First Place up for grabs for San Jose
If we learned anything from Wednesday’s match versus the Vancouver Whitecaps, it’s that San Jose is a fun watch. The ups and downs, the drama, the comeback. It had it all, even an equalizing goal from Mextranjero Oswaldo Alanís. From being down 1-3 in the 60th minute to escaping with an improbable 4-3 win, the Earthquakes look to carry that momentum against the Chicago Fire on Sunday.
A draw against Seattle and a win over Vancouver have put San Jose in prime position to advance to out of Group B. However, the result of Sunday’s match against Chicago will determine how the Earthquakes will fair for the rest of the MLS is Back Tournament. Here are the possible scenarios:
A win: With a victory, San Jose would advance out of Group B in first place with seven points. No other team in the group would be able to get more than six points.
A draw: Splitting the points with the Fire would see the Earthquakes advance to the Round of 16 and stay in first place in the group, for now. Chicago’s third and final match Thursday against Vancouver would decide whether San Jose finishes in first or second place in Group B.
A loss: A defeat means Group B is up for grabs. Four points should still see the Quakes advance, but a Seattle victory in their final match could mean the Quakes fall to third in the group. Ultimately, San Jose would need to be one of the best third-place teams in order to advance.
Chicago, who has only played one game in the tournament, are coming off a 2-1 win over Seattle. Remember, the Fire was originally in Group A but were moved to Group B because Dallas FC was ruled out of the tournament.
The Earthquakes have to watch out for Fire’s forward Robert Beric, who has scored in two of their first three games this season. The Slovenian was Chicago’s major signing in this past offseason.
With San Joses on the brink of the Knockout Round, head coach Matías Almeyda could approach Sunday’s match aggressively and push for the Group B title, or be more on the conservative and cautious side as the dramatic win over Vancouver might have taken a toll on the squad. However, knowing Almeyda, he’ll plan for nothing but a victory.
Almeyda has put out the same starting 11 in San Jose’s first two matches, so he could be looking to rotate the team for this game. Chris Wondolowski or Danny Hoesen could replace Andrés Ríos up top. Shea Salinas, after his heroics against Vancouver, or Mextranjero Carlos Fierro could start on the wings.
