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LOS ANGELES — Ousseni Bouda scored two goals in the second half, ending Hugo Lloris’ scoreless run to begin the season at 593 minutes, and the San Jose Earthquakes stunned Los Angeles FC 4-1 on Sunday night in an early Western Conference showdown.
San Jose (7-1-0) moves into a first-place tie with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield races in the Earthquakes’ second season under head coach Bruce Arena.
It’s the first time in Quakes history they’ve started a season by winning seven of their first eight games. It’s also the first time they’ve won their first four road games to begin the year.
San Jose’s turnaround has been a dramatic one, especially for a squad that finished ninth in the Western Conference with just 10 wins and 44 points in 2025.
“It’s a really good group of players. A lot of the players that are playing now got beat up last year but got the experience they needed to be where they are today,” said Arena. “Maybe we suffered a little bit for it, but it’s paid off this year because they’re much more prepared to play.”
San Jose’s goalkeeper Daniel missed a chance to tie Lloris with a sixth clean sheet on an own goal by Reid Roberts in the 74th minute. He had three saves.
Bouda used assists from newcomer Timo Werner — his third — and Beau Leroux to find the net in the 53rd minute after a scoreless first half.
Werner, sidelined the past two weeks with a lower-body injury, took a pass from Leroux three minutes later and scored his first MLS goal for a 2-0 lead.
“That’s a confidence builder (for Werner) for sure,” Arena said. “You could see Timo was gonna be a special player for us. He is a special player and he’s gonna be a great addition to our team.”
Werner, the 30-year-old former star in Germany and UEFA Champions League winner, has had a big impact for the Quakes. But Sunday’s goal was extra special.
“I’m very happy to score my first goal,” said Werner. “That’s always important for every player on the pitch but especially for strikers or offensive players. It helps to build your confidence.
“Like always, it’s about helping your team and today I could do it with a goal as well.”
Leroux’s assists gives him four, matching his total last season in 33 appearances as a rookie.
An own goal on Ryan Porteous in the 59th minute made it 3-0 in a span of six minutes.
Bouda’s fourth goal of the season capped the scoring in the 80th minute. Niko Tsakiris notched his career-high fifth assist.
Lloris finished with two saves in a second straight loss for LAFC (5-2-1), tied for third in the West. LAFC was 6-0-1 at BMO Stadium in all competitions entering play, outscoring its opponents 17-1.
San Jose plays Austin FC at home on Wednesday.
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