FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes Prediction, Preview, and Odds - 9/11/21
Intro
A pair of teams trying to fight for a playoff spot in the Western Conference will square off on Saturday night when FC Dallas hosts San Jose. The Earthquakes are currently in tenth place in the table, trailing Real Salt Lake by four points for the final playoff position. Dallas is one spot and one point behind San Jose.
San Jose desperately needs a win
San Jose comes into this match needing to find a way to get all three points. The Earthquakes are coming off a 1-0 loss to Colorado in their last match. Late-game substitute Dominique Badji netted the winner for the Rapids with just one minute remaining in regulation. Colorado is in second place in the standings, so it was a good effort from San Jose to keep the match scoreless for as long as it did. The Earthquakes were on fire prior to that outing, having gone unbeaten in their previous 10 matches. They had a chance to pick up a draw in stoppage time, but a header was saved.
San Jose was only able to muster two shots on goal in the loss. It is now in tenth place in the Western Conference, trailing Real Salt Lake by four points for the final playoff position. The Earthquakes scored 10 goals in their first three matches this season, but they have turned into a defensive-minded team since then. They are unbeaten in their six road matches since a 5-0 loss at Orlando City in June. That stretch includes road wins over the LA Galaxy and Seattle Sounders. San Jose has matches against Dallas, Real Salt Lake and LAFC this month, so it has an opportunity to get into the playoff picture.
Dallas is tallying some goals
FC Dallas has been playing high-scoring matches of late. It played to a 2-2 draw against Houston before picking up a 5-3 win over Austin FC to close the month of August. The club was unable to extend its unbeaten streak to three matches, falling in a 3-2 final against Real Salt Lake last Saturday. Dallas took a 1-0 lead less than 20 minutes into the contest, as Franco Jara netted the first goal of the match. Real Salt Lake proceeded to score three unanswered goals before giving up a goal to Jesus Ferreira with 10 minutes remaining. Dallas has now picked up three points in just one of its past five contests.
It also had a four-match unbeaten road streak snapped in the loss. Dallas has dropped to eleventh place in the Western Conference, trailing San Jose by one point. It is five points back of Real Salt Lake for the final playoff position in the conference. Dallas allowed 23 shots on goal in its last three matches, conceding eight goals along the way. It has 11 matches remaining in the regular season and will play three in the next seven days. Dallas needs to pick up three points on Saturday just as much as San Jose needs to.
Pick: (San Jose +285)
This is certainly an overpriced line between two very even teams. Sure, Dallas has a home-field advantage, but it is not deserving of this price tag. San Jose is unbeaten in its last six road matches and it has picked up some impressive wins along the way. The Earthquakes have been playing quality soccer over the last month. While the spread handicap is another nice option, I prefer the outright win price at +285. Dallas is about to embark on a tough stretch and cannot afford to exhaust itself on Saturday.
Total (Over 2.5)
This is a low total considering the recent performances from Dallas. It has allowed 23 shots on goal over its last three matches. San Jose might not be putting up big numbers offensively, but it is certainly capable. The Earthquakes hung several crooked numbers early in the season and will be motivated to do that again on Saturday. Dallas is also capable offensively, having scored at least two goals in each of its last three matches. It found the back of the net five times in a win over Austin FC two weeks ago.