The San Jose Earthquakes (5-3-5, 18 Points) will be the first to tell you that they are a lot better than just your run-of-the-mill .500 team.
They'll need to prove that though, against a surprising FC Dallas (6-3-4, 21 Points) squad which has its sights set on breaking a bad hex of form.
ODDS ANALYSIS
San Jose has one of the best home field advantages in the MLS, and it will hope to exploit that again in this fixture against FC Dallas. The Earthquakes are very likely to be modest favorites in this match, knowing that they are on the wrong side of the cut line for the playoffs at the moment in the Western Conference.
KEY INJURIES
San Jose's young phenom in the making, Tommy Thompson is out on international duties right now with the United States U-20 team playing in the World Cup in New Zealand, so he won't be available for this match.
Matias Perez Garcia, one of San Jose's designated players, was held out of last week's match with Toronto FC with a groin injury and is questionable for this week.
FC Dallas hasn't had Fabian Castillo or Mauro Diaz for the last week and a half with minor injuries, and both are questionable for this week's match as well.
Zach Loyd will be suspended for this fixture after receiving two cautions against Sporting KC last weekend.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I thought we had good possession. We didn't do a whole lot with it though, and they were catching us on the break." – San Jose manager Dominic Kinnear after a disappointing 3-1 loss to Toronto FC, a fixture in which the Quakes held the ball for 56.7 percent of the match.
RECENT FORM
San Jose had gone five straight matches without a defeat before losing last weekend in the Great White North. The Quakes were 2-3-0 in those clashes, but they probably deserved better in at least two of those three draws.
Dallas is still sitting third best in the West right now, but its last three results have been incredibly drab. FCD has scored just one goal in its last three fixtures, and it has just one point to show for its work in that stretch, getting outscored 6-1 in the proceedings.
TALKING TOTALS
Last week's 3-1 result against Toronto FC was the first San Jose duel to go past the total since March 28, a string of eight straight matches. Still, when you look at the stats which the Quakes have racked up, you have to wonder how they are just so bad for over bettors.
Amazingly, the Dallas defense has been so bad of late that it has played four of its last five fixtures past the total. Last week's four goals allowed to SKC was the worst defensive showing of the season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Dallas is in a world of hurt here in this match. The team just doesn't have enough help at the back to account for Loyd's absence, and last week when midfielders dropped back into defensive positions, disaster after disaster struck.
Chris Wondolowski has been a scoring machine of late for San Jose, as he continues to make his push to be included in the United States' plans internationally in the future, and we don't think this is the end of the line for him on the stat sheet.
Especially if Garcia comes back, this one could again get particularly ugly for Dallas. We're not saying that another 4-0 loss is in the cards, but we suspect this is a multi-goal win for the hosts.
San Jose 3, FC Dallas 1
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