Toronto FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes | 2017 MLS Match Preview

Matthew Doyle

Toronto FC vs. San Jose Earthquakes
2017 MLS Regular Season
BMO Field - Toronto, Ontario
Saturday, September 9 – 5 pm ET
WATCH: TSN in Canada | MLS LIVE in the US

Toronto FC have history in their sights, while the San Jose Earthquakes are just trying to hang on for dear life. That's the tale of the tape entering Saturday's contest at BMO Field.

The Reds are rolling, on a four-game winning streak and sitting atop the Supporters' Shield standings with a nice six-point cushion after 27 games. They're bidding to become just the fourth team in league history to average more than 2.00 points per game for the season, and just the fourth to post a goal differential of +30 or better. This is a team that's on the verge of rewriting the record books.

San Jose aren't in that conversation, but they are in the mix for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Entering the weekend they sit just a point behind FC Dallas in the West and are coming off a big, 3-0 win at LA. Nonetheless the road has been unkind to the Quakes over the last two months, as before the trip to Carson they'd lost each of their previous five away dates by multiple goals.

Toronto FC

Suspended: None
International Duty: None
Injury Report: OUT – M Benoit Cheyrou (calf tear); D Nick Hagglund (left MCL sprain); QUESTIONABLE: GK Clint Irwin (dislocated fingers)

Projected Starting XI (3-5-2, left to right): Alex Bono — Chris Mavinga, Drew Moor, Eriq Zavaleta — Justin Morrow, Victor Vazquez, Michael Bradley, Marky Delgado, Steven Beitashour — Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore

Notes: Toronto FC extended their winning streak to four matches, rolling to a 3-1 win against the Montréal Impact at Stade Saputo on Aug. 27. The victory extended TFC’s undefeated streak to nine games (6-0-3), the club record in their 11 seasons in MLS... TFC scored three goals or more for a fourth consecutive game, and a fifth time in their last six matches. Toronto FC have scored 55 goals this season in 27 games, the 2.04 average the highest in the league.

San Jose Earthquakes

Suspended: M/D Fatai Alashe (yellow card accumulation)
International Duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D Harold Cummings (leg surgery, 3/30, out 4-6 months); D Marvell Wynne (heart abnormality); D Francois Affolter (hamstring injury) QUESTIONABLE: D Nick Lima (thigh)

Projected Starting XI (3-5-2, left to right):Andrew Tarbell – Florian Jungwirth, Victor Bernardez, Andres Imperiale – Shea Salinas, Vako, Anibal Godoy, Jackson Yueill, Tommy Thompson – Marco Ureña, Chris Wondolowski

Notes: The Quakes put an end to their three-game winless overall run, defeating the LA Galaxy 3-0 at StubHub Center on Aug. 27, which also put an end to their road losing streak after six matches, dating back to June 2. It was the fourth-longest road losing streak in club history... Wondolowski scored his 11th goal of the season last time out. It was the 64th away goal of Wondolowski’s MLS career, making him the all-time league leader (surpassing Landon Donovan, 63). Wondolowski now has 132 career MLS goals, one behind Jaime Moreno for third on the all-time list, and two behind Jeff Cunningham for second.

All-Time Series

This is the first meeting between these teams since July 16 of last year, a 2-1 Quakes win at Avaya Stadium.

Overall: Toronto 4 wins (17 goals)... San Jose 5 wins (18 goals)... 4 draws
At Toronto: Toronto 2 wins (8 goals)... San Jose 2 wins (9 goals)... 3 draws