Vastly improved San Jose set to host Houston

The San Jose Earthquakes can match their point total for the entire 2024 season with a win Saturday night over the visiting Houston Dynamo.

San Jose (5-6-3, 18 points) is eighth in the Western Conference and 4-0-2 in its last six matches, including a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers on Tuesday night in the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup.

It's been quite a turnaround for San Jose under first-year head coach Bruce Arena. The Earthquakes finished a dreadful 6-25-3 (21 points) last season and with a minus-37 goal differential.

San Jose, which is plus-6 in goal differential this season, can equal that point total well before the halfway point of the 2025 season with a win Saturday.

"We've made some mistakes during the regular season, but correctable mistakes by some individuals that we can correct," Arena, a four-time MLS Coach of the Year and former U.S. National Team head coach, said. "We're getting better. I think hopefully, as we get into the second half of the season, we're a better team defensively. If we can continue to be a team that can score some goals, we're going to win some games."

Goalie Earl Edwards Jr. had his second straight shutout against Portland and enters the contest with a 136-minute shutout streak.

Houston (4-6-4, 16 points) is 10th in the Western Conference and comes in off a 3-1 loss at Austin FC on Wednesday in the U.S. Open Cup. However, the Dynamo have won their last two MLS matches by shutouts, including a 2-0 Texas Derby victory at FC Dallas last Saturday as Jonathan Bond made three saves for his sixth clean sheet of the season.

The win at FC Dallas was the team's first on the road (1-2-3) this season.

"Our first three points on the road, and that's going to be important this year to grab a few of those, particularly with our start," Houston coach Ben Olsen said.

The Dynamo began the season 0-4-2 before scoring a 1-0 win over Los Angeles Football Club on April 5.

Houston won both meetings with the Earthquakes last season, including a 1-0 victory at San Jose on July 17.