San Jose Earthquakes vs. Minnesota United FC
2017 MLS Regular Season
Avaya Stadium – San Jose, California
Sunday, Oct. 22 – 4 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE
The San Jose Earthquakes enter Decision Day presented by AT&T in an unlikely position, on the cusp of qualifying for the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs with their own destiny in their hands. It's an unexpected scenario, given the uneven nature of their season, head coach Dominic Kinnear being fired midway through the campaign, and the team posting a -22 goal differential in league play.
Nevertheless, they are currently in the final playoff spot up for grabs, competing against FC Dallas and Real Salt Lake for it, but if the Quakes win on Sunday against Minnesota United FC, they're in. It would be one of the more remarkable stories of the season, and would give them a chance to really make some noise in the postseason.
Their opponents are officially out of the playoffs, but Minnesota have played fairly well in the second half of their first MLS season. They were pegged back 3-0 in dominant fashion by the LA Galaxy last week, and their road record is not exactly stellar. Still, Adrian Heath's men seem to have played better overall when the pressure has been off, and they have nothing to lose. The Quakes have something very important on the line, and it should make for one of the most intriguing Decision Day contests this year.
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San Jose Earthquakes
- Suspended: None
- International duty: None
- Injury report: OUT: D Harold Cummings (leg), D Marvell Wynne (heart), M/D Fatai Alashe (quad); QUESTIONABLE - D Nick Lima (hamstring)
Projected Starting XI
(4-2-3-1, left to right)
GK: Andrew Tarbell – Shea Salinas, Florian Jungwirth, Victor Bernardez, Kofi Sarkodie – Darwin Ceren, Anibal Godoy – Vako Qazaishvili, Chris Wondolowski, Jahmir Hyka – Danny Hoesen
Notes: San Jose have won six of their last eight home league games (1L-1D) and all six of the wins have been by only one goal. … Chris Wondolowski now has assists in consecutive games, after going 21 consecutive league appearances without notching even one assist.
Minnesota United FC
- Suspended: None
- International duty: None
- Injury report: OUT - M Bernardo Anor (leg), M/D Thomas de Villardi (Achilles), M Sam Cronin (head)
Projected Starting XI
(4-4-2, left to right)
GK: Bobby Shuttleworth – Francisco Calvo, Brent Kallman, Michael Boxall, Jerome Thiesson – Kevin Molino, Collin Martin, Ibson, Ethan Finlay – Christian Ramirez, Abu Danladi
Notes: Minnesota have lost eight of their last 11 league road games (3W) and have conceded an average of 2.3 goals per game along the way. … Minnesota had four shots on target and faced four shots on target against the LA Galaxy last weekend. It was just the fourth time all year they hadn’t faced more shots on target than they took in an MLS away game. They’ve never taken two or more shots on target more than their opposition in an MLS road game.
All-Time Series
This is the second meeting all-time in MLS play for the teams. The Earthquakes won 1-0 in their first match back in April.
- Overall: San Jose 1 win (1 goal) … Minnesota 0 wins (0 goals) … Ties 0
- At SJ: First meeting
Referees
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
Assistant Referees: Jonathan Johnson, Michael Kampmeinert
Fourth Official: Alejandro Mariscal
Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Ramy Touchan
