Lineups:

The Quakes are basically going with who you figured, with a couple wrinkles. Tommy Thompson gets the start at right back, and Cade Cowell starts, presumably up top.

Houston are going with a very different lineup this season and what appears to be a 3-4-3 lineup, which you don’t see much in MLS.

The 2021 San Jose Earthquakes’ season is finally here, and we’ll find out if it was truly worth the wait, starting with Friday’s season opener against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Stadium.

The Earthquakes have been pretty successful in recent years with their season openers, going 3W-1L-1D in their last five, but they have not been as successful in trips to Houston, only winning once in eight tries, that victory coming way back in 2015.

Houston will be missing Maynor Figueroa (health and safety), Ethan Bartlow (concussion) and Sam Junqua (concussion) in this game, although none of those players may have started this game even if they were available. For San Jose, Andy Rios (lower leg) is listed as questionable, and we’ll have to see if he features or if there are any other changes to the projected XI.

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Saturday evening have San Jose at (+280), Houston at (-114) and a draw at (+270). So they have the Dynamo as significant favorites, probably favoring their being at home, although I’m kind of surprised it’s tilted this far in Houston’s favorite.

How to Watch:

Friday’s match between the Quakes and Sounders will be televised locally on NBC Sports Bay Area Plus or the NBC Sports App and in the rest of the United States on ESPN+. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 5 pm PT with kickoff to follow.

Come chat about the game with us in the comment section below!

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