The San Jose Earthquakes will travel to Canada to face Toronto FC on Saturday, July 9. The match will kick off from BMO Field at 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 (English), and 1370 KZSF (Spanish).
San Jose, who are in search of their first road win of the season, has faced Toronto on the road at BMO Field in nine MLS matchups, holding a 3-3-3 away record in that span. The Quakes have only lost one of their last five matches against Toronto FC (2-1-2) and will look to extend their three-match unbeaten streak against the Canadian side. The Quakes most recently defeated the Canadian side 2-1 in their last visit to BMO Field on May 26, 2019.
Despite Toronto’s talent-heavy roster and their positioning in the Eastern Conference, interim head coach Alex Covelo is aware of the importance of Saturday’s match and earning three points on the road.
“I feel each game is an important game for us. We are trying to prepare for this game thinking about us and at the same time evaluating and analyzing Toronto’s roster and understand the game that they play,” said Covelo in a press conference on Wednesday. “We will go there to present a good battle and try to get the first three points away from home.”
Midfielder Jan Gregus also spoke on Wednesday, sharing that the team’s mentality and approach for Saturday’s game should be treated with the same intensity as any other game. Gregus will return to BMO Field for the first time since April 19, 2019, in which he competed for Minnesota United FC at the time.
“I like to look at the teams, for example Toronto, I look at them and try to be prepared for the best version of Toronto, if possible,” said Gregus. “That’s how we should approach the game and be ready for their best team, best players, and defeat them. We are not in a position to think less of another team right now. We just need to approach this game like it’s a final and play like that.”
Toronto FC holds a 5-10-3 record this season (18 pts.), occupying 12th in the Eastern Conference. Toronto features prominent players such as Mexico national team defender Carlos Salcedo, and Major League Soccer veteran Michael Bradley. Recent star signing Lorenzo Insigne, who was expected to make his debut on Saturday, is now expected to miss this weekend’s match after sustaining a slight calf injury earlier this week.
