San Jose Earthquakes vs Philadelphia Union: Bet Over & visitors in Matchday 18

San Jose’s unbeaten home record is put on the line again as high-flying Philadelphia Union come to California looking to leapfrog Nashville for second place in the East.

This one could spark betting interest. Philadelphia is starting to heat up coming into the summer season, and the Quakes have been plagued by a mixed bag of results lately.

This is Jack Collins from The Game Day with betting tips for this Matchday 18 featured showdown.

San Jose Earthquakes vs Philadelphia Union Odds

San Jose vs Philadelphia betting lines are current as of Thursday, June 8, at 11 a.m. ET at bet365 Sportsbook.

• Moneyline: San Jose (+130) • Tie (+240) • Philadelphia (+180)
• Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-125) • Under 2.5 (+100)
• Both Teams To Score: Yes (-163) • No (+120)

San Jose Earthquakes vs Philadelphia Union Prediction

San Jose 1:2 Philadelphia

Let’s start with the big obstacle to that scoreline: San Jose’s record at PayPal Park this season reads as follows: played seven, won five, drawn two, lost none. They’ve scored 11 times while conceding only four goals, and are averaging 2.43 points a game. 

It’s impressive. 

But let’s take a second to look at the five teams they’ve beaten:

• Vancouver - who started the season by going five games without a win before recovering some form.
• Colorado -  who have the worst points-per-game record in the West. 
• Houston - who have recorded two points from eight road games this season. 
• Kansas City - just one place above Colorado in the standings, even if they’re finally on the up. 
• LAFC - who are excellent, but that’s a derby, and weird things happen in games between the Quakes and LAFC.

It’s not unfair to suggest that it has been a relatively soft schedule at home for San Jose so far. That doesn’t degrade their achievements - you have to beat everyone who gets put in front of you to do well in a league, but it’s a context worth bearing in mind ahead of the visit of Philadelphia. 

The Union are flying, and are unbeaten in nine straight matches in MLS. Jim Curtin’s squad have picked up 23 points from a possible 27 since April 16, scoring at a rate of over two a game and conceding just six times down that stretch. 

Since Philadelphia’s CONCACAF Champions League campaign came to an end, we’ve seen a massive uptick in both results and defensive stability in this side, and this streak has them hot on the heels of Nashville in the East.

Curtin’s settled, steady 3-5-2 shape that we’ve seen again of late appears to be getting the best out of both his center-backs and the midfield shield in front of them. José Martínez signed a new contract just a week ago, highlighting his importance as a key cog in Curtin’s system.

His ability to put out fires in the middle of the park has allowed the wing-backs to get into the opposition third and solidified this backline against attacks in transition.

And it’s not like San Jose has been particularly hot up front lately, either. Luchi Gonzalez’ side have failed to register more than once on the scoresheet in each of their last five games, although they will be hopeful that will be somewhat rectified by Cade Cowell’s return from international duty at the U20 World Cup, where he helped steer the USYNT to the quarter-finals with a team-high three goals.

The youngster might be yet to net this season in MLS, but his performances in Argentina were electric and his confidence is sure to be sky-high right now. Whether he can replicate that international form on the domestic stage, and against opposition with defensive ability like the Union, is yet to be seen.

Talking of electric attackers in form, the last word must surely go to the Union’s Julián Carranza. The Argentine has been absolutely unstoppable of late, picking up seven goals and four assists in his last nine appearances.

His mesmeric display against Montreal over the weekend was capped by a stunning first goal, and Carranza’s ability to make himself space and then execute in the final third is up there with anyone in the league.

Expect him to have another say here.

San Jose vs Philadelphia Best Bets

Here's how to place your MLS bets on San Jose vs Philadelphia:

Philadelphia Union to Win (+180) • bet365 Sportsbook

Backing an unbeaten at home Quakes team to lose is going to raise some eyebrows here, but the combination of this Philadelphia defense and San Jose’s recent profligacy in front of goal suggests a road win might be in the cards.

Total Goals: Over 2.5 (-125) • bet365 Sportsbook

There have been goals at play in both teams’ recent games and their meetings against each other. There’s been Over 2.5 goals in three of the Union’s last four games, three out of the Quakes’ last four games at home, and in the last three meetings between the sides.

The form book suggests this one is on.