On Saturday, the San Jose Earthquakes will have an opportunity to accomplish something they haven’t achieved in nearly four years: win back-to-back matches on the road.
A league built on parity, it’s been surprisingly difficult historically for teams to earn points away from home. The Quakes, coming off a 3-1 win against the LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park, have their sights set on the full three points north of the border. A win would give San Jose a 3-1-1 record in their last five road games, their best five-match stretch on the road in a single season since 2012 (3-1-1 from 8/18/12 to 10/27/12).
Vancouver hasn’t had a great first season under new head coach Marc Dos Santos. The club currently finds themselves in last place in the Western Conference with the third worst record in Major League Soccer (4-10-8). However, as San Jose found out in New England on May 11, a team is often most dangerous when their back is against the wall.
Vancouver will be playing on short rest after being blasted 4-0 in New England on Wednesday. They have lost four consecutive games by a combined score of 14-1 and haven’t won a match since May 25.
Whitecaps FC are led by Colombian forward Fredy Montero, who has scored a team-high six goals, Peruvian midfielder Yordy Reyna, and Iraqi defender Ali Adnan. Reyna, who finished with 11 assists in 2018, only has one in 15 appearances this season, but has a strong track record of success as a playmaker.
San Jose will be nearly at full strength. Anibal Godoy remains out after surgery, but Matias Almeyda should be able to have his pick from the rest of the squad.
Saturday’s match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
