MATCHCENTER

The basics

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Tottenham Hotspur at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

TV/Radio

4 p.m. ET, ESPN, ESPN Deportes

What’s at stake?

The Quakes will host their biggest-name friendly since being re-established in 2008, bringing in their English Premier League partner and newly minted Champions League competitor from North London.

In addition to simply being great exposure for San Jose – who have yet to appear on ESPN to this season – it’s also another chance for them to learn from Tottenham, a club which rebounded from a 1-6-4 start in 2007-08 to place fourth in 2009-10, the club’s highest-ever EPL finish. Meanwhile, Tottenham can enjoy some California sunshine and see how some of their pieces fit together while transfer rumors swirl.

Heroes & villains

Robbie Keane vs. Ike Opara: Irish international Keane, once Spurs’ captain, fell out of favor with Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp in December when he hosted a Christmas party in Dublin on the sly for teammates. (It didn’t hurt Redknapp’s leverage that he also had a bevy of in-form strikers from which to choose, such as English internationals Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe and Russian star Roman Pavlyuchenko.)

Keane eventually was lent out to Celtic, where he scored 16 goals in 19 appearances. Tottenham has made it clear there will be no loan in 2010-11, so Keane is playing with an eye towards either recovering his first-team spot or increasing the number of interested suitors, whose number reportedly include Fulham and Aston Villa.

For Opara, the No. 3 pick in this year’s MLS SuperDraft and former US Under-20 international, this is an opportunity to prove his mettle against top-flight competition. The rookie, who earned a starting spot coming out of training camp, has a chance to show off his skills in front of international eyes.

Bobby Convey vs. Niko Kranjcar: With eight assists in 14 games – the second-highest total in MLS this season – Convey is showing his best form since 2005-06, when he spearheaded Reading’s drive to gain promotion to the EPL. He can show Tottenham a little bit of what they missed out on in 2003, when Spurs’ attempt to bring him over failed because the club couldn’t secure him a work permit.

Coming over from sinking Portsmouth, Kranjcar made a big splash in his first season at White Hart Lane, but with Tottenham linked to a number of midfielders this offseason, he must continue to shine to keep hold of his spot in the first XI.

Tactics

Tottenham: After San Jose beat Tottenham’s development side 1-0 in March during the Quakes’ 10-day preseason tour of London, Spurs will undoubtedly look to show the difference in quality between that group and the full squad – even if several of their World Cup participants, including Defoe, Crouch and Mexican revelation Giovani dos Santos, are not on this trip.

Watch to see what kind of chemistry Keane and Pavlyuchenko can develop against San Jose’s defense, which was revamped over the World Cup break and has allowed two goals in three matches since then, and expect Spurs to hold possession and ratchet up the pressure.

San Jose: The Quakes appear to be perfecting the efficiency of their counterattacking, long-ball style, scoring twice against Philadelphia last week despite generating only three shots on goal. The philosophy is working because of the hustle of players such as forward Chris Wondolowski, who chased down a 55-yard pass from Jason Hernandez and used a one-time pass to turn a certain goal kick into perfect service for Cornell Glen, who converted from 7 yards out.

“As a coaching staff, we’ve recognized that if we’re playing certain players, we’re not going to be the sharp little move-the-ball-quick style of team,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop said. “We’ve always felt that moving the ball doesn’t necessarily win soccer games.”

He said it

“We all know that Tottenham is a quality side, a Champions League side now. I don’t know if they’re coming with their first-side lineup, but either way, they have good depth – we saw a lot of their young guys [in preseason]. We’re definitely looking forward to it. Hopefully we’ll get a ‘W’ and build more confidence for the game against LA [on July 22], because that’s going to be a tough one.” – Quakes midfielder/forward Arturo Alvarez