Lineups:

Paul Marie and Tommy Thompson are the fullbacks for this one, and otherwise it’s the same group.

Sporting are playing some key guys, missing some others, so we’ll see how this goes.

The San Jose Earthquakes will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, when they host Sporting Kansas City at PayPal Park.

It’s the teams’ first meeting since their first-round clash in last year’s playoffs, in which the Earthquakes took Sporting to the brink but crashed out after a penalty shootout. The stakes aren’t nearly as high for this game, but coming off two straight losses, San Jose need to stop the bleeding and will aim to get a result against a tricky opponent.

Sporting have mostly alternated wins and losses so far this season, which could be a good omen considering their last match was a 3-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps at home last weekend. Alan Pulido had two goals and Daniel Salloi has come back to life this season after a couple in the wilderness, adding a goal in the victory.

Marcos Lopez (foot) is listed as out for this game for San Jose, so expect Paul Marie to start at left back again. Carlos Fierro (thigh) is listed as questionable, so he may not go in this game. For Sporting, they have no players listed out, but Andreu Fontas (adductor), Nicolas Isimat-Mirin (hamstring), Graham Zusi (quad) and Johnny Russell (groin) are all listed as questionable.

This is definitely going to be a game of execution. Sporting have had some terrific moments, some wobbles, and if the Quakes play a good game, they’ll have an excellent chance of getting a result. If either team has an off day, however, then the other team could romp. We’ll see who comes out on top for this one.

Odds:

Our partners at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Friday evening have San Jose at (+148), Kansas City at (+163) and a draw at (+260). So this one’s a push, basically, which I think is pretty fair on balance.

How to Watch:

Saturday’s match between the Quakes and Sporting will be televised locally on NBC Sports California and in the rest of the United States on ESPN+. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 7:00 pm PT with kickoff to follow at 7:08.

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

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