MLS Soccer Pick: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake

By: Mike Richardson

The two teams at the top of the Western Conference clash on Saturday when the San Jose Earthquakes take on Real Salt Lake at the Buck Shaw Stadium. What are the soccer odds makers expecting out of this matchup, and is there any betting value?

Real Salt Lake, broke its four-game winless slide with a 3-0 thumping of the Portland Timbers and will be looking to add victory to victory, and snatch the top spot in the Western Conference when they visit San Jose, while the Quakes will want to stop their mini streak swelling after two winless games.

Three is the magic number

It was quiet the break of a streak on Sunday night when Alvaro Saborio scored a second-half hat-trick to see the RSL snap their four-game winless streak with a one man 3-0 Major League Soccer showpiece against the Portland Timbers at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Two headers in three minutes around the 60 minute mark from the Costa Rican forward put the Salties in control before a red card for Portland’s Diego Chara supplemented the visitors' problems. Chara's goal-line handball kept out a third Saborio header, but the forward did not have to wait long to complete his treble by converting the resulting penalty. Saborio has now scored 26 goals in his career, 14 last season - and he has 10 already this year.

Winless in three or undefeated in three (or both)

The Earthquakes are in danger of making it a three game winless streak after a goalless draw with FC Dallas, and a 2-1 loss against the Portland Timbers (after winning their previous three games). It’s a right royal reverse for Real Salt Lake who suffered three straight defeats (against Columbus Crew, San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy) before a 0-0 draw against the Sounders, but bounced back with a vengeance beating Portland in their last game.

Eye to eye

The most interesting stats in this match up are the head to head meetings – however that’s hardly a decisive set of results. The games are all even Stevens with 2 Real wins, two San Jose wins and one draw.  San Jose won the last two encounters (one home and one away) outscoring Real 5-2. Before you throw the kids’ college fund on a SJ win you should know that the two games before that (home and away) Real cleaned up against the Quakes (and outscored them, 5-0).

BUT before you take the wife’s shoe fund and add a Real win to your soccer picks, you should know that the game before that was a goalless draw.

The tale of the table

It’s a table topper match up on Saturday  as when San Jose host Real Salt Lake  as the Quakes are on pole in the Western Conference by just a single point, as they have collected 37 points  after 19 games while the Salties (I will continue with that nickname ‘til it sticks) are on 36 after 20. Even if San Jose lose they will have that “all important” game in hand, in hand to take back the top spot, but points won are very different to points available.

NB: The teams behind real Salt Lake in the bronze position are the Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps, but they are both six points adrift of the Salties.

San Jose are 5-2-1 at home this season, while RSL are 4-2-3 away, yet another stat that fails to give us a decisive winner. In cases like this I tend to toss a coin to pick my winner.

One coin toss later

Would you believe it? The coin spun in the air and landed on its edge, straight up it refused to go heads or tails, Quakes or Reals and therefore, after checking out the current soccer odds, I’m backing a draw and backing a draw hard.

I’m torn between 1-1 and 0-0 but as Real Salt Lake drew in their game before on the 5th (against Seattle) 0-0 and San Jose managed just a 0-0 against Dallas in their last game, the gods of football will want some goals so I’m backing a goal apiece for these sides and no change at the top of the table.

Prediction:   Honours even as the game ends 1-1