SAN JOSE, Calif - The Earthquakes are fresh and well-prepared for their final exam at Avaya Stadium in the regular season.
Now they have to ace the test against Sporting Kansas City on Friday night.
"I think both teams really want to win it, and our playoff life depends on it," midfielder Shea Salinas said after Wednesday's sharp practice.
The game doesn’t qualify as a must-win, but it's darn close as six tightly bunched teams jockey for three playoff spots in the Western Conference. The Quakes will close the regular season at dangerous FC Dallas on Oct. 25.
The bye week allowed some of those aches to heal a bit.
"We feel good," center back Clarence Goodson said. "I think that we've been playing well, and (we're) a team that's difficult to play against. You've got 11 guys working their tails off, and it will be no different Friday night … Guys are rested up and ready to go."
Goodson has expressed confidence in versatile JJ Koval, who stepped in admirably in a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Oct. 3, with midfielders Marc Pelosi, Fatai Alashe and Matias Perez Garcia all out. This time, Victor Bernardez and Pelosi are out serving one-game suspensions, so Koval could get the call again.
Consider Koval to be a quintessential team player. He kept his focus and positive approach during an extended stay on the bench.
Koval said it's important that the Quakes stay on top of SKC, and not allow them any "joy or freedom" in the attacking third.
"The mentality has been sharp," Koval said. "We're really excited for this game. It means a lot to us, especially in the playoff race. We're sharp and ready to go, and we can't wait for Friday to come."
With everyone marinating in playoff possibilities, Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear wants his team to hone its focus.
"I think the important thing is not to look around too much, and to look at what's here in front of you, and Kansas City is a good team," Kinnear said. "They had a great week before the international break with the Open Cup, and a great week in Portland."
The Quakes (12-12-8, 44 points) don't want to leave points on the table again, after earning just six points combined from their last five home games.
"We don't think about the last game. We don't think about any of our last games," Koval, the former Stanford star, said. "This is the one that's in front of us, and we need to do our best to prepare for it."
Salinas stands to become Mr. 200 on Friday, if he plays in the 200th MLS game since his 2008 debut. The bye week suited one of the club's hardest working players just fine.
"It's a long season, and any time you can get two days off in a row is pretty rare," Salinas said. "It was just nice to sit on the couch and rest a little bit, but we came into this week like a regular work week. We've been working hard preparing for this game."
In the draw with Vancouver, Chris Wondolowski scored the tying goal in the second half -- making him the first in MLS to score 20 goals in the month of October. He also scored twice in a 5-0 win over SKC in the teams' previous meeting -- the Quakes' most dominating performance of the season.
The Quakes will surely take a win by any margin this time around.
