The San Jose Earthquakes don’t have much recent playoff experience, and they don’t have any so far in the Matias Almeyda era.
But they did have a dress rehearsal for the playoffs just this season, with the MLS is Back Tournament knockout stage.
Like the upcoming 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, with San Jose scheduled to face Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City on Sunday, the MLS is Back knockouts were a single-elimination format, and while there are several months and the added element of travel between the competitions, the Earthquakes — who won one knockout game in the summer, over Real Salt Lake, and lost one, against Minnesota United — have a a bit of experience under their belts in knockout competition this season, with this group.