The San Jose Earthquakes will look to strengthen their position in the Western Conference when they face San Diego FC this Saturday night.
San Jose (4-1-0, 12 points) is currently third in the West, just ahead of fourth-place San Diego (3-0-2, 11 points) after the March international break.
The noticeable difference from last year’s San Jose team, which missed the playoffs, is clear.
“This year, we already have four shutouts, which is a real positive,” said second-year coach Bruce Arena. “This improvement involves the whole team, not just the defense and the goalkeeper.”
Brazilian goalkeeper Daniel has made 14 saves out of 15 shots on target, and with one more clean sheet, he would match his previous MLS career high in his fourth season.
Ousseni Bouda, Preston Judd, and Daniel Munie have each scored two goals. Timo Werner, a former player for Tottenham and RB Leipzig, has provided two assists and is working on his full fitness after his first MLS start on March 15 against Seattle.
On the other hand, San Diego has played the maximum number of matches this season after participating in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The second-year team was eliminated from the tournament by Toluca of Mexico, losing 6-3 on aggregate during a busy stretch of five matches in 15 days.
“The mental fatigue from this experience will help us next time,” said San Diego coach Mikey Varas. “Being fatigued and having to repeat games could lead to errors, but it’s a valuable learning experience.”
San Diego responded to their exit by drawing 2-2 with Real Salt Lake on March 22, with Marcus Ingvartsen scoring his fourth goal of the season and Anders Dreyer adding his third.
Christopher McVey received a second yellow card late in the match, and he will miss Saturday’s game due to suspension.