After a disappointing 1-0 loss at Avaya Stadium thanks to a 44th minute goal by Javier Morales, the San Jose Earthquakes find themselves with an opportunity to rebound as the Vancouver Whitecaps come to town. Earthquakes Head Coach Dominic Kinnear and the Earthquakes will have their work cut out for them this weekend. The Whitecaps will come to San Jose looking to win three consecutive away matches for the first time in history.
However, they will have to do it without midfielder Mauro Rosales, midfielder Andre Lewis, and midfielder Marcos Bustos. They are all still listed on the injury report and neither Bustos nor Rosales practiced this week. On the other side of the ball, the Earthquakes are still without defender Marvell Wynne, defender Shaun Francis, defender Paulo Renato, forward Mark Sherrod and forward Steven Lenhart due to injury as well as Innocent Emeghara due to suspension. The suspension comes after the Major League Soccer Disciplinary Committee found an incident of serious foul play by Emeghara on a Real Salt Lake.
One thing for Earthquakes fans to pay attention to is the fact that the defense in front of goalkeeper David Bingham will be looking similar to the defense that played when San Jose lost 1-0 to Real Salt Lake. Also, if the Whitecaps can win at Avaya Stadium then it will be the first time that the away team has won in the head-to-head series. Currently, the Whitecaps have a 3-0-2 and San Jose has a 0-3-2 record in their last five meetings, which would make a San Jose win the first in the last six meetings.
However, with the injuries that are plaguing the backline of the Earthquakes as of late, it remains to be seen what will actually happen as well as what the lineup will look like. Will the Earthquakes have what it takes to get back to winning? Or will Vancouver exploit a San Jose defense that is being pieced together due to injuries?