SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes certainly had opportunities for another surprise Leagues Cup win against the LA Galaxy on Wednesday at PayPal Park. But they didn’t convert enough of them.
The Earthquakes, coming off a dramatic victory over Mexican side Chivas de Guadalajara on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium, had three open looks inside the 18-yard box during a five-minute period midway through the first half.
But Amahl Pellegrino, Carlos Gruezo and Hernan Lopez couldn’t convert their golden opportunities. Instead, Diego Fagundez delivered a magnificent curling strike for Galaxy in the 41st minute.
San Jose finally equalized in the 75th minute on Jeremy Ebobisse’s strike in the box, but Los Angeles responded with substitute Miguel Berry’s tap-in off a Miki Yamane assist in the 89th minute. That was enough for the visitors to eke out a 2-1 win.
LA now leads West Group 2 in the Leagues Cup table and has a game still to play against Chivas on Sunday. San Jose needs a Galaxy win in regulation to guarantee a spot in the Leagues Cup’s 32-team knockout round.
Though Fagundez’s stunning curler was the goal of the match, LA’s game-winner was similarly impressive. Berry’s volley came off a perfect touch near the goal line from Yamane, who was set up by Riqui Puig’s precise pass that cleared the San Jose backline.
