San Jose Earthquakes & LAFC battle for playoff positioning

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Major League Soccer

·17 September 2026

San Jose Earthquakes & LAFC battle for playoff positioning

By Justin Ruderman

The San Jose Earthquakes will call Levi's Stadium home for Matchday 27's Walmart Saturday Showdown, welcoming LAFC for a marquee Western Conference clash with serious Audi MLS Cup Playoffs implications.

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How to watch & stream

Apple TV

When

Saturday, Sept. 19 | 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT

Where

Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, California

San Jose Earthquakes

Standings

4th in Western Conference
41 points (12W-8L-5D)

Last game

San Jose earned a 1-0 victory over second-place Houston Dynamo FC to complete a six-point week, building off their 3-2 win at San Diego FC.

Center back Daniel Munie scored the lone goal, and Angus Gunn posted a five-save shutout.

Players to watch

Niko Tsakiris: The 21-year-old homegrown midfielder is enjoying a breakout year with three goals and a team-leading 10 assists.
Beau Leroux: Leroux has proven he's no one-hit wonder, tallying a career-best 4g/7a following his emergence last season.
Eduard Löwen: This summer, San Jose acquired the German midfielder from St. Louis CITY SC and made him their newest Designated Player.
Daniel Munie: The 2026 MLS All-Star set a club record for a defender, scoring his fifth goal of the season against Houston.

Need to know

Despite star forward Timo Werner missing time to injury, the Earthquakes have gone unbeaten in their last four games and snapped an eight-match winless streak.

That rebound is underpinned by Niko Tsakiris, who recently returned from a long-term groin injury. The US youth international has produced 1g/3a in his last three matches, including a sensational trivela assist in his Man of the Match performance at San Diego.

Aside from Löwen, San Jose also added Gunn in the summer transfer market after he was Scotland's starting goalkeeper at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Los Angeles Football Club

Standings

6th in Western Conference
40 points (11W-8L-7D)

Last game

LAFC are looking to rebound from a 3-1 defeat at last-place Sporting Kansas City. Denis Bouanga scored the Black & Gold's only goal in the match.

With that result, LAFC have won just one of their last eight games (1W-3L-4D).

Players to watch

Son Heung-Min: The South Korean icon and MLS-record signing is one assist behind the league leader (Lionel Messi) with 5g/12a this season.
Denis Bouanga: The perennial Golden Boot presented by Audi contender is chasing a fourth consecutive season of at least 20 goals. He has 13g/8a this year.
Armindo Sieb: The former German youth international forward introduced himself to LAFC fans in style with a stunning first goal against Red Bull New York.
Hugo Lloris: The 2018 World Cup winner is a Goalkeeper of the Year candidate, posting a league-best 12 clean sheets during his third MLS season.

Need to know

LAFC harbor ambitions to win silverware every season, and won't be satisfied with dropping to sixth in the West.

But the Black & Gold have the star power needed to turn things around, and remain just three points back of second-place Houston Dynamo FC.

Now, they head to an NFL venue with hopes of building momentum towards the postseason.