Match Preview - San Jose Earthquakes
Game Info:
Kickoff: 7:39 PM CST
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium – Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record:
Austin FC has an all-time record of 0W-2L-5D against San Jose.
Another opportunity for Verde and Black to secure their first win against an MLS opponent. The last matchup between the San Jose Earthquakes and Austin FC was a 1-1 draw at PayPal Park on decision day 2023. San Jose opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a goal from Cristian Espinoza. Owen Wolff scored the headed equalizer off a Nick Lima cross in the 32nd minute.
San Jose Earthquakes Recent Form:
San Jose finds themselves sitting on three points from six matches to begin the 2024 season. They have one win against the struggling Seattle Sounders, who remain one of two teams without a win on the season, the other being the New England Revolution.
The Quakes have not posted a clean sheet all season and their woes extend to both sides of the ball. This is a team currently embroiled in chaos after two players were sent off in their last matchup against that Orange Team (Houston). Preston Judd was shown a straight red and told to hit the showers in the 34th minute of the game while Jackson Yueill accumulated two separate cautions, culminating with his departure in second half stoppage time. Both players were starters in that game, which means that the Quakes will be without both players this weekend.
This team is dealing with a number of injuries as well, as James Marcinkowski, Jack Skahan, Daniel, and Amahl Pellegrino all have knocks that are keeping them from competition for the foreseeable future. Let’s start with Pellegrino, who has been an all-around disaster since arriving in California. The highly touted signing is a Tanzanian national team member with stops at clubs all around Europe preceding his arrival to MLS. He has dealt with injuries and dismal play, much to the chagrin of Quakes fans. His most recent knock is an abdominal strain that he picked up on March 29th and is expected to hold him out until late April. He has yet to record a goal contribution, and yes, The North End Podcast selected him for their Verde best ball team in our draft that took place before the season – which you can watch here.
With that in mind, it’s important to note that San Jose still has Jeremy Ebobisse with the club, who has been utilized in a bench role of late. He has yet to log a full 90 minutes which puts into question his ability to play at his expected level in this matchup with Austin. Behind Ebobisse in the attack is a long-list of relative no-name players who should easily be handled by the Austin defensive unit.
San Jose has conceded the most goals in MLS so far, which in part is due to an injury to starting goalkeeper Daniel, who should remain out this game while he nurtures a hamstring injury. San Jose has turned to veteran William Yarbrough to defend their net, and the former Rapids keeper has struggled in relief. The 35-year old keeper is a journeyman. Yarbrough is past his prime and has been scored on in every appearance he’s had so far this season. With just 10 saves to his name, Austin should look to put Yarbrough to the verde flame and pepper him with shots.
Head coach Luchi Gonzales is searching for answers to secure the Quakes midfield presence and to establish their defensive unit, but thus far those questions have gone unanswered. Lineup experimentations have gone as well as a middle-school science project.
We’ve highlighted the struggles of this club, so let’s talk about some positives and the biggest threat that this club has in the form of Cristian Espinoza. Espinoza has long been a thorn in the side of the Verde & Black. He’s a playmaker who can create his own shot and gets his teammates involved with timely passes and elite crossing ability. The Argentinian’s presence on the right side of the formation is the catalyst that San Jose utilizes to create goal-scoring chances. He’ll need to be excellent for the Quakes to generate looks in front of Bradley Scott Stuver, as his teammates are not the most skilled unit the world has seen. Furthermore, San Jose has had a challenging schedule so far as they have faced 4 teams that currently find themselves in playoff position in the Western Conference. It is early, but with the injuries, the suspensions, and the lack of identity, San Jose does not have much to build on coming into this matchup with Austin.
Austin’s Recent Form:
Hooooooooo, baby! It feels good to get that first win out of the way. Class performances were turned in by nearly every single member of the lineup with Owen Wolff, Sebastián Driussi, Diego Rubio, Julio Cascante, Alex Ring, Dani Pereira, and Bradley Scott Stuver all playing sizable roles in the victory. Julio found himself on the MLS Team of the Matchday thanks in part to his unorthodox goal and a mostly stout defensive performance. Look for Austin to build on this new found momentum with a damaged San Jose club walking into the Treetops of Q2 come Saturday.
Let’s talk about what went right for Austin in their matchup against despised rival FC Dallas. First and foremost, Dallas was banged up. They were without their best player Jesus Ferreira, along with many other contributors throughout their formation. Facing an injured team is not Austin’s problem, and the Verde and Black capitalized on the depleted lineup as they should. All has not been fixed, as the team left many goals out there on the pitch. Still, the performance was a dominant one. If you’d like to learn more about how good Austin has been at home this season in regard to chances created, shots on target, and much more, then take a look at Episode 130, where ZG breaks down some of the early season splits.
Last Saturday’s performance was the best iteration of what this club wants to look like (so far) in the 2024 season. Possession was crisp, spots were picked with tactical precision, and the lineup was wonderful. With Owen starting at right wing and Dani dropping back further towards the back line, Austin was able to unlock their offensive prowess. Dani is the great connector, he is the key to our possession-based offense from his position. As the great philosopher’s said, “No Dani, no party.” Frustration is understandable when the ball is moving from side-to-side around the back line, but when it hits the feet of Pepe, he has the ability to turn and progress the ball up the field with his speed and dribbling ability. Would it be great to have Dani in more threatening positions? Maybe so, but this team needs him to be the conduit from our back line to our attacking positions, and he did his job masterfully last time out. What a refreshing sight it was to see Owen at right wing. I won’t harp on the well-documented struggles of Emiliano Rigoni again, but the difference in Austin’s play was as clear as the waters of Blue Hole Regional Park in Wimberley. Decisive passes paired with timely runs and the ever-energetic play style that Lobito brings to the table made our offense hum just the way it should. I hope this lineup is not tinkered with too much, outside of potentially not starting Julio due to yellow card accumulation. Maybe that’s too cute. We’ll see!
