The Vancouver Whitecaps wrap up a two-match homestand on Saturday with a prime opportunity for three points Saturday, as they take on San Jose Earthquakes.

The Quakes have endured a rough season. They are the worst team in the league by a comfortable margin and can in fact be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose to the Caps on Saturday (not a good sign when it’s only September).

There have been some silver linings for San Jose as of recently, though even those have had their limits. They surprised many by advancing in Leagues Cup by besting two Liga MX sides, only to get destroyed by LAFC 5-0. They followed that up by beating Real Salt Lake on the road, only to lose to Minnesota United at home the following week.

While there is no scenario in which the Quakes are a playoff team, there is some evidence that they have been unlucky this year. They have the leakiest defense in MLS, conceding an eye popping 63 goals but only have 46.6 expected goals against. Goalkeeping has been a consistent problem for San Jose all year, though Daniel (who many people thought would be a goalkeeper of the year contender) has been in much better form as of late.

The return fixture between Vancouver and San Jose demonstrated this perfectly. San Jose put in a middling performance but were undone by two excellent finishes from Alessandro Schopf and Ali Ahmed that involved some defensive and goalkeeping errors.

Goal output has also been anemic, though the Quakes do have some potentially dangerous pieces. Cristian Espinoza remains one of the most underrated players in MLS and new signing Hernan Lopez has helped the Quakes be a genuinely fun team to watch at times (in part due to their leaky defense, which can lead to goal fests).

But after a strong 2023, Jackson Yueill hasn’t been quite the same player in midfield. And the Quakes are without their top striker, Jeremy Ebobisse, due to injury.

The Caps do have some reasons to worry here. Brian White will miss out on a third straight MLS match due to a concussion. Ryan Gauld should return to the starting XI after being gone for international duty but Andres Cubas is a question mark (he is now listed as out).

The challenge for Vancouver is they will almost certainly be asked to hold onto the overwhelming majority of possession — San Jose have the lowest average possession in the league and will basically dare the Caps to try and break them down.

That hasn’t been a strong suit for the Caps, though it is possible we see Stuart Armstrong for a longer portion of the match, a player who will undoubtedly help with that. White’s injury might also mean a longer cameo for Deiber Caicedo, who will also offer something different as Vancouver try to find a way through here. Gauld, of course, will also be a big boost.

This is one where the Caps will be feeling some pressure. The Quakes aren’t very good but their win over RSL a couple of weeks ago shows they have the capacity to pull off an upset (this is MLS after all). Vancouver shouldn’t be overlooking this one, though the return of players from international duty and the newfound depth should be enough to help them get it over the line.

(Image Credit: Quakes Epicentre)