The San Jose Earthquakes will meet the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Wednesday, Oct. 27 for the first of two straight road matches scheduled to be played this week. Following Wednesday’s match, the Quakes will travel to Utah on Saturday, Oct. 30 to face Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium.
The Quakes will enter Week 32 looking to build on a 4-0 victory over Austin FC on Wednesday, and a 1-1 draw against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday.
“Since preseason, we have been working to qualify for the MLS Playoffs,” Earthquakes head coach Matias Almeyda said after Saturday’s match. “There are games that show what we look for from San Jose, and it’s these types of matches. These games hurt when you don’t win them, but they offer a lesson to everyone. A team with these expectations can’t go the distance with the number of points that we have. I congratulate the players because although we are far from playoffs, they showed devotion as if they were playing a final and that is the San Jose we want. When we can maintain this consistency, the team will be better.”
The Quakes cannot afford to drop points in their midweek fixture against Portland. San Jose will be eliminated from playoff contention with a draw or defeat.
Wednesday’s match will mark the third meeting between San Jose and Portland in 2021, and the second matchup between both clubs at Providence Park. The Quakes fell to the Timbers 2-0 on May 15 at PayPal Park, before earning a 1-1 road draw on Aug. 4 at Providence Park.
The Quakes are also in search of their first victory at Providence Park, yielding a record of 0-10-4 as visitors. San Jose will enter Wednesday’s contest at full strength, with the intent to overturn their misfortune in Portland. Defenders Marcos Lopez and Nathan are available for selection after serving single-match suspensions due to previous yellow card accumulations.
The Timbers were unbeaten in eight consecutive matches before falling into a losing skid. Portland fell 2-0 against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, extending their losing streak to three. Occupying fourth in the Western Conference standings (14-13-4), Portland aims to regain momentum and lock in a playoff berth.
Portland is led in goals by Felipe Mora and Dairon Asprilla with 11 and nine goals, respectively.
Kickoff from Providence Park is set for 7:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
