Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Earthquakesvs.Chicago Fire

sportsmole.co.uk, 6 July 2024, 01:46
San Jose Earthquakes set out in search of their first win since May 12 when they go head to head with Chicago Fire at PayPal Park on Sunday.

Having lost each of the last three meetings between the sides, the Men in Red will head into the game looking to get one over the hosts and pick up just their second away win of the season.

Match preview

San Jose Earthquakes failed to stop the rot as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against fellow strugglers St Louis City when the sides squared off on Thursday.

In a one-sided affair at the CityPark Stadium, Eduard Lowen and Japanese midfielder Hosei Kijima both found the back of the net in the first half to hand the hosts a deserved victory.

San Jose Earthquakes have now lost six games on the bounce and have failed to win any of their last 10 outings across all competitions, claiming one draw and losing nine since scraping a 3-2 by you over Colorado Rapids on May 12.

This poor run of results has seen Ian Russell's men crash out of the US Open Cup as they fell to a shock 4-3 defeat at the hands of USL Championship outfit Sacramento Republic FC in the round of 16 on May 22.

The Quakes have now lost 16 of their 21 MLS matches this season while claiming three wins and two draws to collect 11 points and for rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference standings.

Having conceded a staggering 56 goals already — 10 more than any other side in the MLS — San Jose's defensive vulnerabilities has been a major sticking point, an area needing improvement sooner rather than later if they are to leave the doldrums.

Chicago Fire, on the other hand, turned in a resilient team display as they fought back from two goals behind to secure a thrilling 4-3 victory over Philadelphia Union at the Soldier Field Stadium on Thursday.

After falling behind to Maren Haile-Selassie's 30th-minute opener, Chris Donovan, Daniel Gazdag and Jackson McGlynn all scored to put Philadelphia in a commanding lead but a late flurry of goals turned the game on its head as Hugo Cuypers scored on either side of Gaston Gimenez's strike in the final eight minutes of the game.

Prior to that, Frank Klopas's side saw their four-match unbeaten run come to an end on June 23, when they suffered a 4-2 loss against Orlando City at the Saputo Stadium, one week before they were beaten 2-1 by Seattle Sounders.

With 21 points from 21 matches, Chicago Fire are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference standings but could move level with eighth-placed Toronto FC should they secure all three points on Sunday.

However, the Men in Red will need to go through a San Jose Earthquakes side who have won each of the last three meetings between the teams, scoring eight goals and conceding twice since a 2-1 loss in June 2018.

San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer form:

L

L

L

L

L

L

Chicago Fire Major League Soccer form:

D

W

W

L

L

W

Team News

San Jose Earthquakes will take to the pitch without the trio of Carlos Akapo, Bruno Wilson and Jamar Ricketts, who have been all sidelined through hip injuries.

Thirty-year-old goalkeeper Daniel has been out of action since March through a hamstring problem while fellow goalkeeper James Marcinkowski remains out of contention as he continues his journey to full fitness after suffering an ACL injury.

Meanwhile, Chicago Fire will be without the defensive duo of former Silkeborg man Tobias Salquist and 28-year-old Chase Gasper, who are currently recuperating from leg injuries.

Federico Navarro has been sidelined since May through a muscle injury while Colombian defender Carlos Teran is a major doubt, having missed the game against Philadelphia Union through injury.

Andrew Gutman is ruled out with a leg injury while experienced forward Xherdan Shaqiri is currently on duty with the Switzerland national team at the ongoing European Championship.

With his brace against Philadelphia Union, Cuypers now boasts seven goal involvements in his last seven games for the Men in Red and the Belgian striker will be one to keep an eye on.

San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:

Yarbrough; Munie, Rodrigues, Beason, Costa; Yueill, Skahan, Tsakiris; Espinoza, Judd, Kikanovic

Chicago Fire possible starting lineup:

Brady; Souquet, Omsberg, Czichos; Arigoni, Acosta, Gutierrez, Herbers, Dean; Cuypers, Haile-Selassie

We say: San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 Chicago Fire

Chicago Fire will be licking their lips as they welcome the challenge of a floundering San Jose Earthquakes side who have picked up just one point in their last nine league games. Off the back of a hard-fought win over Philadelphia, we fancy the Men in Red to secure all three points at PayPal Park.

Previews by email

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England moved to the top of their 2024-25 UEFA Nations League group on Thursday evening courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Didier Deschamps was left frustrated on Thursday as his France side failed to capitalise on their dominance against Israel, being held to a 0-0 draw, though they still progressed to the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals after Italy beat Belgium in the other League A Group 2 fixture. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England have risen to the top of Group 2 of League B in the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Greece in Athens on Thursday night. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sandro Tonali's first international goal was enough to send Italy through to the finals of the UEFA Nations League courtesy of a 1-0 win away in Belgium this evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea Women and Manchester City Women will go head-to-head in Saturday's top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola has asked Manchester City to sign two defenders in 2025, according to a report. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Al-Nassr centre-back Aymeric Laporte has said that he is open to making the move to Real Madrid. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has said that his club are not planning to be active during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova can boost their hopes of securing promotion from League D Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League when they face fellow European minnows Andorra at Estadi Nacional on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Montenegro welcome Iceland to Stadion Kraj Bistrice in Niksic for their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women and Tottenham Hotspur Women will be looking to secure derby bragging rights when they face off in Saturday's Women's Super League clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nacho has ruled out the possibility of returning to Real Madrid amid suggestions that Los Blancos were considering making an attempt to re-sign him during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams with contrasting objectives in the National League are set to meet at the Gateshead International Stadium on Saturday, as promotion hopefuls Gateshead host relegation-threatened Aldershot Town. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ruben Amorim will reportedly take Manchester United training for the first time on Monday, with the club confident that his visa will have arrived in time for him to officially get on the grass next week. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni has said that a back issue forced Lisandro Martinez to pull out of the squad for the national team's upcoming 2026 World Cup qualification matches with Paraguay and Peru. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso has reportedly set his sights on an exit from the club next summer, and plans to take key man Alex Grimaldo with him. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United Women will attempt to claim back-to-back victories when they travel to the Broadfield Stadium for Saturday's Women's Super League meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion Women. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea.