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<\/p>\nThe playoff tickets have been punched and now comes the fight for positioning. <\/p>\n
FC Dallas returns home to Toyota Stadium on Saturday night for a big Western Conference showdown against the San Jose Earthquakes. Both teams have already secured their places in the postseason, with Dallas sitting third in the West to San Jose\u2019s fourth place spot. This one is about as close to a six-pointer as you can get this late in the regular season. <\/p>\n
And the Quakes aren\u2019t making life easy for anyone these days. <\/p>\n
After struggling through part of the spring and summer, San Jose enters Saturday\u2019s match riding a nine-game unbeaten streak. However, four out of the last five games have ended in a draw for San Jose, including three straight against Colorado, Real Salt Lake and Nashville SC.<\/p>\n
The two sides met earlier this season in San Jose, with Dallas winning an epic match 3-2, thanks to a last-minute goal from Sam Sarver.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s dive in. <\/p>\n
Tactic Style & Shape: <\/p>\n
Under Bruce Arena, San Jose has developed into a team that\u2019s comfortable playing directly, attacking quickly and putting opponents under pressure without needing to dominate possession. <\/p>\n
The Quakes have recently leaned on a 5-3-2 formation, giving them additional defensive coverage while allowing their outside backs to push forward when possession changes hands. <\/p>\n
Defensively, San Jose can drop into a compact back give, making it difficult for opponent to find space around the penalty area. But once they win possession, they\u2019re capable of moving the ball forward quickly rather than spending extended periods building from the back. <\/p>\n
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San Jose has conceded just five goals over its last five matches, and its ability to stay organized has helped extend the unbeaten streak. But there\u2019s another side to those numbers. Four draws in five matches suggest a team that has become comfortable staying in games without necessarily finding the breakthrough needed to win them. <\/p>\n
Key Player: Preston Judd<\/p>\n
Timo Werner brings the international reputation, but American striker Preston Judd remains San Jose\u2019s most reliable goalscoring threat. <\/p>\n
Judd has enjoyed an excellent season, leading the Quakes with 16 goals and becoming a consistent problem for opposing center backs. <\/p>\n
He brings a physical presence around the penalty area, but he\u2019s considerably more than a traditional target forward. He\u2019s willing to run behind defenders, attack crosses and create opportunities through his movement rather than waiting for the ball to arrive at his feet. <\/p>\n
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Key Matchup: Petar Musa vs. Daniel Munie<\/p>\n
With playoff positioning on the line, this feels like a match where Dallas needs its leading scorer to make the difference. Musa enters the game with 20 goals on the season, continuing to rewrite the FC Dallas record books while remaining among the league\u2019s most dangerous finishers.<\/p>\n
Standing in his way this weekend will be San Jose center back Daniel Munie. <\/p>\n
Munie has become an important part of the Earthquakes\u2019 defensive structure, providing physicality and positioning in he middle of Arena\u2019s back line. <\/p>\n
Availability Report1<\/a>:<\/p>\n Suspended: none Quick Notes:<\/p>\n All-time vs FC Dallas: San Jose owns a 31-23-23 record in all-time regular season meetings with FC Dallas. Their road record in Dallas includes a 13-14-10 record. <\/p>\n Current form: The Quakes have gone unbeaten in their last nine, with four out of the last five ending in a draw. <\/p>\n Where they’re at in the standings: San Jose sits three points back of FC Dallas and one spot below in the standings. <\/p>\n Three keys for FC DallasDon\u2019t let San Jose set the tempo: Four draws in five games tells us something about this San Jose squad. They were banged up back in the spring when these two last met and they\u2019ll be far more organized and tougher to deal with in this one. Dallas cannot allow San Jose to dictate the match on their terms. They need to move the ball quicker, force the Quakes\u2019 midfield to cover ground and make their back line adjust rather than allowing it to remain comfortable for 90 minutes. Make the back five move: San Jose\u2019s defensive shape can be difficult to break down when everyone is positioned correctly. Dallas needs more movement up top out of Musa, Joaquin Valiente, Santiago Moreno and others to create uncertainty across the defensive line. The goal isn\u2019t about getting more players inside the penalty box, it is making San Jose\u2019s defenders decide which players their responsible for more often. Win the six-pointer: Both teams are going to the playoffs and it could be an early preview to a series if things go a certain way. Dallas enters Saturday\u2019s game three points ahead of San Jose. Win and that gap becomes six with three games to go. A loss, and San Jose pulls level. The playoffs are coming, now is the time to make sure Dallas enters it with the strongest position possible.<\/p>\n Want to know how Dallas should line up to exploit exactly what we just broke down? Our weekly \u2018What to Watch For\u2019 will tackle that later this week. Sign up free and we’ll send it to you before kickoff.<\/p>\n
Out: Nonso Adimabua (lower body), Jonathan Gonzalez (lower body), Darius Johnson (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), Niko Tsakiris (upper body), Benji Kikanovic (lower body)
Questionable: none
International duty: none<\/p>\n![\"CTA](\"https:\/\/storage.ghost.io\/c\/9b\/a4\/9ba413bd-9ade-4977-b9cf-1a1e2ef6de5c\/content\/images\/2026\/05\/Big_D_Soccer_minimal-3.svg\")
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