The San Jose Earthquakes will hit the road again this week to face Real Salt Lake for the first time this season, with a potential playoff berth on the line.Â
Kickoff from America First Field in Sandy, Utah. is set for 6:30 p.m. PT and 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). Â
The Quakes are now seven matches unbeaten after a gritty 1-1 road draw against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening in Commerce City. After Preston Judd’s early goal was disallowed due to an offside call, Colorado opened the scoring midway through the first half off a corner kick. The Black and Blue refused to fold in the second half and captured a point courtesy of a Dave Romney goal along with a season-high nine saves from Earl Edwards Jr.Â
With six matches remaining in the regular season, the Quakes are sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference on 46 points, five more than their total in all of 2025. The top four teams in the West are granted home-field advantage in the first round, so every point matters the rest of the way.Â
In addition, San Jose can actually clinch a playoff berth with a win over RSL combined with either a Portland loss, or a San Diego loss or draw Wednesday night. But earning road win No. 8 at America First Field won’t be easy regardless of their foes’ current status in the table.Â
Real Salt Lake enters the match 11th place in the West, four points below the playoff line, with a record of 9-14-5. Led by head coach Pablo Mastroeni—who was given his U.S. Men’s National Team debut as a player in 2001 by current Quakes head coach Bruce Arena—RSL enjoyed a phenomenal start to the season and were in playoff position before the World Cup break. Since returning to play, however, they have only picked up one win.Â
The RSL attack has been inconsistent during this period due to outbound transfers and injuries. In August, they lost young American winger Zavier Gozo to Crystal Palace, and recently, star midfielder Diego Luna underwent successful knee surgery that is expected to keep him out for the remainder of the 2026 season.Â
Despite these setbacks, the Claret-and-Cobalt remain dangerous due to a fantastic first season in MLS from striker Sergi Solans (11g/3a). The rookie Spaniard was selected by RSL in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft and has seized his opportunity this year. The midseason addition of Georgian midfielder Saba Lobjanidze (3g/3a) has also provided a spark in attack.Â
In their most recent match, the Claret-and-Cobalt travelled across the country to face the high-flying Philadelphia Union and fell short 2-1. They will need to turn things around soon to make a playoff run of their own. With urgency setting in for RSL, San Jose cannot afford to come in overconfident.Â
As the Quakes head into another challenging road match, the race for home-field advantage in the postseason is as lively as ever. With another potential road win waiting in the wings and perhaps a playoff-clinching performance, will the Black and Blue keep rolling along?