San Jose Earthquakes desperately need points on Thursday, Oct 15 at 3:30 AM in the MLS. With the team sitting in the bottom three, this is quickly becoming a must-win situation.

Real Salt Lake come into this fixture in good form (3W 1D 1L recently). San Jose Earthquakes travel out of form (1W 2L recently), which may hand the initiative to the hosts.

Head-to-head records offer little separation — Real Salt Lake and San Jose Earthquakes have split their 10 meetings almost evenly (5W–1D–4W). Their last encounter ended in Real Salt Lake won 2–1. These two tend to produce goals — averaging 2.6 per game in recent meetings.

Verdict: The gulf in league position makes Real Salt Lake clear favorites, but San Jose Earthquakes have shown they can grind out results. Expect Real Salt Lake to take the points, potentially without being at their best.