In the early hours of Sunday morning, the San Jose Earthquakes will aim to snap Toronto FC’s three-game winning streak when the two sides clash at PayPal Park.
As we head into Week 5 of the 2023 Major League Soccer campaign, the Earthquakes find themselves seventh in the Western Conference, while Toronto sit eighth in the Eastern Conference.
This is the Bay Area.See you Saturday, @TorontoFC.#VamosSJ— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) March 21, 2023
This is the Bay Area.See you Saturday, @TorontoFC.#VamosSJ
With a solitary point between the teams in the overall standings, the showdown at PayPal Park is destined to be a close-fought battle.
The San Jose Earthquakes have made something of an inconsistent start to the season, recording two wins and losses so far.
After suffering a 2-1 defeat to Atlanta United on the opening weekend, the Quakes claimed a 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps before defeating the Colorado Rapids 1-0.
Last time out, however, San Jose suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of St. Louis City, despite racking up 55% possession and 13 shots.
The Earthquakes can take confidence from their recent home record, though, as they have lost just one of their previous seven league matches on home soil.
Meanwhile, Toronto FC have recorded one win, two draws and two losses this season, taking five points from a possible 12.
Following a 3-2 defeat to DC United on the opening weekend, the Reds played out 1-1 draws with Atlanta United and Columbus Crew.
Toronto finally picked up their first win of the season last time out, securing a 2-0 victory over Inter Miami to extend their winning run to three matches.
It is worth noting, however, that TFC have endured a wretched run on their travels in recent times, winning just two of their past 19 away games in MLS.
Head-to-head: Toronto FC have only managed to win one of their previous six Major League Soccer matches against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Given that eight of the past 10 meetings have produced over 2.5 goals, we should see a high-scoring game at PayPal Park this weekend.
Team news: San Jose will be without the injured Brazilian trio of Judson, Nathan and Daniel this weekend, while Niko Tsakiris is also unavailable.
Toronto currently have Shane O’Neill, Adama Diomande and Lorenzo Insigne out injured, while Themi Antonoglou and Ayo Akinola are doubts.
When you couple San Jose’s strong home record with Toronto’s poor away record, all the signs point towards an Earthquakes victory this weekend.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score at PayPal Park. However, San Jose are expected to outscore Toronto.