Scouting Report: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake

Let’s get to know the opposition.

With RSL coming off of a 3-1 win at home, they face off against San Jose at the RIOT on Friday night. San Jose is coming off of a 4-1 win against DC United, and while they have played one more match than RSL, they have the same 6 points on the season. So, who are they as a team? The answer? Dangerous and hungry.

Cade Cowell is probably the most dangerous playmaker so far this season for San Jose. He has scored twice and has 3 assists. He is fast, works hard and a dynamic passer. He will try to break down the RSL backline. The scary thing is, he is only 17. He was named player of the week last week.

Add to that the stellar play of their midfielder Jackson Yueill, who also was on the MLS team of the week, and RSL will most likely miss Everton Luiz. Oh, and Jackson Yueill is a really really hard worker, he ran for over 7 miles in the last match, after they were already up 3-1 at half, he didn’t really slow down. So, look for him to wear down the RSL defenders.

Another player of note, that we don’t know a lot about is Eric Remedi. He comes from Brazil, missed the preseason, and so far in the matches he has been playing in, he looks incredibly quick. He will go a long way to cutting down on chances for RSL as he tends to move around a lot on the back line.

Chris Wondoloski was out last week with a red card suspension, so look for him to return this week against RSL. So far, San Jose is surprising a lot of people this season, and have been ranked in the top five after 3 matches. Will that keep up as they come visit the RIOT? Right now the team is playing hot and so look for them to come against RSL strong from the start.