The second-place San Jose Earthquakes are scheduled to play seventh-place FC Dallas in a Major League Soccer Western Conference match at PayPal Park on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 10:30 PM, with both teams aiming to recover from recent 3-2 mid-week defeats.
San Jose enters the fixture tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps for the most points in the Western Conference at 29 points from a 9-2-2 record, while FC Dallas holds 19 points with a 5-4-4 record, according to statistics reported by Field Level Media.
Both clubs suffered narrow defeats on Wednesday, as San Jose saw its eight-game unbeaten streak end against the Seattle Sounders, and FC Dallas dropped a home match against Vancouver, leaving Dallas with three losses in its last five games.
The Earthquakes have dealt with a congested schedule of 12 matches since April 11, losing players Timo Werner and Niko Tsakiris to injuries, while FC Dallas enters the game starting a nine-game road trip with several lineup rotations, including goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois making his first start.
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San Jose forward Preston Judd has scored in five consecutive matches, totaling nine goals this season, while FC Dallas striker Petar Musa has recorded 11 goals, tying Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi for second in MLS, as reported by Field Level Media.
“It was a good goal, obviously coming in the first couple minutes of the game. … Nick played a good 90 minutes,” said Bruce Arena, San Jose coach.
Arena noted the performance of his center forward following the mid-week defeat in Seattle.
“And Preston Judd continues to do his job as a center forward and scored another goal, so that’s a real positive,” said Arena.
The veteran manager also addressed the challenges of the upcoming league hiatus for the international tournament.
“The break is the break,” said Arena.
Arena stated that the timing of the break presents a unique scheduling situation for the domestic league.
“It’ll certainly be different in this league. We’re not used to something like this. Obviously, most leagues in the world are off during this time. The odd part with us is it’s the middle of our season, so that’ll be challenging. But we are prepared to have a good schedule during the break where we can get our guys back into form and hopefully be ready for the second half of the season,” said Arena.
FC Dallas manager Eric Quill faces disciplinary action after being sent off in the 87th minute of Wednesday’s match against Vancouver for stepping onto the playing field.
“This was a missed opportunity,” said Eric Quill, FC Dallas coach.
Quill expressed a need for collective responsibility within the Texas club following their recent home loss.
“We all need to take accountability, myself included, and find ways to improve because we’re capable of being at the top of the standings,” said Quill.
San Jose forward Jamar Ricketts commented on the physical demands of the recent league and U.S. Open Cup schedule.
“There’s a little fatigue,” said Jamar Ricketts, San Jose forward.
Ricketts compared the dense professional schedule to his previous competitive experiences.
“But a lot of these guys have played in college, and college is like this, where you play on the weekend and you play in the midweek. Obviously, you’re not playing against the same caliber of players that you’re playing here. That’s what takes a toll. But we embrace it. Everybody’s focused. There are really no days off,” said Ricketts.
The match will be broadcast globally on Apple TV, with regular league play scheduled to resume on July 22 after the upcoming tournament break.