Clinging to a three-way tie for fifth place in the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes will host first-place Sporting Kansas City Saturday night at Avaya Stadium. It’s the first of three straight home matches for the Earthquakes.
San Jose (5-6-4, 19 points) is tied with Vancouver and Seattle, though Vancouver has two games in hand with the other two clubs. A victory over Sporting (7-4-5, 26 points) would further the Quakes’ cause to reach the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2012. Sporting is two points clear of Portland and three ahead of Houston and FC Dallas atop the Western Conference table.