San Jose Earthquakes vs.LA Galaxy Prediction, Preview and Odds - 6/26/21
San Jose might have lost its last six games, but it is favored over Los Angeles on Saturday night. Los Angeles is coming off a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Wednesday. The Earthquakes are trying to bounce back from a 5-0 loss to Orlando City.
Galaxy edge Vancouver
Los Angeles has been inconsistent this season, but it is coming off a 2-1 win over Vancouver on Wednesday. The Galaxy lost to Seattle last Saturday and has alternated between wins and losses in their last five matches. They are currently ranked sixth in the most recent ESPN power rankings. Los Angeles has been excellent outside of its matches against Seattle, notching 18 of a possible 21 points against its other opponents. The Galaxy are coming off a wild match, as Vancouver tied the match in the second minute of stoppage time.
Efrain Alvarez immediately responded with a goal one minute later to give Los Angeles the win. The Galaxy have six wins in their first nine games and are in third place in the Western Conference. They have a pair of matches against Sporting Kansas City coming up, who is two points ahead in the standings. Los Angeles is still without Jalen Neal—he has been sidelined with an injury for the whole season. Center back Derrick Williams will return from a three-game suspension. Javier Hernandez has scored eight MLS goals and has tallied two assists.
Earthquakes continue to struggle
San Jose got off to a nice start this season, taking three wins in its first four matches. The Earthquakes are in awful form now, though, grabbing just one total point in their last six MLS games. Their one point came via a goalless draw with Austin FC after returning from a three-week international break. San Jose is coming off its worst match of the season, as it lost to Orlando City in a 5-0 blowout on Tuesday. The Earthquakes have not scored a goal in their last three matches.
Coach Matias Almeyda is expected to make some changes to his lineup after the disastrous performance. Center back Tanner Beason could replace Florian Jungwirth in the starting lineup. Both fullbacks could be shifted to the bench as well. Tommy Thompson and Paul Marie were both substituted in the loss on Tuesday, as they were unable to deal with Orlando City’s attack. San Jose inserted Chris Wondowloski into the starting lineup against Austin FC, but it still wasn’t enough to kickstart the offense. The Earthquakes come in at No. 21 in the latest ESPN power rankings.
Spread (LA Galaxy +250)
This line simply does not make sense. Los Angeles has been in solid form and has a chance to take another step towards the top of the table. San Jose is coming off its worst match of the season and is expected to shuffle things up heading into this one. The Earthquakes have not scored in their last three matches and their defense really struggled against Los Angeles. They are going to have a tough time controlling Hernandez on Saturday night. Recent form is very important in soccer—the Galaxy are in much better form right now.
Total (Under 3)
This total is certainly correlated with my pick on the spread. I am not expecting anything out of a San Jose offense that has been unable to produce goals lately. The Earthquakes have not scored a goal in their last three matches and they have not scored multiple goals in a match since early May. Los Angeles has not scored more than two goals in a match since April, so it would be surprising to see four goals scored on Saturday.
