The San Jose Earthquakes (1-5-3; 6 pt.) will host the Colorado Rapids (3-3-3; 12 pts.) at PayPal Park on Saturday, May 7, presented by Audi. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish). Saturday will also serve as Mexican Heritage Night.
Following a 3-0 defeat to NYCFC last Sunday, the Earthquakes return to the friendly confines of PayPal Park, where they currently hold a five-game unbeaten streak in all competitions (2-0-3).
Despite last week’s defeat, the Quakes received some praise from the defending MLS Cup champions NYCFC. Head coach Ronny Delia referred to San Jose as their most difficult opponent at Yankee Stadium this season, which also includes three teams currently in the top 10 of the Supporters’ Shield standings.
“We are playing at home. We need to dictate the way we want to play in both phases, defensively and offensively,” said Quakes interim head coach Alex Covelo on Wednesday. “We need to create those chances when we have the ball, also in transition, and defensively try to be a little more aggressive and be organized. Those are going to be key. As we saw against New York City, our line of confrontation was a little bit lower, we tried to close very specific spaces. But we play at home [on Saturday] and we need to play for a win.”
The Rapids won two of their first three matches of 2022 but have since won just one of their last six (1-2-3). The club’s fortunes have been better at home (3-0-2) than on the road (0-3-1), where they have been outscored 10-3. Colorado is led by 28-year-old Diego Rubio, who has scored a team-high five goals, and newly acquired U.S. Men’s National Team striker Gyasi Zardes.
“I think we’re going to focus on ourselves,” said Quakes defender Paul Marie to media on Wednesday. “There are a couple things that we need to fix offensively and defensively and we’re going to approach the game like every other game. And right now, we’re trying to focus on ourselves, getting the structure right, and everything will come our way.”
San Jose is 4-1-2 in seven prior matches against Colorado at PayPal Park.
