San Jose Earthquakes vs LA Galaxy Predictions: Hard to pick a winner but goals will definitely come.

The round 2 of the MLS season is well underway and San Jose Earthquakes will play LA Galaxy at the Earthquakes Stadium. Both sides are searching for their first win of the new campaign after failing to win in the first game.

San Jose Earthquakes lost their opening game to FC Dallas away from home and LA Galaxy played a draw with Inter Miami at home.

San Jose Earthquakes

The Earthquakes have not started the new campaign as they had hoped. Their preseason demons seem to be looming and they might be in for tough times ahead. 

They lost the game to FC Dallas by 2 goals to 1. Benjamin Kikanovic gave the Earthquakes the lead in just 6 minutes but they conceded 2 goals in both halves to end the game in a defeat. The result was a clear picture of their performances as they were far from their best on the pitch. They managed only 47% possession, 6 shots on target and 1 corner kick. And Daniel pulled 8 saves for the Earthquakes to keep them in the game. 

San Jose head coach Luchi Gonzalez played a 4-3-3 flat formation in the game but the players found it hard to adapt and produce the right results. Jeremy Ebobisse was particularly poor on the pitch and he was replaced by Preston Judd in the 66th minute. He had 0 shots on and off target in the game and had only 16 touches until he was substituted. The choice backline was also below par in the game and that's something that Luchi Gonzalez would need to pay attention to.

With such a poor performance, one might wonder if Luchi Gonzalez will be looking for a new setup ahead of the game against LA Galaxy. And one that suits his star striker Jeremy Ebobisse.

LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy are back for game number 2 of the new season. They were gutted to have settled for a point in their first game against Inter Miami. It all started poorly for LA Galaxy after Riqui Puig failed to convert a penalty in the 13th minute. But after 75 minutes of goalless play, Dejan Joveljic finally put LA Galaxy in the lead. And in the 87th minute, Marky Delgado was sent off and Inter Miami got the equalizer in the 92nd minute. Despite the result, LA Galaxy will be confident of their abilities to get the job done in the coming game.

There were some positives from the way Greg Vanney set up the team to play but LA Galaxy were absolutely poor in possession. And that's something he will definitely need to fix in the coming game. LA Galaxy played a 4-2-3-1 formation in the match, allowing Riqui Puig to wander off with 2 DMs behind him. He had a good game alongside Joseph Paintsil in midfield. 

Ahead of the game against The Earthquakes, Greg Vanney will have a big decision to make about Marky Delgado’s vacant spot as he's currently out through suspension. There are limited options for that position in the team and he might have to ditch the 4-4-2 or have Riqui Puig play deep lying midfield.

Head to Head

According to the h2h, in the last 20 meetings between LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes, San Jose Earthquakes won 9 matches, while LA Galaxy won 7 matches and they both drew 4 matches.

Analysis and Predictions

The Earthquakes need a better performance to get their season up and running. And LA Galaxy are in the right mood to go on for a win. But there has to be serious tactical changes to both sides here. 

According to the h2h, LA Galaxy are unbeaten in the last 5 meetings. San Jose Earthquakes have not kept a clean sheet in the last 9 meetings while LA Galaxy have not in the last 8 meetings. 

There were more than 2.5 goals scored in 7 of the last 8 matches and both teams scored in the last 8 matches. LA Galaxy scored first in 4 of the last 5 and there were more than 4.5 cards shown in those 4 matches.

• Both Teams to Score and More than 2.5 Goals at 1.7 Odds
• Both Teams to Score and More than 2.5 Goals at 1.71 Odds
• Riqui Puig To Score Anytime at 4.75 Odds