NBCSN is set to show a battle of two Western Conference teams, the San Jose Earthquakes and Portland Timbers, at 11 p.m. ET or 8:00 p.m. PT. A live stream of the contest will be available on NBC Sports Live Extra.
Despite the fact that San Jose boasts the third-lowest point total in the league, a victory could theoretically keep their playoff aspirations alive. Given their recent run of form, having their winless stretch strung out to 10 games after drawing the Colorado Rapids last week, the Earthquakes aren’t in the best position to confidently glide to victory.
Desperation mode, at this point, seems like San Jose’s only option, while the Portland Timbers, ending their four match undefeated run with a loss to Toronto FC last week, could certainly falter at Buck Shaw Stadium.
[WATCH LIVE: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Portland Timbers]
In early September, the Quakes traveled north to Providence Park and their encounter with the Timbers turned out a high-scoring draw. Chris Wondolowski unsurprisingly notched two of his team’s three goals, as the sides ended the match in a 3-3 draw.
The Timbers stand at sixth place (39 pts.) in the Western Conference right now, only one point behind the Vancouver Whitecaps in the fifth spot. The next closest contender for the final playoff position is the Colorado Rapids stationed in seventh place, but they are seven points back from Portland.
Will the Earthquakes curb the Timbers, as Caleb Porter’s squad strives to latch onto a postseason slot?
LINEUPS
San Jose: Jon Busch; Pablo Pintos, Victor Bernardez, Jason Hernandez, Jordan Stewart; Cordell Cato, Sam Cronin, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Shea Salinas; Matias Perez Garcia, Chris Wondolowski
Bench -- Bryan Meredith; Ty Harden; Yannick Djalo, Khari Stephenson, J.J. Koval, Tommy Thompson
Portland: Donovan Ricketts; Alvas Powell, Pa Modou Kah, Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafana; Ben Zemanski, Diego Chara, Rodney Wallace; Gaston Fernandez, Fanendo Adi, Darlington Nagbe
Bench -- Jake Gleeson; Norberto Paparatto; Michael Harrington, Jack Jewsbury, Kalif Alhassan, Michael Nanchoff, Maximiliano Urruti