SANTA CLARA – San Jose Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena, the winningest coach in MLS history, said earlier this week that MLS’s best rivalries are between the California teams.
The Quakes added another thrilling chapter Saturday, as Reid Roberts scored in the eighth and final minute of second-half stoppage time to tie LAFC 2-2 in front of 40,518 at Levi’s Stadium.
“These are the best games we play every year, and it’s fantastic,” Arena said afterward. “And I hope it can continue because there’s a lot of competitiveness amongst the teams and the fan bases are tremendous for these games. The California clubs have the best rivalries and competition anywhere in MLS.”
The Quakes had already played another high-profile California rivalry at Stanford earlier this season, tying the LA Galaxy in front of 43,026 fans. The Stanford and Levi’s Stadium matches rank among the nine most-attended MLS games this season and are two of the league’s three largest crowds for games not involving Lionel Messi and Inter Miami.
San Jose Earthquakes’ Reid Roberts (18) scores a goal against LAFC’s Eddie Segura (4) in the second half at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The international stars shined on Saturday. For LAFC, South Korean star Son Heung-Min scored and assisted, and former France national team keeper Hugo Lloris made seven saves to keep his team in it after LAFC was red-carded in the 36th minute.
Son’s former Tottenham Hotspur teammate, designated player Timo Werner, came on in the 62nd minute and helped turn the game around for the Quakes. Warner assisted on a Preston Judd header in the 70th minute that got the Quakes within 2-1, setting up the clutch strike from Roberts from almost 30 yards out in the 98th minute.
It was the third career goal from the centerback, a USF product who was drafted fifth overall by San Jose in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.
“We kept getting high up the field into the final third, creating chances,” Roberts said. “I kept getting the ball in that same area a couple of times, and I was thinking about shooting, but shooting isn’t my best ability, so I didn’t want to waste it. But I just had an instinctive moment where I took a decent touch and went for it, and it went into the bottom right corner. So I’m super happy I took the shot.”
The Quakes (12-8-6, 42 points) are now unbeaten in five games, while LAFC (11-8-8, 41 points) have only won once in its last 12 games in all competitions. The teams are 5th and 6th in the Western Conference standings, with three teams (Houston, St. Louis, and FC Dallas) tied for second place with 44 points.
LAFC’s Armindo Sieb (9) jumps to kick the ball against San Jose Earthquakes’ Jack Skahan (16) in the second half at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Playing with the extra man for most of the match, the Quakes outshot LAFC 21-4 but had trouble getting past Lloris, who made seven saves.
Neither team had a high-value scoring opportunity in the first half, but Son broke through in the 34th minute with a long-range shot that curled inside the post for his sixth goal of the season.
LAFC defender Aaron Long got a straight red card in the 36th minute for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity when he grabbed Los Gatos native Nike Tsakiris to prevent a potential breakaway.
San Jose Earthquakes’ Timo Werner (11) gives a thumbs up after assisting San Jose Earthquakes’ Reid Roberts (18) with a goal against LAFC in the second half at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
But LAFC got the next goal on the counterattack when Son found 2023 Golden Boot winner Denis Bouanga on a 2-on-1 breakaway, and Bouanga netted his 13th goal of the season.
The Quakes kept sending players forward and finally broke through against the 10-man LAFC. San Jose had been 0-4 when facing a two-goal deficit this season.
“The fact that we went down two goals and came back and got a point out of the game is a tremendous test of character and competitiveness on our part,” Arena said. “I thought LAFC did an outstanding job in trying to close out the game. So give both teams credit. This was a really good MLS game today. A lot of quality out there.”
The Quakes are now 4-1-3 at Levi’s Stadium, which hosted six games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the U.S.’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Round of 32.