San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps MLS Preview and Prediction
Vancouver (13-5-6) comes into this one trailing only San Diego by one point in the Western Conference standings. San Jose (7-10-8) is currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff cut line but remains well within striking distance of a wild-card spot.
This marks the first head-to-head matchup of the season between these two teams. They will face each other again on October 5 in Vancouver for their penultimate game of the regular season.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps Odds and Betting Trends
With Vancouver clearly the superior side in general but San Jose owning home-field advantage, it’s no surprise to see that the three-way money line odds are not overly skewed in either team’s favour. The Earthquakes are priced at +125, the Whitecaps are +170 underdogs and a draw checks in at +280 on the MLS odds. The game total is 3.5, with the under juiced at -140 compared to a -102 price on the over.
Four of San Jose’s last five contests have produced four goals or more, including two with five. On the other hand, six consecutive Vancouver fixtures have finished with three goals or fewer – including a 1-0 win over LAFC and a 1-1 draw with San Diego.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver’s worst stretch of the season came in early July, when it dropped back-to-back 3-0 decisions on the road against the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids. Well, it’s safe to say that the Whitecaps are back on track. Their three most recent outings have resulted in a 3-0 victory at Houston, a 1-1 road draw against San Diego and a 3-0 home beatdown of Sporting Kansas City.
What bodes well for the ‘Caps in this matchup is that they are solid on the road. Yes, like basically every MLS squad, they are superior at home – but a 6-3-4 record away from Vancouver is impressive. In its last five road trips, Vancouver has compiled two victories and a draw.
The visitors have recently been without injured players Ranko Veselinovic, Ryan Gauld and Ali Ahmed. A ruptured Achilles’ tendon has sidelined Sam Adekube for the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose needs a win in the worst way, not only for the sake of playoff positioning but also simply to gain some confidence. In their last seven games across all competitions (six in MLS, one in the U.S. Open Cup), the Earthquakes do not have a single win. They at least managed to tie four of the first five contests during this stretch but have since lost consecutive meetings with Seattle (3-2) and Real Salt Lake (2-1).
On the bright side for San Jose, both of those recent setbacks were on the road. This club has not lost at PayPal Park since…wait for it…April 19 against Kansas City.
In its most recent 2-1 loss at Real Salt Lake on July 26, the ‘Quakes were without Amahl Pellegrino, Benji Kikanovic, Daniel Munie, Victor Costa and Noel Buck due to injuries. Their statuses for Saturday are unclear, but the home team will definitely be without Reid Roberts because of a red-card suspension.
MLS Prediction: Who Will Win San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps?
This is a tale of two teams going in different directions. While San Jose slumps down the standings, the rich get richer. Already armed with a stacked roster, Vancouver confirmed the signing of German legend Thomas Muller earlier this week. The vibes are high in this club right now and championship aspirations are very real.
Even on the road, the superior outfit should be the one that is able to dictate the game and play to its own pace. That team, of course, is Vancouver. Expect a relatively low-scoring affair – at least by San Jose’s high-octane standards – in which the ‘Caps come away with a 2-1 victory.
