The San Jose Earthquakes are back on the road to face the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night in the first leg of the inaugural DUDE Wipes Derby.
Kickoff from Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, is set for 5:30 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).
The Quakes jumped out to an early lead last Saturday night courtesy of a Timo Werner penalty kick but eventually fell to Minnesota United FC 5–1 at PayPal Park. San Jose remains in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 10-8-3.
Meanwhile, Houston enters the match in second place with a record of 12-7-2 and a much-improved squad from last season. They are coming off a 2-1 loss away from home against CITY SC last Saturday that snapped a five-game winning streak and an eight-game unbeaten run for the Orange Crush in MLS.
San Jose got a much needed boost via trade when they acquired jack-of-all-trades midfielder Eduard Löwen from St. Louis CITY SC. With 47 career goal contributions (20g/27a) in a little over three seasons, he will be massive addition for the Quakes as they look to return to the form they had before the World Cup break.
The Black and Blue are third in the MLS this season in terms of their road record, with an eye-catching 19 points collected from just 10 road games. Only Inter Miami CF and FC Dallas boast better records away from home in 2026. But the Dynamo are one of the West’s strongest home teams with a record of 7-2-1 this year when playing in downtown Houston, which will present a unique test for the Earthquakes.
However, the Quakes have shown they won’t be intimidated in H-Town. Last year, they stormed into Shell Energy Stadium and walked out with a 2-1 road win, with the winning goal coming from Preston Judd, who will be looking to get on track once again Saturday.
Houston's main threat is Designated Player and MLS All-Star Guilherme, who paces his team with 11 goals and seven assists on the season. Former LAFC star Mateusz Bogusz has also been a huge addition to the club with four goals and one assist on the year. Longtime Mexican international Hector Herrera pulls the strings in midfield for Houston and looks as strong as ever.
The road trip to Space City will be a derby of sorts for the Earthquakes, who already have a connection to Houston due to these two teams having history with the original iteration of the MLS Earthquakes becoming MLS expansion side Houston Dynamo following the 2005 season and being relocated. Three years later, the Quakes were born anew in San Jose under the current ownership group.
Both teams also share a Back-of-Jersey Partner in DUDE Wipes, which has led a pair of club legends to coin this matchup the “DUDE Wipes Derby.” San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski and Houston’s Stu Holden engaged in a friendly Twitter banter war leading up to the two-legged series this Saturday in Houston and Sept. 12 at PayPal Park for Ted Lasso Night. As a result, the team that earns the most points between the two matches will now take home the inaugural DUDE Wipes Derby trophy.
With two of the strongest teams in the West facing off, anything can happen. A massive opportunity awaits the Earthquakes on Saturday, and if they can take advantage, they can claw their way back into both the Western Conference and Supporters’ Shield races.
