The MLS season reaches the sixth round of matches at the weekend as San Jose Earthquakes welcome Houston Dynamo to PayPal Park in the early hours of Sunday morning.
These two teams are next to each other in the Western Conference table as the hosts come into the match in seventh and their visitors are just a point behind them in eighth.
Match preview
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San Jose's season began in disappointing fashion as they were beaten 2-1 away at Atlanta United, but they managed to recover from that loss and record back-to-back victories over Vancouver Whitecaps and Colorado Rapids, with the first of those wins coming via a second-half turnaround after they had fallen a goal down.
However, The Earthquakes come into Sunday's match off the back of two matches without a win as a 3-0 reverse against the league leaders St Louis City was followed up by a 0-0 draw with Toronto on March 26.
That stalemate last time out means that the California outfit remain unbeaten at home in 2023, a run which stretches back to last season and means that they have only lost three of the last 20 clashes at PayPal Park.
If San Jose extend that sequence with a victory over the Dynamo then they may be catapulted into the top four by the end of the weekend, which would represent an excellent start to the campaign following their 14th-placed finish last term.
Luchi Gonzalez's side have already limited three opponents to under 1.0 xG so far in 2023 which is marked improvement on the 2022 campaign as they only managed the feat twice in the whole term, a defensive upturn which is symbolised in the form of Rodrigues with the Brazilian defender earning the man of the match award for his performance in that win over the Whitecaps.
Another standout performer for the Earthquakes has been right winger Cristian Espinoza as the Argentine has one goal and two assists to his name in the opening five matches, including a 78th-minute winner against Colorado and the assist for Carlos Akapo's winning strike against Vancouver. The 27-year-old has not yet scored against Houston Dynamo in his career, so he will be hoping to do so on Sunday and continue his fine season in the process.
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Ben Olsen's Houston kicked off their season with back-to-back away defeats to Cincinnati and New England Revolution with the latter being a comprehensive 3-0 loss in which they were outplayed by the Boston side.
Last time out the Texas outfit built on a 2-0 home success over neighbours Austin with another win over New York City which came via a penalty in the 55th minute, converted by Amine Bassi for his second consecutive spot-kick goal after he also netted in the previous match.
Those two victories were the first time that Houston have recorded consecutive wins without conceding in a league season since 2014 and this defensive solidity should be sustainable moving forward, although it will be put to the test against San Jose.
Bassi and midfielder Hector Herrera have been the shining lights of the Orange Crush's campaign with the Mexican bagging two man of the match awards to go with his goal and assist in the four fixtures so far, and the pair will hope to impress again against the Earthquakes as Houston look for the victory that will take them above their hosts and possibly into fourth by the end of play on Sunday.
The visitors will be encouraged by their excellent record against San Jose, as they have won 12 of the 20 meetings between the sides including three of the last five encounters.
Indeed, the Dynamo are looking for their third consecutive triumph over Luchi Gonzalez's side having done the double over them last season and they also have the chance to win back-to-back games in San Jose for the first time in their history.
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Team News
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San Jose will be without January signing Carlos Gruezo as the Ecuadorian has a muscle injury so Michael Baldisimo will protect the defence alongside club captain Jackson Yueill in a 4-2-2-2 system.
The California side are also missing Nathan against Houston as the Brazilian defender has a cruciate ligament injury so Jonathan Mensah will partner Rodrigues at the heart of the defence.
Niko Tsakiris is still sidelined for the Earthquakes with a torn abductor muscle although he was unlikely to have been selected in the 11 on Sunday anyway.
Left-back Brad Smith will be missing for the visitors as he has also ruptured his cruciate ligament so Tate Schmitt will fill in for him in the starting lineup.
Bassi is likely to once again start upfront in this match after bagging the winner against New York so Sebastian Ferreira will have to make do with a place on the bench.
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Marcinkowski; Akapo, Rodrigues, Mensah, Marie; Yueill, Baldisimo; Espinoza, Kikanovic; Cowell, Ebobisse
Houston Dynamo possible starting lineup:
Clark; Steres, Hadebe, Bartlow, Schmitt; Artur, Herrera, Raines; Quinones, Bassi, Baird
We say: San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 Houston Dynamo
The hosts should come into this match full of confidence and are on the hunt for a third successive win. Espinoza is a real talisman for San Jose this season and he may well be a driving force in a rare win for the Earthquakes over Houston.
How to watch
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