The San Jose Earthquakes (5-2-4, 17 Points) have ridden a four-game unbeaten streak back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference. They'll look to stay there and keep their run going on Sunday against another team struggling to stay above the cut line for the postseason, Orlando City (3-3-5, 12 Points).
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Quakes are playing a rare match at Levi's Stadium, which could really boost their home field advantage. The oddsmakers won't know the difference, but bettors should definitely take note.
San Jose will be around a +110 or so favorite as we see it when the MLS odds debut for this fixture, though it should be noted that OCSC has already won one match this season on the West Coast, beating Portland 2-0 last month.
KEY INJURIES
The Earthquakes had four men out of the fold last weekend, and they are very likely to be missing the same four in this one. Mark Sherrod, Steven Lenhart, Shaun Francis and Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi are all battling problems, and they will join long-term absentee Innocent on the sidelines for this fixture.
Orlando City got good news on the injury front last week when Tally Hall was able to make his debut in net for the club. Whether we see Hall or Donovan Ricketts on Sunday remains to be seen, though we have to imagine that Adrian Heath is going to want to stick with the same lineup which beat the Galaxy at home.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"I said when he scored his first goal at Portland, I think this will be the first of many. The way he is playing at the moment, nothing changes that." – Orlando City manager Adrian Heath on Cyle Larin, a rookie who has had a huge impact on the Lions' attack alongside Kaka
RECENT FORM
The Quakes have won two of their last three matches and are unbeaten in their last four. The foes haven't been incredibly tough in that stretch, which could be why San Jose has picked up eight points in those matches, but this theoretically isn't the hardest match either.
Orlando City is starting to learn how to win games, and that could be bad news for the rest of the MLS. The Lions put together the biggest win for an expansion team in MLS history when they beat LA 4-0 last weekend, stopping a four-match run without a win.
TALKING TOTALS
The Earthquakes have gotten a ton of production from Chris Wondolowski, who will go in search of his 100th MLS goal this weekend. Still, they aren't putting games past the total because they aren't getting a lot of help elsewhere from their strikers. Seven straight San Jose matches have failed to reach the total.
Six straight Orlando City matches have reached at least two goals, but only four of those six have gotten that third goal to get over the hump of the total. The Lions have played three straight over matches though, thanks to the fact that they have tallied in each of the three.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Orlando City really has its offense going, and the team is in fine form at the moment after its romp of the defending MLS Cup champs.
We're a little wary about this long road trip for the Lions, but we know that they have the goods to play on the road against some of the top teams in the West.
San Jose isn't one of those elite level teams yet, but it certainly has a man in Wondo who can light up the scoreboard in a hurry for the hosts.
The trip to Levi's will end in a draw for both sides, a suitable result, though not one that either manager will be thrilled with. Expect to see plenty of goals as well.
San Jose 2, Orlando City 2
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Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The fixture between the San Jose Earthquakes and Orlando City will take place at 7:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 24, 2015 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1.
