Match Report
Before the match
San Jose Earthquakes arrived without a win in their last five outings, recording four draws and one defeat, scoring five goals and conceding eight. On 29 October, San Jose Earthquakes recorded a 2-2 draw hosting Colorado Rapids.
The 29 October fixture (Major League Soccer) paired San Jose Earthquakes with Colorado Rapids. San Jose Earthquakes drew 2-2 at home, netting two goals while conceding two. Playing away from home against FC Dallas (Major League Soccer), San Jose Earthquakes finished 0-3 on 25 October. Their score comprised zero goals, against three from the opposition. 18 October: San Jose Earthquakes drew 1-1 against Nashville SC at home in Major League Soccer, scoring one goal and allowing one. Against Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, San Jose Earthquakes scored one and conceded one on 15 October; the away from home result was 1-1. San Jose Earthquakes's away from home game on 11 October (Major League Soccer) ended 1-1 against Colorado Rapids, with one goal for and one against.
Real Salt Lake came into the game with three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five outings, scoring ten goals and conceding five. On 29 October, Real Salt Lake recorded a 2-1 win visiting Austin; their biggest win in that spell was 3-0 at home to St. Louis City on 25 October.
29 October: Real Salt Lake won 2-1 against Austin away from home in Major League Soccer, scoring two goals and allowing one. Against St. Louis City in Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake scored three and conceded zero on 25 October; the at home result was 3-0. Real Salt Lake's away from home game on 18 October (Major League Soccer) ended 3-1 against Sporting Kansas City, with three goals for and one against. On 15 October, San Jose Earthquakes faced Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer: Real Salt Lake drew 1-1 at home, having scored one and conceded one. Major League Soccer, 10 October brought an away meeting with Philadelphia Union; Real Salt Lake lost 1-2, a return of one goal scored and two conceded.
The teams' recorded encounters ended in a 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake on 15 October and a 2-1 home win for Real Salt Lake on 27 July 2025.
After the match
San Jose Earthquakes edged past Real Salt Lake 2-1 on 31 October 2026. Ousseni Bouda opened the scoring inside the first 2 minutes for San Jose Earthquakes to make it 1-0. Benjamin Kikanovic added to the tally in the 17th minute for San Jose Earthquakes, set up by Jamar Ricketts, to make it 2-0. Juan Sanabria pulled one back in the 23rd minute for Real Salt Lake, set up by Sam Junqua, to make it 1-2. Reid Roberts (46'), N.Tsakiris (60'), Philip Quinton (63') and Alexandros Katranis (96') were booked. All the scoring was done by half time. By expected goals the balance of play sat the other way: 1.28 to 1.45. The card tally for San Jose Earthquakes was two yellow cards. San Jose Earthquakes made five changes. The card tally for Real Salt Lake was two yellow cards. Real Salt Lake made five changes.