Two clubs mired in winless droughts look to break out Saturday when the San Jose Earthquakes host Minnesota United.
The Earthquakes are 0-4-1 in their past five league matches and 1-6-3 in their past 10. This cold streak came after San Jose began the season 11-1-0 in all competitions.
While San Jose (10-7-3, 33 points) is still in fourth place in the crowded Western Conference, only eight points separate the Earthquakes from 11th-place Minnesota (6-7-7, 25 points).
“We hold ourselves to a high standard and we need to be better than this,” Earthquakes defender Dave Romney said after San Jose’s 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday. “It’s just frustrating seeing how we’re still in fourth, (despite) how bad we’ve been playing. Just missing opportunities to be climbing further and further up the table.”
San Jose fell on Wednesday even though the Galaxy played with 10 men the entire second half. Despite San Jose’s 21-10 edge in shots, Los Angeles’ Joseph Paintsil had the only goal in the 79th minute.
Minnesota United are familiar with missed opportunities, as the Loons’ 22 goals are the third fewest in MLS. Minnesota is winless in its past nine league games (0-4-5), including a 2-1 home loss to Atlanta United on Wednesday.
“We’ve had that similar refrain of, ‘We had a number of really good chances in that game,’ but we just don’t finish,” Loons coach Cameron Knowles said.
Knowles stressed that the team’s “focus is on the next game” despite notable news off the field. Minnesota chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad reportedly is leaving the club to take the same role with Austin FC.
Bongokuhle Hlongwane will sit out after sustaining a knee injury this week. Nectarios Triantis (ankle) missed Minnesota’s past five league matches, but Knowles said the defender is available for limited minutes on Saturday.
San Jose midfielder Ronaldo Vieira will miss his second straight match with a lower-body injury.
Preston Judd leads the Earthquakes in goals (11) and goal contributions (14). Kelvin Yeboah tops the Loons in goals (eight) while Joaquin Pereyra ranks first on the club with nine goal contributions (two goals, seven assists).
Minnesota is 8-1-4 in its past 13 league matches against San Jose.
–Field Level Media
