A win by either the San Jose Earthquakes or the Chicago Fire in their Group B showdown Sunday night would see them through to the knockout rounds of the MLS Is Back tournament in Orlando.
Because the Fire (1-1-1) were shifted into Group B following the withdrawal of Nashville SC, this is just their second group match. But Rapahel Wicky's team picked up the maximum three points in its opener, defeating reigning MLS Cup champion Seattle 2-1 on Tuesday.
Mauricio Pineda's goal in the 84th minute snapped a tie, side-footing a corner from Gaston Gimenez that skipped through the six-yard box. It was the first MLS goal for the 22-year-old defender, a Homegrown Player from Bolingbrook, Illinois who had a standout collegiate career at North Carolina before joining the club in January.
"I felt good," Pineda – whose option for 2021 was picked up Wednesday - told the club's official website. "I think everyone was looking forward to this game. We were all really anxious to start playing games again and I think everyone worked really hard today. We all really wanted a good result today to start the tournament off and just for the league points, and I think we are all happy to do that."
Avoiding a letdown after toppling the MLS Cup champion will be a challenge, as will facing San Jose's distinct man-marking defense – something no other team in the league does. Midfielder Alvaro Medrán, though, thinks his team will be able to build on its winning performance.
"We expect a difficult game," Medrán said via translator Friday. "We saw they are an intense team that runs all the way through the game up until the last minute. We saw that against Vancouver; that they kept pushing right up till the very end. It's going to be difficult."
One has to wonder how much the Earthquakes (1-1-2) have left for their group finale after a wild 4-3 victory over Vancouver on Thursday. Chris Wondolowski started the fightback from a two-goal deficit in the 72nd minute, then Oswaldo Alanis pulled San Jose level nine minutes later.
Shea Salinas then grabbed the winner in the eighth minute of stoppage time with a marauding run into the teeth of Vancouver's defense before slotting home from just inside the six-yard box. The result left the 'Quakes atop the group on four points – a win Sunday would make them group winners while a draw makes it almost a mathematical certainty they would be in the knockout round as one of the top third-place teams at worst.
"They have a different team and roster than what we saw last year," Wondolowski said when scouting Chicago. "I thought that watching their first game against Seattle, who is a great opponent, they're so organized. They have two banks of four, it was fun to watch, and they'll be a tough team to break down in that sense.
"We have to find the space off the midfielders' shoulders and have the mobility to run off the ball."
Wondolowski added to his all-time leading MLS goal haul with No. 160 in Thursday's victory. The 37-year-old striker has a solid track record against Chicago over his career with 10 goals in 15 career matchups, but that total got a significant boost in last year's lone matchup when he riddled the Fire for four goals in an easy 4-1 victory at home.
That snapped San Jose's three-game losing streak to Chicago, though the Fire lead the all-time series with a 16-12-11 record.