Accounting for Espinoza will be a tall-task, as he is extremely dynamic. Potentially too dynamic for a Jader Obrian and Hector Jimenez pairing down that left side. Could we see Owen, a much more defensive-minded player than Obi, line up opposite Espinoza? I’m not sure, but his transition defense could be a game-changer if Espinoza is really at the top of his game come Saturday.
It’s a welcome sight to see the players currently on San Jose’s injured and suspended list. Again, this is nothing that Austin can control, they can only control how they respond to a damaged club, and the response needs to be one of dominance. Dominance for this club starts with a healthy Sebastian Driussi, who looked improved last week against Dallas, but still not up to the MVP-caliber play we know him to possess. That is not a shot at El Crack, as he has vanquished the hamstring issue from earlier in the year to find himself logging his first full 90 minutes of play in this young season. On the pod, we talked about how exciting it is to see him work with Diego Rubio. The two were in sync all night like a 90’s boy band and it culminated with an absolutely gorgeous goal in the 70th minute. Diego has great spatial awareness, knows how to time his runs expertly, and is relentless in his attack. Seba is a maestro with anticipatory passes into space and poses a threat to score from anywhere inside the attacking third. When these two are humming, which we fully expect them to be versus this depleted Quakes team, then our offense is, surprisingly, kind of fun to watch!
The win against Dallas is in the past, and it’s time to shift our full attention to the task at hand, which is putting an inferior club to rest early at Q2 stadium. The fans will be at full volume come Saturday (and we sure hope you are too, no matter where you’re watching). To quote Will Ferrell in his appearance in Old School – “we’re going streaking!”
Let’s get this fucking win.
Injury Report:
ATX - Leo Väisänen (OUT - Foot), Žan Komanič (OUT - Hamstring)
SJ - Jackson Yueill (OUT - Red Card Suspension), Preston Judd (OUT - Red Card Suspension), Daniel (OUT - Hamstring), James Marcinkowski (OUT - Knee), Jack Skahan (Questionable - Lower Body), Amahl Pellegrino (Questionable - Lower Body), Vitor Costa (Questionable - Lower Body), Michael Baldisimo (Questionable - Lower Body)
San Jose Players to Watch:
Cristian Espinoza - Coming in with a 7.33 FotMob rating on the season, Espinoza is the engine for San Jose. He has contributed a goal and two assists in this 2024 campaign, which doesn’t effectively encapsulate his talent ceiling. He will be heavily relied upon to ignite the Quakes attack, especially with their dearth of injuries. The Argentinian applies constant pressure on a defense and is fantastic at setting his teammates up. Shut him down and this team does not have much.
Jeremy Ebobisse - With an injured Pellegrino and a suspended Judd, Ebobisse should get the start here. He has yet to log a full 90 minutes in a game, but he has hurt Austin in the past numerous times. The San Jose front line will do their best to work Espinoza and Ebobisse together to help find their groove.
Austin Players to Watch:
Sebastian Driussi - He’s baaaaack. The El Crack Revenge Tour has officially begun – I hope you have your tickets. Watching Seba work versus FC Dallas last week was a welcome sight. He pulls defenses out of formation with precision passing and is constantly a threat to score or find a teammate on an open run. He’s paired with the best striker Austin FC has ever had (it’s early, but we’re buying all the stock!) in Diego Rubio now, and me thinks they’re just getting started. Almost all of the rust has worn off from his slow start due to the hamstring injury, and the last box to check is for 10 to get his first goal of the season. When he’s at his best, this Austin FC team looks its best. His chemistry with Obrian looked much improved last week and if that continues, then Seba has legitimate threats all across that frontline to work with. He will command multiple sets of eyes on him every time he touches the ball and will be hunting the back of the net in this matchup with the Quakes. He’s scoring this week – take it to the bank.
Hector Jimenez/Guilherme Biro - The old man and the Brazilian is not a classic book title, but whoever gets the start should expect a heavy dose of Cristian Espinoza if they line up at left back. Whether it is Hector or Biro (or maybe we see Gallagher shifted left to handle him), it will be a collective effort to try to contain the Quakes Argentinian winger as best they can. While Biro is the more athletic option, I choose Hector as my preferred starter. Hector is more disciplined in his positioning and won’t get too sucked up the field in the attacking third. With their lackluster defense, we don’t necessarily need more attacking from the left side of the lineup as it can be a point of emphasis to attack up the right side of the field and utilize Jonny G with Owen or Finlay.
Austin’s Keys to the Game:
Don’t Play With Your Food - This San Jose team has not had a clean sheet all season, they have two suspended players, they have plenty of injures, and questions all across the lineup. We are better than this team and it should show. I am more than fine to have the ball and control possession, we just need to pair it with choosing our attacking spots properly. In the matchup with FC Dallas we left plenty of food on our plate, as the score could have easily been 4-1 if Austin was a bit more clinical in front of net. Let’s roll into a challenging April schedule with a good, old-fashioned Texas butt whooping.
Feed Seba - As I wait for my UberEats order, it’s pretty clear that my empty stomach is rumbling its way into the last portions of this article. As we transition our possession from the back line to Pepe, we need to find 10 as much as possible. Let him dictate everything we do from his center attacking mid position and unleash Diego and Jader against the Quakes back line. We score an early goal versus this team and they’ll fold.
Predictions:
E - 3-1 Austin FC
ZG - 2-0 Austin FC
