The San Jose Earthquakes had a fantastic weekend, beginning with the team’s first road win of the season and capped off by a list of results that went their way around the league. After earning the club’s first-ever win in Vancouver, a 2-1 final on Friday night, San Jose leapfrogged their opponents in the standings and then watched as favorable results trickled out from the rest of the Western Conference.
San Jose Earthquakes 2 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1
This win came at a crucial time for the Quakes, who entered the game on the heels of three consecutive draws. The win gives SJ a much-needed road win and allowed the club to move up to seventh in the standings, dropping Vancouver to eighth.
FC Dallas 2 – Sporting Kansas City 2
FC Dallas, the league’s top team, helped keep Sporting KC from earning all three points on Saturday with a 2-2 draw. Sporting currently has four more points than San Jose (35 to 31), while having played three more games (26 to 23). Anytime the men in light blue drop points, it is an opportunity for the Quakes to make up ground.
DC United 2 – Portland Timbers 0
The best result over the weekend for San Jose (other than their own win) saw the team directly above the club in the standings, Portland, fall to an Eastern Conference opponent. The loss allowed the Earthquakes to shrink the gap between them to just one point.
LA Galaxy 1 – Colorado Rapids 1
Two teams that sit above the Quakes each dropped points with a draw. Hard to ask for much more than that.
Seattle Sounders FC 2 – Real Salt Lake 1
This one is a bit of a mixed bag for San Jose. While it’s certainly a positive result that RSL failed to pick up any points, and now sit just six points higher with two more games played, the win for Seattle also puts them in position to breathe down the Quakes’ neck.
Houston Dynamo 1 – Toronto FC 1
While it would have been nice to see Toronto continue their hot streak and dispatch the Western Conference side, a draw isn’t a bad result at all. Houston is still 10 points behind San Jose and have a long way to go to re-enter the playoff race.
Western Conference Standings
1. FC Dallas (45 pts; 13-6-6; 25 GP)
2. Colorado Rapids (42 pts; 11-3-9; 23 GP)
3. LA Galaxy (38 pts; 9-3-11; 23 GP)
4. Real Salt Lake (37 pts; 10-8-7; 25 GP)
5. Sporting Kansas City (35 pts; 10-11-5; 26 GP)
6. Portland Timbers (32 pts; 8-9-8; 25 GP)
7. San Jose Earthquakes (31 pts; 7-6-10; 23 GP)
8. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (30 pts; 8-11-6; 25 GP)
9. Seattle Sounders FC (27 pts; 8-12-3; 23 GP)
10. Houston Dynamo (21 pts; 4-10-9; 23 GP)
