3 Keys to Victory For the San Jose Earthquakes Against Houston

The San Jose Earthquakes are set to take on the team with the worst record in the Western Conference in the Houston Dynamo.

San Jose is on the road again heading to Houston to face the last place Dynamo. San Jose hasn’t lost in their last two matches as they were coming off of a seven game winless streak. The last time San Jose faced off with Houston they defeated them by a score of 3-1.

Given San Jose’s road struggles this season I don’t see them playing like that again but this is a good opportunity to pick up 3 points against an inferior opponent. Below I highlight 3 keys for San Jose that could help them achieve victory.

1. Have the outside defenders get more involved in the attack

It was announced Saturday that Houston forward Giles Barnes would be joining the Vancouver Whitecaps and striker Erick “Cubo” Torres is out getting ready for the Olympics with Mexico’s U-23 squad so Houston will be low on striker depth. San Jose needs to use that as an opportunity to get players like Cordell Cato up forward down the wing to put more pressure on the Houston back-line.

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Houston struggles to score goals as it is but with these two strikers missing this is the perfect opportunity for San Jose to stay on the attack for the entire match. With Cato’s dribbling ability and speed I see this as a good opportunity for him to have a good game.

2. Cut off the wings and have Houston play through the middle

Houston likes to play with two outside wingers and move down the side so San Jose needs to control the midfield and make sure the game flows through the middle. San Jose plays better when the opposing team is forced to come down the middle in the final third. Cordell Cato, Shaun Francis, and Jordan Stewart’s defensive skills on the outside is pretty average so San Jose feels more comfortable with Victor Bernardez and Marvell Wynne holding it down in the center.

With Fatai Alashe and Anibal Godoy playing well the last few matches this is something that San Jose can accomplish. Alashe does well in his defensive midfield role to suffocate the opposing players and make them uncomfortable in their role so that could force Houston to move away from their game-plan and play in an unorthodox style.

3. Don’t play down to the opponent’s ability

It’s no secret that Houston is one of the worst teams in the MLS this season. They are tied for second with Colombus for least amount of points attained this season. With them sending Giles Barnes to Vancouver that shows that they have no hopes to achieve anything for the rest of this MLS season. San Jose is a team that shouldn’t have a problem with Houston.

They showed it in their 3-1 win in the last match up but with San Jose being a terrible road team it could make it to where they fall into their bad habit of struggling. San Jose needs to put the pressure on early so they don’t fall into their bad habit. Chris Wondolowski and Quincy Amarikwa need to be on the same page and find open spaces in the final third so they could break this game open early on.

This match against Houston will tell us what we need to know about the Earthquakes. San Jose is currently fighting for the sixth spot in the Western Conference and they can’t afford to drop points against inferior teams. Tomorrow we will learn if San Jose can handle their business and be serious about making the MLS playoffs.