Luchi Gonzalez hails Cristian Espinoza's performances in shock win over LAFC

What’s the harm in dreaming big? None – especially if you ask San Jose’s winger Cristian Espinoza after Saturday night’s surefooted brace against the LAFC.

Not only is LA a direct table rival (18 points apiece, the Quakes with 11 matches to LA’s nine so far), but this was the first league loss of the season for the defending MLS Cup and Supporter’s Shield holders.

“It was very special to see all the fans here,” said Espinoza. “I think it was more than 40,000, so that is something very special to feel from inside the field, all that support. We are very grateful to them, and we responded inside the field, and we can give them a victory to celebrate.”

His eighth minute goal conditioned LAFC, visibly strained from their Tuesday night CCL match with the Union, with Denis Bouanga’s 30th minute equalizer doing little to raise spirits. And to bring symmetry into the fold, Denil Maldonado’s 81st minute foul of Jeremy Ebobisse in the box gave Espinoza the opportunity to pass sentence over the Black and Gold.

Espinoza, who signed with the Quakes in 2019, is a serious contender for this year’s league Golden Boot, tied with LA’s Dénis Bouanga and Seattle’s Jordan Morris with eight goals this season. He’s also racked up three assists and leads the league in key passes with 28.

Head coach Luchi Gonzalez’s usage of Espinoza in a more central role has yielded results that point to continued, exponential growth.

“Cristian is first and foremost an amazing human being, family guy; every training he works,” said Gonzalez. “He's a leader by example with how hard he works. He makes every exercise count, every competition count in training, and it shows. He reaps the reward on the field.

“I think he's a player that, you’ve got to get him closer to the goal. You know he's going to get crosses, he’s going to get assists. That’s what he does naturally. But if he's closer to the goal, closer to the box, he can score his own goals, right foot, left foot. We're really proud of him.”

Saturday night’s performance, which earned the Player of the Match distinction, was another command performance that has fans and the team dreaming of bigger things for 2023, and more so given how the team has faltered over the last ten years.

Even Gonzalez knows that it’s okay to dream, saying:

“We are very excited. I think from the beginning of the year, we prepare very well with a new coach, with new staff,” he said. “Last year was really tough for us, a tough year when Matias [Almeyda] leaves, then [interim] Alex Covelo comes. Then this year was a new beginning for everybody. This new beginning comes with a lot of energy, and we take advantage of that.”