- Team form: Real Salt Lake have 1 win and 2 losses in their recent home matches in MLS 2026, averaging 1.93 goals per game scored and 1.43 goals per game conceded.
- Away form: San Jose Earthquakes are unbeaten in their recent away games in MLS 2026, with 1 win and 1 draw.
- Head-to-head: The last five head-to-head encounters have all been close with San Jose edging it 3-2 overall.
Real Salt Lake are still on their way
Coach and progress
Real Salt Lake have had more than a year for Pablo Mastroeni to make his mark on the team since he took over as coach in August 2021, but the Claret-and-Cobalt still look like a work in progress.
Standings and recent results
They are the clear underdogs in the MLS 2026 standings in 21st place on 32 points from 27 games, while their visitors on Thursday night are in eighth spot on 45 points from the same number of games.
Mastroeni has attempted to play a game based on a flexible 4-2-3-1 or a back-three system to try to get his side back in the ball quickly, but they haven't been able to sustain any momentum in 2026 with a 3-0 home win over New England following a 0-3 loss to Vancouver and a 0-2 defeat at Seattle.
San Jose can be an issue on their day
Bruce Arena has taken time to make his imprint on San Jose since joining the club in January 2025, but the Quakes have definitely settled into a pragmatic, structure-first identity that can be a problem for opponents on their day.
San Jose have been in better form than Real Salt Lake recently and their position in the standings suggests they should have enough quality to see this one out on the road. The odds on the match outcome look skewed slightly in favour of the hosts at 1.73 with San Jose 4.0 and the draw 4.1, so we are taking the visitors to win.
- Beau Leroux has been the string puller in midfield, getting on the scoresheet with four assists in San Jose's last five games, while Preston Judd has been the main goal threat with 15 in 25 MLS 2026 games.
- He has scored four of the Quakes' 10 goals across their last five, which includes a 1-0 win at Houston, a 2-2 draw with LAFC and a 3-1 win over Portland.
Spoilers’ odds on
This game looks too close to back the away win outright, so we are going to take the draw no bet market in case Real Salt Lake turn up in their best shape of 2026. Over 2.5 goals at 1.48 looks more appealing than the under option here, too, given neither team's game style really suggests a cagey affair and both clubs have some attacking talents that could get a chance to shine if the hosts overcommit in their attempt to drag the visitors out of their shell.
