Quick-hits preview: Sporting Kansas City at San Jose
SPORTING KANSAS CITY AT SAN JOSE
WHEN/WHERE: 8 p.m. Saturday; at Avaya Stadium, San Jose
TV/RADIO: Fox Sports KC; WHB (810 AM)
ABOUT SPORTING KC (7-4-5, 26 points): Sitting in first place in the Western Conference standings, Sporting KC transitions back to MLS play after a midweek victory against Minnesota United FC in the U.S. Open Cup. The club used a first-string lineup in that Open Cup match, which could influence the lineup Saturday in San Jose. ... Sporting KC is winless over its past four road matches. It has been shutout six times in eight road games.
ABOUT SAN JOSE (5-6-4, 19 points): The Earthquakes have yet to make the playoffs under coach Dom Kinnear, who is in his third season in San Jose. They started 2017 with three straight wins but have only matched that total over the ensuing 13 matches, dropping into a three-way tie for fifth in the West.
BOTTOM LINE: The length of Sporting Kansas City’s stay atop the West will be dependent on the club’s ability to earn results on the road. Sporting KC has back-to-back trips to California with San Jose this weekend and the LA Galaxy on June 24.
PREDICTION: Sporting KC 1, San Jose 1
Sam McDowell: 816-234-4869, @SamMcDowell11
This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Quick-hits preview: Sporting Kansas City at San Jose."