SAN JOSE, Calif. – The history of fixtures between the San Jose Earthquakes and LAFC is still short, with the Supporters' Shield leaders only entering MLS in 2018. And yet, the roots of a budding rivalry feel very real ahead of their Heineken Rivalry Week matchup Wednesday evening (10:30 pm ET | UniMas, Twitter, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada).
There was the 5-0 drubbing in San Jose earlier this season, with 1,000 LAFC supporters strongly behind the visiting team. Or the nail-biting 4-3 spectacle that started it all back in June of 2018. There was even a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 meeting nearly two months ago.
Of course, there are the comments LAFC boss Bob Bradley made about San Jose manager Matias Almeyda's man-marking tactics following LAFC's 3-1 cup win on June 21.
“In my way of seeing the game, no, that’s not the best way to develop players and that’s not the best way to develop teams," Bradley said in his postgame remarks (full comments in the link). "But the good news is this: I’m not right. I just have my ideas."
Ahead of Wednesday’s showdown between both sides, the first meeting since that game, Almeyda addressed that point of view head-on.
“I never saw him watch one of my practices,” Almeyda told MLSsoccer.com ahead of San Jose’s visit to Banc of California Stadium. “Maybe the opinion he made was from watching a game. I'm very respectful. Well, it's fine [for him to make judgements] because his training [sessions] are effective; they’re first [in the standings]. I will have to continue improving.
“At the same time, humility in human beings is a fundamental factor,” he added. “It is one of the prettiest, purest feelings – being humble and being respectful.”
In four competitive games throughout two years, the Quakes have yet to defeat LAFC. In the Almeyda era alone, the goal differential stands at seven in LAFC's favor over two games. Add current form into the equation, and it’ll likely be an uphill battle for the club from northern California.
Any back and forth aside, Almeyda holds respect for Bradley's group.
"I think all opponents are hard for us and this opponent is the one making the biggest difference in the league,” Almeyda said last weekend following his team’s 2-1 loss at Sporting Kansas City. “We've played against them twice and lost twice. We'll try to do the best that we can."
