San Jose have not won in five straight league games
The San Jose Earthquakes host Minnesota United on Saturday. Two teams in the doldrums.
San Jose are without a win in five league matches (0-4-1). Across their last 10 games, that record drops to 1-6-3. The contrast with their early-season burst is stark: the Quakes opened with 11 wins in 12 matches in all competitions.
Fourth place is still theirs for now. San Jose have 33 points (10-7-3) in a tightly packed Western Conference. They are only eight points ahead of Minnesota, who sit 11th on 25 points (6-7-7).
“We set high standards and we’ve got to be better than this,” defender Dave Romney said after Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Galaxy. “It’s frustrating to still be fourth given how badly we’re playing right now.”
That night, the Galaxy played the entire second half with 10 men. San Jose fired 21 shots to 10 and still drew a blank. Joseph Paintsil scored the only goal of the game in the 79th minute.
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Minnesota have stopped scoring
The Loons are in even worse shape. Nine league matches without a win (0-4-5), including a 2-1 home defeat to Atlanta United on Wednesday. The issue is clear enough: 22 goals this season, the third-lowest total in MLS.
“We keep saying the same thing. We’ve created plenty of good chances, but we’re not finishing them,” said head coach Cameron Knowles.
There is also a shake-up behind the scenes. Khaled El-Ahmad, Minnesota’s sporting director, is reportedly set to leave for the same role at Austin FC, according to reports from the US. Knowles insisted his squad is focused on the next game.
Both sides are dealing with injury problems. Bongokuhle Hlongwane is out after suffering a knee injury this week. Nectarios Triantis, who has missed the last five matches with an ankle issue, will be available in a limited role. San Jose will be without Ronaldo Vieira for a second straight game because of a lower-body injury.
Players to watch
Preston Judd leads the Earthquakes’ attack with 11 goals and 14 goal involvements. For the Loons, Kelvin Yeboah tops their scoring chart with eight goals, while Joaquin Pereyra has nine goal involvements (two goals, seven assists).
One stat tilts heavily toward the visitors. Minnesota have won eight, lost one and drawn four of their last 13 league meetings with San Jose. So this one may not be quite as one-sided as the table suggests.
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