It doesn’t get much bigger than this.
After a crushing 2-1 defeat to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes are now set to host Real Salt Lake in a battle of two teams on the cusp of the postseason. Chances are that no more than one of these two teams will reach the playoffs, so Wednesday’s head-to-head showdown will mean a great deal in the final standings.
The good news is that all three of the internationals who recently competed with their respective national teams – Marcos Lopez, Vako, and Guram Kashia – should all be eligible for selection.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at San Jose’s upcoming opponent:
Standings
Real Salt Lake are currently in ninth place, just two points behind eighth-place San Jose, with a game in hand.
Recent Form
RSL are 1-3-1 in their last five matches, most recently finishing in a scoreless draw vs. FC Dallas on Oct. 24. The Utah side is winless in five straight road matches (0-3-2) and last picked up a victory away from Rio Tinto on Aug. 22 at Colorado.
Key Players
Damir Kreilach is having a tremendous season, scoring eight goals in 18 appearances. Cuban midfielder Maikel Chang, in his first year in MLS, currently leads the team with five assists.
RSL hasn’t gotten much from their two Designated Players, Sam Johnson and Jeizon Ramirez, who have combined to score one goal in 20 appearances this year.
History
There isn’t a more even rivalry in Major League Soccer than San Jose and Real Salt Lake, with the two teams playing to an 11-11-11 record through 33 MLS matches all-time. The good news for Quakes fans is that their team has been dominant at home, going 4-0-1 in their last five vs. RSL in San Jose.
Wednesday will be the second matchup between the two teams in 2020, with the Quakes earning a comfortable 5-2 win in the Round of 16 during the MLS is Back Tournament.
The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
