**Earthquakes look to break Houston's stranglehold** — these two drew their last matchup 0-0, and San Jose's desperate for a home win with Houston owning the H2H advantage big time. 🔥

San Jose's been streaky (1W-2D-2L lately), while Houston just bounced back with a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake. The Dynamo's got defensive steel, but **injuries are piling up on both sides** — San Jose especially hurting with Johnson, Jones, Edwards Jr, Tsakiris, and Adimabua all out.

Key storylines:

- **B. Kikanović** leads the San Jose attack at home and needs to break through a Houston backline missing M. Saracchi
- **H. Herrera** has been Houston's focal point; expect the Dynamo to hit on the counter in their usual 4-2-3-1 shape
- San Jose's midfield pairing of **B. Leroux and P. Marie** will need to control possession to limit Houston's transition threat

Expected lineups:

- **San Jose Earthquakes**: A. Gunn, D. Munie, R. Roberts, J. Ricketts, P. Marie, B. Leroux, O. Bouda, B. Kikanović
- **Houston Dynamo**: J. Bond, L. Halter, A. Resch, F. Negri, L. Ennali, Artur, M. Bogusz, H. Herrera

Prediction:

**San Jose 1–1 Houston**. Home turf gives the Earthquakes a slight edge, but Houston's defensive discipline and H2H form suggest another stalemate.