Bruce Arena acknowledged that the San Jose Earthquakes' lightning start to their MLS season is only the beginning of a long battle to stay at the top of the Western Conference.
After finishing 10th and missing out on the playoffs in 2025, the Earthquakes have taken 18 points from their first seven games of their current campaign.
They sit second in the West, with only the Vancouver Whitecaps above them, though Arena's men are set for another early test of their title credentials this weekend.
Los Angeles FC, who are one place and two points behind the Earthquakes, welcome them to BMO Stadium as San Jose put their unbeaten record on the line.
And while many have talked up the possibility of the Earthquakes challenging at the summit, Arena did not want to get carried away at this stage.
"It's certainly a good start to the season. We all know this league is pretty balanced. To be in this position at this point is great, but we know it's a long haul," Arena said.
"It's 34 games. I said last week we could lose our next 28 games. That's not going to be the case any more, but it's going to be a battle.
"And it's great to have a good start and have the 18 points, but we need to get 30-35 more points during the regular season to be a team well-positioned for the playoffs."
LAFC, meanwhile, were involved in midweek action in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and they booked their place in the semi-finals with a 4-1 aggregate win over Cruz Azul.
After a 3-0 thrashing in the first leg, Denis Bouanga netted a 97th-minute penalty to help clinch a 1-1 draw and cancel out Gabriel Fernandez's spot-kick in the 18th minute.
In their last league outing, however, Kevin Kelsy's goal in second-half stoppage time saw the Portland Timbers inflict LAFC's first defeat of the season.
Marc Dos Santos said his team must put their Champions Cup heroics immediately behind them and gear up for what he described as "the biggest game of our season".
"They are a very difficult opponent to play against," Dos Santos said. "Defensively, they are very compact and a team that doesn't give much. They have only conceded two goals.
"They are a team that work collectively together, and they know what they want to do. We know it's going to be a very hard opponent for us.
"But what we have spoken about and what is important is to switch on again. We had the two days off after Cruz Azul. Now, it's the biggest game of our season on Sunday."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
LAFC – Jack Skahan
Skahan scored a brace on Sunday, the second straight match in which a San Jose player has done so after Niko Tsakiris on April 4.
It's the first time the Earthquakes have had braces in consecutive games since Jeremy Ebobisse and Jamiro Monteiro in May 2022.
SJ Earthquakes – Denis Bouanga
Bouanga has scored eight career regular-season goals against the Earthquakes, tied for his most goals against a single opponent (also against the Los Angeles Galaxy).
Since Bouanga debuted in MLS in August 2022, the eight goals are tied for the most by any MLS player against a single opponent.
MATCH PREDICTION: LAFC WIN
LAFC have won five straight games across all competitions against San Jose, scoring multiple goals in each match. Across 22 all-time competitive meetings, LAFC have scored at least two goals 15 different times while being shut out just once.
Dating back to last season, LAFC have won six straight home regular-season matches while not allowing a goal in any of them. That is tied for the longest run of shutout wins in home games in regular-season MLS history (CF Montreal – 2023, Columbus Crew – 2019-20, Sporting Kansas City – 2000).
However, San Jose picked up their sixth win of the season on the road against Sporting KC (L1), their most wins through its first seven games of a season in club history. The Earthquakes' 18 points are also their most at this point in a season, while the two goals allowed are their fewest.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
LAFC – 66.4%
Draw – 18.3%
SJ Earthquakes – 15.3%