FC Dallas begins a short road swing along the West Coast on Friday night with a stop at Avaya Stadium to face the San Jose Earthquakes. Dallas (10-5-4) sits atop the MLS standings after a 4-0 throttling of Orlando City on Monday night and now have not allowed a shot on target in 189 minutes of league play. San Jose (5-5-7) continued their road woes with a 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire a week ago Friday and are winless in their last six games.
NIGHT AND DAY
San Jose is one of five teams, along with Dallas, to not lose a game at home this season. With a 5-0-3 record at Avaya Stadium on the year, the Quakes have a current 13-game unbeaten streak running in their second-year home. Away from the Bay Area has been a much different story – winless on the road with a 0-5-4 record. In two meetings at Avaya, San Jose and Dallas have played to two scoreless draws.
KEY PLAYER FOR SAN JOSE
Chris Wondolowski – After missing almost a month on USMNT duty, the Quakes’ leading scorer returned to the fold in last week’s loss to Chicago. It’s no coincidence that the team didn’t win a game in his absence. After a six-game winless streak, he’ll play a big role in righting the ship.
KEY MATCH-UPS
Maynor Figueroa vs. Alberto Quintero – The Panamanian has come on strong for the Quakes in his first MLS season, starting in 14 of his 15 games. He’s second on the team in scoring with 3 goals and 2 assists – both of which came on Wondo strikes.
Mauro Diaz vs.Anibal Godoy –The Magician is pulling some of his best tricks right now, with four assists and a goal over the last week-plus. Dallas’ offense operates on another level when he’s able to pull the strings in the middle of the pitch. With nine assists on the year now, he’s averaging .489 assists per 90 minutes played in his career – a near franchise-high average (Antonio Martinez – .53 per 90).
PROJECTED LINEUP (4-4-2)
Goalkeeper: David Bingham; Defenders: Shaun Francis, Fatai Alashe, Marvell Wynne, Kofi Sarkodie; Midfielders: Matias Perez Garcia, Simon Dawkins, Anibal Godoy, Alberto Quintero; Forwards: Quincey Amarikwa, Chris Wondolowski.
KEYS TO THREE POINTS
FC Dallas will look to carry their home success on the road on Friday night as they place the Earthquakes for the third and final time in the regular season. If Mauro Diaz can continue his stellar play connecting with Fabian Castillo and Michael Barrios on the wings, while the Dallas back line continues their shutdown performance – having not allowed a goal in 200-plus minutes – FCD should earn their first win at Avaya Stadium.
