasn’t only in the scoreboard—it was in the way the start unraveled them, and in the futility of their later efforts to claw back.

This was a night when crowd, stakes, and expectation aligned—and instead of rising, the Quakes wilted. The record crowd amplified the weight. The opening minute turned into a nightmare. And LAFC, clinical in counterattacks and patient in defense, illustrated how elite sides punish the smallest missteps.

Looking ahead, San Jose must absorb this setback—not just in result, but in character. They need to reset their mentality, sharpen their starts, and find consistency in pressure matches. Because the season still has life, and the playoffs are in reach—but nights like this remind you that margin, momentum, and mental fortitude make all the difference.

LAFC, meanwhile, walk away with more than three points. They’ve now beaten San Jose at Levi’s for the first time, and Bouanga’s night (hat trick, tying the club scoring charts) only adds to the narrative that the Black & Gold remain a force to fear.