San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sporting Kansas City | 2017 MLS Match Preview

Arielle Castillo

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sporting Kansas City
2017 MLS Regular Season
Avaya Stadium – San Jose, California
Saturday, June 17 – 9 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE

Two longtime MLS foes will battle it out at Avaya Stadium on Saturday night -- and there's no easy bet on which way the result will go. The San Jose Earthquakes have shown flashes of danger and brilliance this year, but their season has been marred by inconsistency. They've lost their last two MLS outings, but are riding into the weekend on a bit of a high after beating the NASL's San Francisco Deltas 2-0 in Open Cup play on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Sporting Kansas City have proven to be one of the top teams in MLS this year, but are still prone to the occasional head-scratcher. SKC just mopped up Minnesota United for a 4-0 result in US Open Cup play, but they allowed a 1-1 draw at home just before that against Montreal, who have struggled mightily on the road this year.

Add all that up with the traditionally wacky results of a good Saturday night slate of MLS -- when seemingly anything can happen -- and we'll just wish you good luck predicting what will go down in the Bay this weekend.

San Jose Earthquakes

The Quakes have slipped a few times at home as of late, most notably in last month's California Clasico, which saw hated rivals LA Galaxy pull out a 4-2 win at Avaya. Still, the team's spirits survive -- see our behind-the-scenes vlog from that match here -- and if anything, the loss might have given the Quakes a much-needed kick in the pants. They were impressive in their Open Cup outing this week, getting a strong performance from rookie debutant Jackson Yuiell to down the Deltas 2-0.

It's unlikely we'll see much of Yuiell in this important match, but still, seeing the kids thrive -- Cordell Cato provided their other goal -- and resting the big names has to have been good for the squad's soul. Expect standbys like Chris Wondolowski and rising team favorite Jahmir Hyka to be in the XI on Saturday.

Suspended: Marco Urena (Disciplinary Committee), Darwin Ceren (Red card)
Int’l Duty: Kip Colvey (New Zealand)
Injury Report: OUT: F Quincy Amarikwa (knee surgery), D Marvell Wynne (heart abnormality), M Marc Pelosi (left knee injury), D Harold Cummings (leg surgery), D Florian Jungwirth (ankle injury), QUESTIONABLE: D Shaun Francis (hamstring injury), M Fatai Alashe (knee injury),

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-3), right to left: David Bingham – Cordell Cato, Victor Bernardez, Andres Imperiale, Nick Lima – , Fatai Alashe, Anibal Godoy, Jahmir Hyka – Tommy Thompson, Danny Hoesen, Chris Wondolowski

Notes: San Jose and Sporting Kansas City have split their last six meetings with three wins each. Both teams have enjoyed a three-game winning streak in the last six matchups, with Kansas City having won the last three matches.

Sporting Kansas City

Let's be real -- Sporting have been great for basically the entire decade, with their postseason runs usually stymied by some bad luck. So it's no surprise that for the most of 2017 they've generally been on a tear across the West, even if they don't always get as much of the hype as certain coastal teams.

Let's just look at their last match, in US Open Cup play vs. Minnesota United. Yes, they forced the Loons into another dramatic goal-concession-fest, shutting them out 4-0. Naturally, of course, that came courtesy of fan favorite Dom Dwyer. But opponents should worry equally about handy goal-scoring defender Ike Opara, and newer addition Gerso. The latter just notched his first assist on that night to go alongside his seven goals across all competitions with SKC.

Here's the rub: while their home base, Children's Mercy Park, continues to intimidate big-time, they're a little shakier on the road. Kansas City have lost four of their last five away games this season, with one draw. And since the beginning of their 2017 campaign, they've only scored three away goals.

Suspended: None
Int’l Duty: None
Injury Report: QUESTIONABLE - D Erik Palmer-Brown (thigh injury)

Projected Starting Lineup (4-3-3): Tim Melia – Graham Zusi, Ike Opara, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic – Roger Espinoza, Ilie Sanchez, Benny Feilhaber – Gerso Fernandes, Dom Dwyer, Jimmy Medranda

Notes: Ike Opara has been crucial for the Sporting defense this season. In 1333:53 minutes with Opara on the field, Kansas City are conceding 0.5 goals per 90 minutes played. That number skyrockets to 1.8 goals conceded per 90 in 195:39 minutes without him.

All-Time Series

Overall: Sporting Kansas City 23 wins (63 goals), San Jose Earthquakes 24 wins (29 goals), 7 draws
At San Jose: San Jose 16 wins (38 goals), Kansas City 5 wins (21 goals), 6 draws