After a disappointing start to the longest road swing in club history, FC Dallas will look to right the ship on Sunday on the west coast as they face the San Jose Earthquakes for the first time in the new Avaya Stadium. San Jose comes into Sunday’s match with a 5-5-3 record, sitting seventh in the Western Conference with 18 points. FC Dallas brings a 6-4-3 record, good for 21 points and sitting third in the conference.
Bounce-Back Match
The Earthquakes return home after a 3-1 loss in Toronto on Saturday – breaking a five-game unbeaten streak for the club. Chris Wondolowski scored the Quakes’ lone goal in the 26th minute from the penalty spot, bringing his total for the season to eight – the second-highest total in the league. FC Dallas is coming off of a 4-0 loss to Sporting KC last Friday, and after a week of intense training, look to get back into the win column in the third of five straight on the road.
Key Player for San Jose
Chris Wondolowski – The newest member of the MLS 100 Goal club has been the dominating force offensively for San Jose this season – scoring eight of the team’s 14 goals on the season. Wondo has scored in five of the last six games for the Quakes – leading the team to a 2-1-3 record in that stretch. He is also one of the five nominees for MLS Player of the Month for the month of May.
TICKETS - FC DALLAS vs HOUSTON DYNAMO - FRIDAY, JUNE 26 vs HOUSTON 8 PM
Key Matchups
Victor Ulloa vs. Chris Wondolowski – The minute-man Victor Ulloa will have his hands full on Sunday on the left side of the field for FCD. Wondolowski has played in the right-mid position for San Jose in their last two contests, and Ulloa, who has played in every minute of every match for FC Dallas this season, looks to have drawn the honors in shutting down the prime scoring threat for the Quakes.
Tesho Akindele vs. Marvell Wynne – With forwards Blas Perez and Rolando Escobar both on national team duties this week, Akindele is a prime candidate to slide up top for FC Dallas in San Jose. The Quakes defense has allowed one goal or fewer in nine of their 13 matches this season, and FCD will need to get back to their scoring ways after notching just one goal in their last three matches.
Projected Lineup
Goalkeeper: David Bingham; Defenders: Clarence Goodson, Jordan Stewart, Marvell Wynne, Víctor Bernárdez; Midfielders: Chris Wondolowski, J.J. Koval, Khari Stephenson; Forwards: Adam Jahn, Cordell Cato, Shea Salinas
Keys to three points
FC Dallas will have to put last week’s performance in KC out of their mind and look to rebound in the Bay Area. If FCD can bring back some of the offensive production they saw earlier in the season, as well as shut down the ever-present Chris Wondolowski, the team should be able to bring three points back to Texas.
