SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs. CD HEREDIA
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
October 23, 2013 (CONCACAF Champions League Group State)
10 pm ET (FOX Sports 2, Univision Deportes)
Their MLS hopes may be dashed, but there is still plenty on the line Wednesday night when the San Jose Earthquakes host CD Heredia in the final match of CONCACAF Champions League group play. Going into the match, Heredia lead the tightly-contested group, while the Earthquakes in last, just three points off the pace. The Montreal Impact sit in second place, but have already played all four of their games and are eliminated (check out the standings here). A San Jose win by any score at Buck Shaw sends them through to the knockout round, according to CONCACAF, but a win or a draw from Heredia elminates the Quakes.
San Jose Earthquakes team news
San Jose enter the week techincally still in the MLS playoff race, though facing essentially impossible odds. In league play, the Quakes have to win their season finale against FC Dallas, Colorado have to lose at Vancouver and San Jose have to score 13 more goals than the Rapids to advance to the playoffs.
However, the Quakes will be able to take heart from their impressive league form, having gone 10-5-2 since Mark Watson took over from Frank Yallop in June and posting a 4-0-2 record in league play since the beginning of September.
A trip to the quarterfinals in their first-ever CONCACAF Champions League appearance is more attainable for the Quakes, however, with the scenarios outlined above. After dropping their first two games against Montreal and Heredia, both on the road by 1-0 scorelines, they roared back to life with a 3-0 win over the Impact at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Chris Wondolowski, Shea Salinas and Marvin Chávez found the net that night, the team's first goals in CCL play. Alan Gordon had an opportunity to score from the penalty spot in the Quakes' CCL opener at Montreal, but saw his effort saved.
In goal, the Quakes have relied on second-stringer David Bingham for the first three games of their CCL campaign, but may turn to regular starter Jon Busch for the finale.
CD Heredia team news
Heredia enters the match in first place in the group, tied with Montreal, but with the opportunity to move ahead of the already-finished Impact depending on the results. The Guatemalan club has a pair of 1-0 wins, over Montreal and San Jose, and a 2-0 loss in the second match against the Impact. Charles Cordova and Enrique Miranda are the team's goalscorers in each of their home wins.
In league play, Heredia have endured a bout of mixed form, going 1-2-2 in their last five Apertura 2013 matches. They still remain in fifth place in the 12-team Apertura 2013 campaign. Forward Osmar López (above) leads the team with seven goals in league play.
About the CONCACAF Champions League
The CONCACAF Champions League is North America's top club competition and consists of 24 teams separated into eight groups of three teams that play a round-robin, home-and-away format. The winner of each group will advance to the quarterfinals, with quarterfinal seeeding determined by total points accumulated in group play. The winner of the 2013-2014 CCL will represent CONCACAF in the 2014 Club World Cup in Morocco.
