San Jose Earthquakes vs San Diego FC Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips | MLS 18 Aug 2025
San Jose Earthquakes will host San Diego FC at PayPal Park on Sunday, August 17, 2025, in what MLS and both clubs say is the first competitive encounter of the two sides. San Diego arrive as the leaders of the Western Conference, having enjoyed a breakthrough inaugural season and a string of impressively fine wins on the road, while Bruce Arena's Quakes are scrambling for points and putting in flashes of attacking firepower. The game will start at 4:00 p.m. PT (7:00 p.m. ET) and broadcast on MLS Season Pass, which will be midnight (Aug. 18) in Lagos time. The teams will go at each other with contrasting tactical approaches, unusual substitutions due to situations, and late drama under playoff stakes for both sides.
Claim Welcome BonusSan Jose Earthquakes: form and statistics
San Jose Earthquakes (8-8-10, 32 points) have been unpredictable yet dangerous, allowing 45 goals this season while managing to score 49. Bruce Arena has preferred to operate a 3-4-2-1 with flying wingbacks that, on a counterattack, can nip the formation, so much so that recent analytics have dubbed San Jose a "chaos engine." Cristian Espinoza is the creative heartbeat (double-digits in assists), while Cristian Arango and DP Josef Martínez finish, and Beau Leeroux has done well anchoring midfield. They've gained form, thanks to Preston Judd winning it late in stoppage time on August 10, bringing San Jose an impressive 2-1 home victory over Vancouver, but the defensive lapses continue. Quakes bring that gritty home atmosphere at PayPal Park, combined with resilience late in games, and I imagine Arena will make late substitutions to chase goals. Playing direct from deep and attacking on the break should be the norm.
San Jose Earthquakes Lineup
🔁 Predicted Lineup: Daniel; Daniel Munie; Bruno Wilson; Dave Romney; DeJuan Jones; Mark-Anthony Kaye; Beau Leroux; Vitor Costa; Cristian Espinoza; Cristian Arango; Josef Martínez.
🚑 Injuries/Suspension: Benjamin Kikanović
👨✈️ Head Coach: Bruce Arena
San Diego FC: form and statistics
The story of 2025 thus far is San Diego FC, an expansion club that topping the Western Conference (15-7-4, 49 points) by having an impeccably balanced attack with an equally solid defense. Varas has his side controlling possession through Dreyer, who mixes goal threat with assist creation, while Chucky Lozano brings pace and finishing along the flank; Valakari will often drop back into a pivot or head forward as a false nine. Defensively, San Diego lays great emphasis on being solid, thanks to solid goalkeeping by C.J. dos Santos, which totally cemented the success of a historic away winning streak for San Diego FC, keeping a clean sheet on the road at Sporting KC on August 10. Expect San Diego to press intelligently, punish transition moments, and test San Jose's marking on set pieces. Varas will rotate his squad to stay fresh, and Dreyer's late runs will become lethal against tired San Jose defenders, usually coming just before the full-time whistle.
San Diego FC Lineup
🔁 Predicted Lineup: CJ dos Santos; Aiden Harangi; Christopher McVey; Manu Duah; Luca Bombino; Jeppe Tverskov; Aníbal Godoy; David Vázquez; Anders Dreyer; Onni Valakari; Chucky (Hirving) Lozano.
🚑 Injuries/Suspension: Willy Kumado, Pablo Sisniega, Oscar Verhoeven, Marcus Ingvartsen.
👨✈️ Head Coach: Mikey Varas
📊 San Jose Earthquakes vs San Diego Head-to-Head Record
There is no prior MLS head-to-head history between San Jose Earthquakes.
📈 San Jose Earthquakes vs San Diego FC Betting Tips and Odds
- San Diego FC to win: San Diego top the West, are on a multi-game away winning run
- Anders Dreyer — anytime scorer: Dreyer has been a consistent goal contributor
- Both teams to score (BTTS): San Jose have scored a lot this season (49 GF) but conceded often (45 GA)
- Under 3.5 goals: San Diego often win efficiently with low match shot counts
- San Diego to score first: the visitors have been opportunistic early/mid match and often attack decisively in transition
🧩 San Jose Earthquakes vs San Diego FC Match Prediction
San Diego FC look the safer pick given form, depth and recent away form, but San Jose’s goal output means this will not be easy for them.
My top 3 betting tips are:
San Diego FC to win (2.717 odds): San Diego sit top of the West (15-7-4), have a historic away run and a compact, efficient attack.
Anders Dreyer to Score Anytime (2.6 odds): Dreyer is San Diego’s chief attacking threat with double-figure goals and arrives in form
Under 3.5 goals (1.82 odds): San Jose average scoring but concede regularly; San Diego often win low-scoring affairs
Other predictions
