MATCH PREVIEW: Quakes face Minnesota United in Decision Day road clash for top-four spot

The San Jose Earthquakes will travel to the North Star State on Saturday for their final regular-season match of the year, a Decision Day clash against Minnesota United FC as the Black and Blue continue to fight for position in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs. 

Kickoff from Allianz Field is set for 4 p.m. PT and the match will be broadcast globally via Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish). 

The top-four finishers in each conference will enjoy home-field advantage in the Round One Best-of-3 Series and will host both Game One and Game Three (if necessary). San Jose is currently third in the West (52 points, 14-9-10) and would clinch a top-four spot Saturday with a win, draw or loss by seven goals or fewer. 

The Quakes most recently snatched all three points in the Monster Match on Halloween against Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park with a 2-1 victory. Ousseni Bouda opened the scoring two minutes in with a free kick from a narrow angle that found its way through everyone and snuck past RSL goalkeeper Rafael Cabral. Benji Kikanović doubled the lead in minute 17 on a perfect ball across from Jamar Ricketts. Defender Juan Manuel Sanabria pulled one back for the Claret-and-Cobalt six minutes later, but it wasn’t enough to spark a rally for the visitors.  

With the regular season coming to a close, the Quakes have now reached 52 points, their highest point total since 2012, which was a Supporters’ Shield winning season for the Black and Blue. Now they head to Saint Paul with a chance to lock up a top-four spot. 

Minnesota United enter Saturday with their playoff hopes still alive after winning three of their last four matches and going unbeaten in the month of October. They need three points and several results around the league to go their way in order to make it to the postseason, but stranger things have happened and they will be coming out hungry for goals in this duel. 

Loons Head Coach Cameron Knowles has a pair of attacking threats at his disposal in top-10 striker Kelvin Yeboah (18g/5a) in the MLS Golden Boot race, and midfielder Joaquín Pereyra (5g/14a) is also among the assist leaders. While in San Jose, Daniel Munie and Reid Roberts have combined to score nine goals—the highest among a center-back duo in MLS—the Loons’ Anthony Markanich is the highest-scoring defender in 2026 with nine goals alone in league play. 

This is the third time in all competitions that these clubs will face off in 2026, with San Jose winning 4-2 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 at PayPal Park on April 28. Beau Leroux netted twice in this match while Niko Tsakiris also scored for the Quakes. Minnesota won the first league matchup between these teams this season 5-1 at PayPal Park on Aug. 22. Who will take the rubber match? 

The Quakes will enter a chilly atmosphere to face a team that needs a win and some help to get into the postseason. Can the Black and Blue weather the storm and get the result they need to hold onto their home-field advantage? 

Tickets for all possible Earthquakes Round One home games are on sale now HERE. The best way to guarantee access and preferred pricing for the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs is by purchasing 2027-28 Season Tickets.