Despite not having the quality of Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, FC Cincinnati are only two points behind the expensively assembled team and have two games in hand.
Will our algorithm predict an FC Cincinnati win this weekend to move ahead of Inter Miami on points?
The last time we faced Cincinnati at @PayPalPark we took all 3 points.All eyes on Saturday 👀.Shots from the Past, courtesy of @Patron. pic.twitter.com/S9pAsAnk4e— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) June 14, 2024
The last time we faced Cincinnati at @PayPalPark we took all 3 points.All eyes on Saturday 👀.Shots from the Past, courtesy of @Patron. pic.twitter.com/S9pAsAnk4e
The Blue and Orange will head to the west coast to face off with MLS’s last-placed team, the San Jose Earthquakes. The Quakes have taken the fewest points in MLS, 11, after 16 matches.
San Jose are on a four-game winless streak in MLS and are fresh off of conceding five goals to the New York Red Bulls in their last match.
Matches between San Jose and Cincinnati have been few and far between in MLS over the years. Indeed, these clubs have played just two times since 2019.
San Jose Earthquakes won the first-ever MLS meeting between the clubs, 1-0, at home. FC Cincinnati returned the favour in 2022, posting a 6-0 home victory over San Jose.
The trend between these clubs has been one of home victories. However, based on the form of both teams, Cincinnati could pick up a first-ever win at San Jose.
The Earthquakes took seven points from the last six matches in MLS. They were outscored 14-10. Five of those 14 goals San Jose conceded were against the New York Red Bulls in their last match. Four of San Jose's last six games had over 2.5 goals scored.
The Quakes are the MLS Western Conference’s worst home team in terms of points. They took just seven points from seven games at home. They failed to win their last two home fixtures.
Cincinnati, on the other hand, picked up 15 points from the last six matches in the league. They tallied 11 goals and conceded seven times.
The Orange and Blue are coming off a 2-0 loss to rival Nashville, which ended a five-game winning streak. Three of Cincy’s last five matches in MLS had over 2.5 goals scored.
Cincinnati are the MLS Eastern Conference’s best road team in 2024. After eight games, Cincy have picked up 19 points away from home. They have outscored opponents 15-10 on their travels.
Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta leads Cincy in goals with seven in MLS. Norwegian forward Amahl Pellegrino is San Jose’s leading goal scorer with five goals this season.
Despite the trend of the home team winning when these clubs meet, our algorithm predicts a win for FC Cincinnati away from home. The score prediction is 2-1 in favour of Cincy.