Columbus Crew SC enters is third match in eight days on Saturday, capping a two-match home stand with a hosting of the San Jose Earthquakes. With both sides needing maximum points to close in on playoff qualification, the only 2016 regular season meeting between Crew SC and San Jose carries heavy implications.
"San Jose is a good team," Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. "Watching them the last couple of games, we know it’ll be a test and they have quality for sure. They don’t get broken down very easily so we'll have to be smart with our movements, and when we get opportunities we’ll have to play through them"
CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL: #CLBvSJ
Crew SC is 18-14-7 all-time against the Earthquakes with a 12-4-3 record in Columbus, and more recent contests have San Jose winning just once since 2011. The other four meetings since 2011 have finished level.
In July, Crew SC sent Targeted Allocation Money to San Jose to acquire 6-foot-3 forward Adam Jahn. Since joining Crew SC, Jahn's played 51 minutes — all as a substitute — and scored in Crew SC's 2-1 loss on Wednesday. With the Earthquakes, Jahn featured 65 times with seven goals scored.
"He’s competed against those guys a lot," Berhalter said of Jahn. "He knows their ins and outs and their movements. Because of that, he becomes a good option for us and I think he has contributed well for us offensively. He’s a handful. That’s why we brought him in. We were missing that physical presence and he’s done a good job.”
THREE THINGS TO KNOW: San Jose Earthquakes
Jahn — a Davis, Calif., native — became Crew SC's ninth goalscorer in 2016 on the active roster, muscling the ball into Philadelphia's goal in the 73rd minute.
“It will be really fun to see them again, and lace up against them," Jahn said of facing his former team. "Whenever you step on the field, you try to win no matter who you’re playing. I know them really well, and I think I’ll be able to exploit that.”
Both Berhalter and Jahn agree that San Jose is a team with pace that will need to be broken down on Saturday night.
"They’re very good defensively, very organized, and then they have a lot of speed," Jahn said. "So we just have to be wary of their speed on the sides, and then be patient trying to break them down. If we move them around enough, I think we will break them down a few times.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Be sure to tune in to The CW Columbus, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel and BCSN2, as well as CD 102.5 FM in English and to La Mega 103.1 to listen to the match in Spanish.
