There's more than just Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs positioning on the line when the San Jose Earthquakes host LAFC on Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
A record crowd is expected at Levi's Stadium for the matchup, as San Jose announced this week they'll be opening the upper deck of the 68,000-seat venue in anticipation of the in-state rivalry clash. Should the final attendance tally surpass 50,850, it will break San Jose's single-match attendance record set in June 2019.
"It's a big game and an important game," Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena told reporters on Friday.
"Obviously, it's going to be a big crowd, and I'm sure there'll probably be 50,000-plus [fans], so it'll be a great crowd for the game, and hopefully we can give them something that they can cheer about."
Strength on strength
That crowd could very well be treated to some attacking fireworks.
The Quakes have scored 53 goals this season, the second-highest total in the Western Conference, trailing only league-leaders San Diego FC (54). They welcome an LAFC side that's no slouch offensively, either, and have added South Korean international icon Son Heung-Min to their already potent attack.
"Hopefully, the crowd is in our favor," Arena said. "I'm sure there's going to be some supporters, obviously, for LAFC, and with [Son] and his community, I think there are potentially a number of countrymen and women that could be here as well to support him.
"He's a good player," Arena added of Son. "You've got to respect his technical ability in terms of the qualities he offers in the final third of the field. But his speed and his work ethic is an important part of his game as well. He's a complete player. He'll be a challenge for us for sure."
Postseason push
The match arrives as both sides are fighting for playoff positioning on the Western Conference table.
LAFC (41 points; 11W-7L-8D) trail the fourth-place Seattle Sounders by three points with a game in hand, with the top-four seeds afforded homefield advantage in the postseason. San Jose, meanwhile, enter the match hoping to hold off the Houston Dynamo for the ninth and final playoff spot (9W-12L-8D; 35 points).
"I think we're going to face a hard opponent, especially at Levi's, we've been struggling the last [few] years," LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman said. "So it's a very important game for us also to show that we can win there.
"They are fighting for playoffs, we are fighting for playoffs too, so like I said, it's going to be an intense game, both teams want to win it for sure. I think it's going to be an entertaining one."
With every point critical to ensure they don't slip below the line, San Jose star Cristian Espinoza emphasized the importance of starting the season's stretch run on a winning note.
"It's an extra motivation to play against LAFC," Espinoza said.
"It's a derby for us. We have five games left, tomorrow we have the first one of them, and it's a [big game] for us. We take it one game at a time, in order to be in full focus tomorrow."
