The San Jose Earthquakes (0-2-1; 1 pt.) play their second consecutive road match when they face Minnesota United FC (1-0-2; 4 pts.) at Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minn. on Saturday, March 19 at 5 p.m. PT. The match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 (English), and 1370 KZSF (Spanish).
The Earthquakes will look to rebound after falling to the Philadelphia Union 2-0 last Saturday. Midfielders Ousseni Bouda, Will Richmond, and 16-year-old Niko Tsakiris made their MLS debuts, with Tsakiris becoming the third youngest player in club history to appear in a regular season match.
Saturday’s contest will see Quakes midfielder Jan Gregus return to Allianz Field for the first time since signing with San Jose earlier this year. Gregus was a Designated Player for Minnesota from 2019-21, tallying two goals and 19 assists in 63 appearances. Defender Francisco Calvo also previously competed for Minnesota from 2017-19, serving as the first team captain in club history.
"It's going to be special for me,” said Gregus in a press conference on Thursday. “I spent more than three years there. They have a beautiful stadium and very good fans so I hope there will be a full crowd and an amazing atmosphere. We have to play a really good side on the other end. Like I said before, they're on a good run and they have good energy. They have great players offensively that are very dangerous. Defensively, they did very well last game. It will be a big challenge for us."
San Jose holds a 4-3-2 all-time record vs. Minnesota, including a 2-1-1 away record. Despite the overall advantage in the series, San Jose is winless in their last five matches in the series (0-3-2) and is seeking their first win since 2018.
Minnesota remains undefeated in 2022, playing to a pair of 1-1 draws vs. Philadelphia and Nashville before earning a 1-0 road victory over the New York Red Bulls last Saturday. Minnesota has only conceded two goals in three matches so far this season.
