Eleven wins, then nothing
San Jose opened this season 11-1-0 in all competitions. Since then the Earthquakes have gone 1-6-3 across ten matches, including 0-4-1 in their last five in MLS. They still sit fourth in the Western Conference on 33 points, which says as much about the conference as it does about San Jose.
Wednesday told the story. The LA Galaxy played the entire second half with ten men and still walked away with a 1-0 win, Joseph Paintsil scoring in the 79th minute. San Jose had 21 shots to the Galaxy’s 10 and nothing to show for any of them.
“We hold ourselves to a high standard and we need to be better than this,” defender Dave Romney said afterwards. “It’s just frustrating seeing how we’re still in fourth, despite how bad we’ve been playing. Just missing opportunities to be climbing further and further up the table.”
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Minnesota cannot finish either
The visitors arrive Saturday with a problem of the same shape. Minnesota United have scored 22 goals this season, the third fewest in MLS, and they have not won a league match in nine attempts (0-4-5). Atlanta United took a 2-1 win at their place on Wednesday.
“We’ve had that similar refrain of, ‘We had a number of really good chances in that game,’ but we just don’t finish,” coach Cameron Knowles said.
Knowles has noise off the pitch to manage as well. Chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad is reportedly leaving the Loons to take the same job at Austin FC. The coach insists the focus stays on the next game.
Team news and a lopsided head-to-head
Bongokuhle Hlongwane sits out with a knee injury picked up this week. Nectarios Triantis, absent for five league matches with an ankle problem, is available for limited minutes. San Jose lose midfielder Ronaldo Vieira for a second straight game with a lower-body injury.
Preston Judd carries the Earthquakes with 11 goals and 14 goal contributions. Kelvin Yeboah leads Minnesota on eight goals, while Joaquin Pereyra tops the club for goal contributions with nine, two goals and seven assists.
History leans heavily one way. Minnesota are 8-1-4 against San Jose in their last 13 league meetings. Only eight points separate fourth place from 11th in this conference, so whoever blinks on Saturday night will feel it again in October.
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