San Jose Earthquakes
- San Jose sit 3rd in MLS 2026, with 32 points from 15 games, compared to Orlando City's 25th place, 14 points from 15.
- Their most recent form is one win, one draw and three defeats in five matches, coming into this matchup off the back of a 2-0 US Open Cup defeat at Colorado.
- The hosts have won four of their seven home games in MLS 2026, drawing once and losing twice, while Orlando have lost six of their seven away fixtures, winning once and drawing once.
Orlando City
- Orlando have lost 6 of their 8 away games in MLS 2026, with 31 goals conceded at an average of 3.88 per game.
- Orlando City have also been up and down, registering two wins, a draw and two defeats in their most recent five outings.
Head-to-Head
The last meeting between these sides was Orlando's 1-0 victory away to San Jose in MLS 2024, and Orlando have the slight edge in the head-to-head record.
Key Players
Orlando's talisman is 11-goal ace Martin Ojeda, who has delivered 4 of Orlando's last 11 goals, and San Jose's own 11-goal leading scorer Preston Judd has scored 4 of the home side's last 8 goals.
Betting Insights
- San Jose Earthquakes and Orlando City meet in MLS 2026 at the mid-way point in the season, and the Quakes are the overwhelming favorites to win this Thursday's matchup at 1.52.
- Orlando City are listed as long shots at 5.61, with the draw priced at 5.14.
- A better alternative is Over 2.5 goals at 1.26, which is a good price given that both sides have been a bit wobbly at the back recently and the visitors are likely to throw everything at this.
- Bruce Arena has been playing San Jose at high tempo since taking the reins in January 2025, with the team pressing relentlessly and looking to play vertical soccer when they win the ball back.
Prediction
We're siding with San Jose to eventually get the edge in this matchup as their relentless man-marking press should unsettle Orlando's build-up, but Orlando's willingness to play through the middle and create overloads will ensure this isn't a walkover.
