Second-half meltdown sinks LAFC against San Jose

Los Angeles failed to string together a good final 45 minutes of football and paid the price.

Apr. 20, 2026 at 3:05am

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a soccer match between LAFC and San Jose Earthquakes, with sharp, overlapping planes of navy blue, gold, and green representing the team uniforms and the chaotic action on the field.LAFC's defensive collapse against the San Jose Earthquakes exposes the team's vulnerability and the unpredictable nature of MLS competition.San Jose Today

LAFC failed to meet the moment with a chance to leapfrog the San Jose Earthquakes in the Western Conference table, falling 4-1 on Sunday afternoon at BMO Stadium. The Black and Gold dropped to 5-2-1 and are now on a losing streak in league play for the first time this season.

Why it matters

LAFC boasted a 9-1-1 home record against its Northern California rivals, making this loss a surprising and significant setback in their quest to climb the Western Conference standings.

The details

Following a scoreless first half, L.A. unraveled completely over a six-minute span from minute 53 to 59. Ousseni Bouda became the first player in MLS this season to get a goal past Hugo Lloris, and Timo Werner scored his first MLS goal just three minutes later. LAFC suffered its rock bottom moment of the match in minute 58, when a cross from San Jose's Jamar Ricketts was sent into the net as LAFC defender Ryan Porteous failed to clear it away properly.

  • On April 19, 2026, LAFC lost 4-1 to the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium.
  • LAFC unraveled in a six-minute span from the 53rd to 59th minutes of the match.

The players

Marc Dos Santos

The head coach of LAFC who acknowledged that his team was not good enough on the day and that San Jose was the fresher team.

Ousseni Bouda

The San Jose Earthquakes player who scored the first goal of the match and then added a second to secure the victory for his team.

Timo Werner

The San Jose Earthquakes forward who scored his first MLS goal in the match, doubling his team's lead.

Ryan Porteous

The LAFC defender who failed to clear away a cross that resulted in an own goal, a pivotal moment in the match.

Ryan Raposo

The LAFC midfielder who acknowledged that the team's slow start and uncharacteristic defensive lapses were inexcusable.

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What they’re saying

“We were very static as a team. I've been here a lot of times praising us, but today it wasn't good. I felt that San Jose was fresher than us.”

— Marc Dos Santos, Head Coach

“When you drop it even 1% against a team like that, who comes in hungry to get three points here...those things can happen. This league can punish you like that. It's a good lesson to learn early in the league, like where we are right now.”

— Ryan Hollingshead, Defender

“It was our worst game this season defensively. When we pressed, we were disjointed. We were not close to each other.”

— Marc Dos Santos, Head Coach

What’s next

LAFC will return to action on Wednesday evening at home against the Colorado Rapids. Colorado (4-4-0) is currently eighth in the Western Conference and has won two of its last three across all competitions.

The takeaway

This loss is a significant setback for LAFC in their quest to climb the Western Conference standings, as they were unable to capitalize on a chance to leapfrog their rivals the San Jose Earthquakes. The team's defensive lapses and lack of cohesion in the second half proved costly, and they will need to regroup quickly ahead of their next match against Colorado.