SAN JOSE, Calif. — In 12 days, the 2019 Major League Soccer regular season will come to a close and the playoffs will begin. Whether the San Jose Earthquakes join the postseason party may come down to how they do in Wednesday’s vital game against the Philadelphia Union.
The Quakes recently completed a a three-game road trip against three playoffs-bound teams with no points to show for their efforts. They are now 0-6-0 away from the Bay Area since the beginning of August. Fortunately, two of their last three games this season, including against the Union, are at home, where San Jose is currently 10-0-2 in its last 12 games.
If the Earthquakes beat Philadelphia on Wednesday and the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, it will set up a showdown with the Portland Timbers on Decision Day which could have playoffs implications for both Western Conference foes. The Quakes and Timbers are currently tied for seventh place in the West with 44 points apiece, but San Jose owns the third tiebreaker, most goals scored. If the season ended today, the Earthquakes would be the last team in.
But the Quakes will need to get past the Union first, and they’ll have to do so without both their leading goal scorer and assist provider. In Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Atlanta United, Chris Wondolowski and Cristian Espinoza both were shown red cards and are suspended for Wednesday’s game. Head coach Matias Almeyda also was ejected from that game, and will be banned from the bench as well.
“I do my job with a lot of passion and love, and I’m very grateful to the owner of this organization who brought us here,” Almeyda said from Mercedes Benz Stadium. “The players are giving everything, but in this manner, it’s difficult to fight.”
Almeyda has been tossed from a game once before this season, receiving an additional two-game ban by MLS for his dissent. This time he only received a fine by the league and will be back on the sideline for Sunday’s home game against the Sounders. Almeyda’s actions in supporting his players against perceived injustices by the officials in Atlanta only served to emboldened the team to support their leader.
“[W]e fought like lions, which is something that makes me really proud,” defender Florian Jungwirth told reporters after the loss. “To lose in a way like the way we did tonight would make me cry. It really hurt.”
Wondolowski, who was shown red while on the bench for complaining about physical roughness on teammate Shea Salinas, will serve the first suspension of his 15-year MLS career on Wednesday. Rather than taking it quietly, he pledged on Twitter to join the San Jose Ultras supporters in the stands to cheer on his teammates against the Union.
The Quakes will likely adjust to the absence of Wondolowski and Espinoza by introducing Danny Hoesen and Andy Rios to the starting XI. Both have been first choices off the bench in recent games, and provide complementary offensive attributes to an attacking corps that includes Magnus Eriksson and Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili.
The Union arrive in the Bay Area following a busy week of its own, and head coach Jim Curtin is expected to employ some squad rotation on Wednesday with an eye towards Sunday’s game at the Columbus Crew. Philadelphia has already qualified for the postseason, and have an outside chance of topping the conference with a end-of-season winning streak. Curtin is aware of the opportunity his team has to edge the shorthanded Quakes and may elect to field a strong lineup.
For San Jose, the pressure is on, and the team is hoping fans rally behind them both Wednesday and Sunday. The Earthquakes 12-game home unbeaten streak provides a good foundation for continued success at Avaya Stadium, but the players know they will benefit even more if there’s a packed house at both games.
“We have three games left, two at home and we need everyone,” Jungwirth said. “We need the whole city to stand behind us.”
The stage is set for the biggest game yet at the five-year-old venue. And with it, the Earthquakes’ 2019 season may very well be on the line.
Match Information:
When: September 25, 8 p.m. PT
Where: Avaya Stadium, San Jose
Broadcast: NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050
Live Stream: ESPN+
Earthquakes injury/suspended report: Chris Wondolowski (red card), Cristian Espinoza (red card)