Palo Alto – Beau Leroux remembers exactly where he used to sit during the Cali Clásico at Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto: high above the midfield line, near the top of the stands, bathed in the golden hues of a late June or early July sunset. There, he cheered for the San Jose Earthquakes as they faced off against the L.A. Galaxy. Like the Clásico itself, it was a summer tradition.
“I was actually looking at that spot before the match,” Leroux said, smiling. “Halfway line, top row, nosebleeds kind of spot. Crazy to think I used to be up there, and now I’m down here.”
On Saturday night, the 21-year-old rookie midfielder didn’t just step onto the field for his first Cali Clásico, he announced his arrival. Loudly.
Leroux’s 16th-minute rocket into the upper-right corner gave the Earthquakes an early lead in front of a sellout crowd, an electric moment that felt like it was always meant for him.
“It’s an unreal and surreal moment for myself playing in these games” he explained.
The moment, however, was short-lived, Marco Reus equalized for the Galaxy in the second half. Still, for Leroux, the hometown product from San Jose who etched his name into the rivalry he grew up watching, the 1-1 draw was another milestone in a surprisingly impressive rookie season.
His goal, set up by Mark-Anthony Kaye just outside the box, was his fourth of the year and his second in as many matches. After scoring earlier in the week in San Jose’s 4-2 win at FC Dallas, Leroux now has four goals and four assists in his debut campaign.
“He’s been a real pleasant surprise,” said Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena.
San Jose signed two of Major League Soccer’s top attackers, Chicho Arango and Josef Martínez. Both have lived up to the hype, but it was 21-year-old San Jose native Leroux who stole the spotlight and caught the eye of his head coach.
“He’s been playing well and continues to grow,” Arena said. “I think that’s his fourth goal (this season). That’s a pretty good goal total for a guy playing in his position.”
Almost as if it were scripted, Leroux nearly delivered the perfect ending in his debut. However, in the 94th minute, with the Quakes pressing for a winner, he whipped a low cross from the right wing across the face of goal, only for it to be headed just wide. The Earthquakes were forced to settle for a draw, a fair result after the Galaxy seized control in the second half and dictated much of the final 45 minutes.
“It was a tale of two halves,” said Arena. “A real rivalry match, physical, tight field. We didn’t play well after halftime. Credit to the Galaxy, they made it difficult.”
Leroux echoed the sentiment. “Mentally, we’ve got to be stronger,” he said. “We lost focus for a bit. You can’t do that in these games. Still, we’ll take the point.”
The draw keeps San Jose unbeaten through their three June matches and extends their run to just one loss in the last 12 games since the 2-1 defeat at Columbus Crew. They’ve accumulated six wins, five draws, and only that single loss, a 2-1 setback at St. Louis City FC on May 31.
Considering the travel, the midweek match in Texas, and the physical toll of the Clasico, Arena views the result as a positive.
“We got four points out of a tough week,” he said. “We didn’t play our best tonight, but sometimes that point is going to matter. We’ll take it.”
The Earthquakes (7-7-6, 27 points) now turn their attention to the New York Red Bulls (8-7-5, 29 points), who visit PayPal Park next Saturday night after their own dramatic 2-2 home draw against Minnesota United.
Photo by SJE
