Real Salt Lake at San Jose Earthquakes
July 28, 2018; Avaya Stadium
8:30 p.m. MT; KMYU, KSL.com, KSL app
RSL (9-9-3, 30 points); COL (2-12-6, 12 points)
Player to Watch – Valeri Qazaishvili – or Vako, for short – is a dynamic dribbler and chance-creator. The 25-year-old Georgia National Team standout has nine goals and six assists in 33 matches since coming to the Earthquakes last summer and looked to be the only offensive threat on Wednesday in a 1-0 loss to Seattle. Last time against RSL, he led both teams with seven shots.
Matchup to Watch – Joao Plata vs. Nick Lima. The RSL winger has three goals and one assist in the last two matches, playing 96 minutes to reach that mark. Will San Jose’s Homegrown standout be up to the challenge of slowing one of the hottest forwards in MLS?
All-Time Record – The teams are deadlocked at 10-10-10 in 30 all-time MLS regular season matches. RSL is 5-7-3 on the road against the Earthquakes, but just 1-3-0 at Avaya Stadium since its opening in 2015. RSL has outscored San Jose 44-38 in the all-time series.
Last 5 Head-to-Head – RSL is 1-2-2 in the last five matches against San Jose, including a 1-1 draw on June 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Last 5 Overall – San Jose is winless in the last 11 matches at 0-7-4. Currently in a three-game losing streak in which the Quakes have nabbed just one goal, the club is 0-3-2 in the last five.
