MLS Leaders San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps Set for Showdown
The top two teams in Major League Soccer (MLS) aim to maintain their impressive starts as the Vancouver Whitecaps visit the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
The Earthquakes and Whitecaps stand out in MLS history as the only teams to win eight of their first nine matches. Vancouver boasts the largest goal differential in league history through 10 games, sitting at plus-20 (26-6), while the Quakes are a close second at plus-19 (26-7) through 11 matches.
San Jose (9-1-1, 28 points) currently holds the top position in the Western Conference, following a 1-0 away victory against the Whitecaps (8-1-1, 25 points) on March 21, where Beau Leroux scored the decisive goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
“It’s two teams having unbelievable first parts of the season,” Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen noted. “Combined, the two teams have only two losses in 21 games, and one of those happened when we faced each other.”
“It should be an exciting game for the league. We’ll try to make it as exciting as possible,” he added.
Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena expressed uncertainty about how the previous match’s result will impact the upcoming game.
“I’m not sure it applies to this match a whole lot,” Arena remarked. “We played really well against a good team. We scored a great goal and managed to hold on for a one-goal victory. While we have a better sense of their team now, that doesn’t guarantee an advantage this time around.”
San Jose previously enjoyed a six-match winning streak before drawing 1-1 against Toronto FC last Saturday. Leading goal scorer Preston Judd netted the equalizer in the 13th minute, marking his seventh goal of the season.
Reflecting on Vancouver’s journey to the MLS Cup final last season, which ended in a loss to Inter Miami, Judd believes the Earthquakes have what it takes to follow suit this year.
“Yeah, I think at this point in the season, it’s a big game for us,” Judd said. “We’ve shown that we’ve exceeded the expectations others set for us, and this is another opportunity to make a statement and show that we’re a real contender. We’re going to challenge for the Cup this year.”
Vancouver’s four-match winning streak came to an end last Saturday with a 1-1 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy, with Mathias Laborda scoring the equalizer in the 81st minute.
As the rematch against the Earthquakes approaches, the Whitecaps are eager to even the score.
“It’s going to be tough, but it’s supposed to be tough,” Sorensen said. “That’s how it is. We’re ready to go there and play the way we always try to play.”
Leading the Whitecaps, Brian White has tallied eight goals this season.