San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps Prediction, Odds, Picks

• San Jose’s attack will be reinvigorated after bringing in a fresh face into their squad
• On the sideline, manager Matias Almeyda has been making all of the right adjustments for San Jose
• Vancouver are making progress, but still need more time before fully hitting their stride

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San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps Odds

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San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps Predictions and Picks

Both the San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps are charging into Friday with impressive undefeated streaks.

While Vancouver haven’t lost in their last five, San Jose have taken it further with an undefeated run that stretches back to their last seven.

It’s a commendable turnaround from the once struggling sides, but up against one another, it looks as if the home team will have a greater advantage.

The Earthquakes will not only be hosting this Friday’s game, but also have more momentum after claiming a couple of noteworthy victories in recent weeks.

Pick:

San Jose for the win (-130)

How to Watch San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps

It’s almost a bit odd to see how drastic the narratives about the Earthquakes and Whitecaps have changed.

No longer taking part in high-scoring and thrilling affairs, there is now a sense of carefulness to the gameplan for San Jose under manager Matias Almeyda.

And it has undoubtedly benefited them.

After going through mid-May and June with six losses and a draw, July and August followed with two wins, five draws and zero defeats.

The same could somewhat be said of Vancouver.

Once stuck in a five-game losing streak that started in May, the Whitecaps have since rebounded with four draws and a win in recent weeks.

So what’s the true difference between the two?

Although Vancouver can claim that they now have an exciting difference-maker through the addition of Ryan Gauld, it’s the Earthquakes in the end who may have the most important new signing.

San Jose Have Welcomed Jeremy Ebobisse

Last Sunday, San Jose’s Jeremy Ebobisse made his debut for his new club in the 2-1 win over LAFC.

The 24-year-old wasted no time. After hitting the pitch, he instantly gelled with the attack as he did a superb job of collecting the ball and connecting with the frontline.

Blessed with speed, clever positioning and plenty of strength, the young American had no issues with making an instant impact for his side.

And while Whitecaps fans should be thrilled about their own acquisition through Gauld, the Scotsman doesn’t have the upper-hand of Ebobisse’s past experience in MLS.

Almeyda Has Ditched His Brash Approach To Matches

It was fun while it lasted.

Long gone are the days of Almeyda employing a high-flying and near irresponsible way of playing soccer.

Likely swayed but a number of bad performances that could have soon cost him his job, the Argentine coach has now brought in more practicality to his coaching ways.

Players have dropped back, there isn’t as much chasing of the ball, and in return, San Jose have caught teams off-guard with their new caution.

Unlike Vancouver who have snuck by with draws, the Earthquakes have been able to clinch valuable victories against teams like the Seattle Sounders and LAFC.

The updated system is already working for Almeyda, and as for Ebobisse, he has been able to seamlessly plug himself into the system.

As for Vancouver…

Whitecaps Might Need More Time Before They Start Clicking

There is hope for the Whitecaps.

Gauld genuinely looks like the real deal and the exact variable that the team needs in the attack. Recently, Janio Bikel and Javain Brown have been stepping up as game-changers as well.

And yet, question marks remain throughout many other parts of the roster.

In fact, Vancouver could perhaps consider themselves lucky that they were able to earn a 1-1 draw against the LA Galaxy last week after being outplayed by them.

Keep in mind, the Whitecaps are on a four-game undefeated streak, but also only have one win in their last 13 games.

Progress is being made, but fans will need to be patient with this project.