Real Salt Lake continues playoff push vs. Earthquakes (Jul 26, 2018)
Real Salt Lake needs a win to stay above the playoff cutline.
The San Jose Earthquakes would take anything positive at this point in a doomed season.
The two teams meet Saturday night at Avaya Stadium in San Jose.
Real Salt Lake (9-9-3), sixth in the Western Conference, has lost just once in its past four games but the team is just 1-8-1 away from home. With Minnesota United, Houston and Vancouver chasing them for the Western Conference's final playoff spot, Salt Lake needs a second road win.
In its most recent match, RSL jumped in front of Colorado 2-0 17 minutes in but, after a 45-minute weather delay, the Rapids scored twice to force a 2-2 draw. Colorado's equalizer came on a Dillon Serna penalty kick two minutes shy of full time.
"We opened up the game, dominated, break comes and the only thing they changed was a bit more bite," Real Salt Lake coach Mike Petke said, according to the MLS website. "They were a bit more aggressive and we didn't handle it well. When I say 'we', I mean the coaches, the players, and me sitting up top. We are all in this together. Two points slipped away and now we are obviously going to refocus and get ready for San Jose."
The Earthquakes' lost season continued with a 1-0 loss at home to Seattle on Wednesday. San Jose (2-12-6) is winless in 11 straight games and has lost three in a row.
Newly signed Raul Ruidiaz scored the game's lone goal in the 62nd minute.
"It was really a slow game in general, a few chances for both teams actually, it was more of a 0-0 game from my perspective," Mikael Stahre said after his team was shut out for the second straight game. "I think we came out quite well in the first part of the game with more intensity and quality than Seattle. Then we lost a bit of momentum in the last part of the first half.
"We talked in the dressing room to speed up the game a little bit more, more intensity in everything actually. We conceded a goal from out of the blue."
The Quakes are now looking toward 2019, and the players know it.
"Right now, we're starting to play for jobs," captain Chris Wondolowski told the (San Jose) Mercury News. "To be honest, we have two wins right now. We'll be lucky if any of us are around next year."
