The host San Jose Earthquakes aims to defeat Sporting Kansas City for the second time this season when the team meets Saturday night.
While the earthquakes (3-4-1, 10 points) look to improve a 2-2-1 home record, Sporting Kansas City (1-6-1, 4 points) will offer his first road victory since he published a 2-1 triumph in San Jose on July 13, 2024.
Offseason arrivals Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez made each one during the first half to remove the earthquakes to a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City on March 1. Arango and Martinez share the team with four goals in the season, while Captain Cristian Espinoza has a club-best five assists.
Speaking of Espinoza he did in second half last Saturday. Unfortunately for San Jose, it lost a 2-1 setback to Los Angeles FC and fell to 1-4-1 in the last six matches.
With the earthquakes on the way in the wrong direction, the Ousseni Bouda said that the team is focused on coming back on the track Saturday.
“It’s a must-win game,” Bouda said. “We want to improve our record. I think we are a really good team. We must continue to show it. I think we have done many good things, but we have made some mistakes that have cost us some games. Everyone is focused on getting results, especially at home this Saturday.”
Sporting Kansas City could not maintain momentum on its first victory in the season and released a 4-2 decision to Portland Timbers last weekend. Especially two goals allowed by Kansas City were difficult for interim manager Kerry Zavagnin when they handled what he perceived was a lack of awareness of his accusations.
“The teams that lose that concentration more often and in crucial moments are those who are punished,” Zavagnin said. “The challenge is always to be better, not just physically better from a fitness perspective, but a concentration’s fitness perspective. It is an ongoing work.”
Dejan Joveljic made a penalty kick versus hours to increase his goal in total to a team high five of the season. He also spoke in the previous meeting versus the earthquakes.
-Field level media
