Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes | 2017 MLS Match Preview

Charles Boehm

Real Salt Lake vs. San Jose Earthquakes
2017 MLS Regular Season
Rio Tinto Stadium - Sandy, Utah
Wednesday, Aug. 23 - 10 pm ET
WATCH: MLS LIVE

San Jose Earthquakes head coach Chris Leitch said it best over the weekend: "It's go time."

Leitch's side sit one point out of the Western Conference playoff places, and if they are to climb into the postseason reckoning, they'll have to conquer their woeful road form to get there. The Quakes are 2-9-1 on their league travels this year and now head into a three-game swing away from Avaya Stadium: Wednesday's visit to Real Salt Lake, a Heineken Rivalry Week clash at their Cali Clasico counterparts the LA Galaxy on Sunday and a daunting date with league leaders Toronto FC on Sept. 9. Visits to D.C. United and Vancouver also lie ahead in the fall.

Meanwhile, RSL sit in eighth place, four points back of San Jose. They, too, must hit the afterburners at once if they have any serious hopes of reaching the MLS Cup Playoffs – though their schedule does give them a chance to do it. Salt Lake play only Western Conference foes from here on out (and five of their eight remaining matches are at home) making for several "six-pointer" situations in which they can simultaneously help themselves while knocking their competitors.

Wednesday's duel is the first.

Real Salt Lake

Suspended: None
International Duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: F Chad Barrett (knee surgery), M Jordan Allen (knee surgery), M Omar Holness (knee surgery), M Ricardo Velazco (ankle surgery); QUESTIONABLE: GK Matt VanOekel (ankle injury), D Demar Phillips (hamstring injury), D Marcelo Silva (hamstring injury)

Projected Starting XI (4-2-3-1, left to right): Nick Rimando – Chris Wingert, Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva, Tony Beltran – Kyle Beckerman, Sunny – Joao Plata, Albert Rusnak, Jefferson Savarino – Luis Silva

Notes: Real Salt Lake and San Jose have drawn six of the 13 regular-season games that they've played at Rio Tinto Stadium (four RSL wins, three Quakes wins) ... RSL have won 33 percent of their home games this year, their lowest seasonal winning percentage going back to the 2010 season ... Nick Rimando’s save percentage of 67.5 percent this year is his lowest since the start of the 2010 MLS season.

San Jose Earthquakes

Suspended: None
International Duty: None
Injury Report: OUT: D Harold Cummings (leg surgery), M Marc Pelosi (left knee injury); QUESTIONABLE: D Nick Lima (thigh injury), D Florian Jungwirth (shoulder injury)

Projected Starting XI (3-5-2, right to left): Andrew Tarbell – Andres Imperiale, Victor Bernardez, Francois Affolter – Nick Lima, Anibal Godoy, Jahmir Hyka, Darwin Ceren, Shea Salinas – Chris Wondolowski, Vako

Notes: San Jose have lost five straight league road games and have been outscored 17-3 along that run. The last time they lost more than five regular-season road games in a row was a seven-game road losing streak from October 5, 2008 to May 28, 2009 ... Chris Wondolowski’s goal against Philadelphia last weekend was his 10th of the season. He now has at least 10 goals in eight consecutive regular seasons, an MLS record.

All-Time Series

The Quakes edged RSL 2-1 in their first meeting of 2017, which took place at Avaya Stadium on June 24.

All time: San Jose 10 wins (37 goals), Real Salt Lake nine wins (39 goals), nine draws
At Salt Lake: RSL 4 wins, 19 goals … Earthquakes 3 wins, 11 goals … Ties 6