Toronto FC vs San Jose Earthquakes

Toronto FC and San Jose Earthquakes are set to trade tackles at BMO Field in a handsomely-looking Major League Soccer encounter.

A brace of home defeats to Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders has dented Toronto’s bid to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs following a season-long absence. The Canadian heavyweights head into proceedings trailing seventh-placed New England Revolution by a substantial seven points in the Eastern Conference. It’s been a truly disappointing season for Toronto so far, as evidenced by their underwhelming MLS win ratio of just 28% (5/18). Yet, it’s worth noting that each of those five triumphs have come on home turf. Interestingly, none of Toronto’s ten home MLS fixtures this season have ended level (W5, L5), with 80% of those matches (won/lost) seeing the winner fail to keep a clean sheet.

In the meantime, three second-half goals saw San Jose Earthquakes dispatch Chicago Fire 2-1 at home last time out and arrest an abysmal streak of four winless MLS matches (D2, L2). However, the ‘Quakes’ will have to launch a substantial winning stretch if they are close a whopping eight-point deficit on seventh-placed Seattle Sounders. San Jose’s faint hopes of reaching the Western Conference playoff zone have everything to do with their disastrous away form. Alex Covelo’s men are one of just two sides on the west yet to pick up a single away league triumph this term (D2, L6), failing to score in five of their eight travels to date.