The San Jose Earthquakes will square up against FC Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 11 at Toyota Stadium. The match will be the second meeting between the two clubs in 2021, with San Jose defeating the visitors 3-1 on April 24 with goals from Oswaldo Alanis, Cade Cowell and Cristian Espinoza.
The Quakes’ 10-match unbeaten streak was snapped last Saturday, falling to the Colorado Rapids 1-0 on a goal scored by Dominique Badji in the 89th minute.
Head coach Matias Almeyda recognizes the urgency, noting that despite their positive run, in which the Quakes performed well in road matches, the team needed better performances in matches that looked winnable, especially at home. Speaking in a press conference on Wednesday, Almeyda said it’s important for the team to find stability in and make every remaining match count.
“Honestly, I enjoyed that we were doing so well on the road, but we lost something important which was performing well at home,” said Almeyda. “It shows that we have been unstable. We have to try to be a stable team.”
The Quakes face an obstacle in missing players ahead of upcoming matches. The Quakes will be without forward Jeremy Ebobisse and midfielder Eric Remedi due to concussion protocol and suspension, respectively. Additionally, defender Marcos Lopez and midfielder Jackson Yueill are returning from international duty and whether they will play remains to be seen. Almeyda says they are trying to find solutions and expects the players filling in to step up and play to win.
“We are looking into which solutions we can take,” Almeyda said regarding players expected to miss Saturday’s match. “If you have a team with a short roster, as is our case, you’ll need to work miracles if you are missing players. We’re playing for three points. The people want to win, we want to win, and the club wants to win. These things become obstacles.”
FC Dallas have produced a record of 4-2-5 as the home team in 2021, allowing only a single win in their last five matches (1-3-1). Dallas is led by 18-year-old U.S. National Team forward Ricardo Pepi in goals (11) and Szabolcs Schönin in assists (6).
Saturday’s match kicks off from Toyota Stadium at 5:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR and 1370 KZSF.
