San Diego head coach Mikey Varas described Bruce Enviornment as a “legend” forward of his group’s journey to PayPal Park to tackle the San Jose Earthquakes this weekend.
Enviornment has overseen nearly 600 MLS matches in his teaching profession with 5 completely different groups, along with his newest enterprise seeing him take over San Jose final November.
In his first marketing campaign on the helm of the Earthquakes, Enviornment has guided the membership to ninth within the Western Convention, which is the ultimate spot within the race for the playoffs.
Varas, in the meantime, has flourished in his first everlasting managerial function, main San Diego to the summit of the West with eight regular-season matches remaining.
And forward of going through the Earthquakes, Varas is anticipating a troublesome take a look at for his gamers, given the very fact they’ve expertise each on and off the pitch.
“I believe regional components take account of one thing, however we need to win each recreation,” Varas mentioned. “We need to beat all people that we face at this stage of the season.
“It’s fairly a mature group with a legend of a coach who has acquired them transferring in a superb course, and so they even have a entrance three who’re very harmful in transition.
“I believe they’re the group that spends probably the most time in transition on each side. It takes under consideration that they create a lot hazard and generally they concede.
“It’s a kind of opponents that something can occur. It’ll be actually essential that we try to break their man marking and try to discover the best moments to interrupt.”
Do u know they strategy to San Jose? pic.twitter.com/cy5LDzqgMZ
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) August 10, 2025
San Jose, in the meantime, ended their six-game stretch with no victory with a shocking 2-1 overcome Western Convention high-flyers Vancouver Whitecaps final trip.
Brian White thought he had salvaged a degree for the Whitecaps late on, just for Earthquakes substitute Preston Judd to pop up with the winner in second-half stoppage time.
The outcome was a giant one for San Jose, who’re in the course of an attractive battle for a spot within the postseason with eight video games of their regular-season left.
Of these matches, 4 are at house, with Enviornment stressing the significance of being robust on house soil on the finish of the marketing campaign to make sure their place within the playoffs.
“It was a giant outcome for us, clearly,” Enviornment mentioned. “We did must get three factors. Preston, he’s finished a terrific job for us this 12 months, and he’s provide you with a crucial purpose.
“It was a troublesome recreation towards a superb group. They could say the officiating damage them a bit tonight, and I wouldn’t argue with that. However we now have been in lots of these video games this 12 months and have been on the opposite facet of it.
“I’m happy with the win. We’re a group that, if we now have any curiosity in taking part in within the playoffs, we now have to win these house video games. It was critically essential for us.”
SJ Earthquakes – Preston Judd
Judd’s stoppage-time winner for San Jose towards Vancouver was his fifth purpose of the season, greater than he managed in his first two MLS seasons mixed (4).
The American has additionally netted in two straight league matches for the primary time in his MLS profession, and might be eager to maintain his scoring streak going right here.
San Diego FC – Anders Dreyer
Dreyer has been one of many standout performers within the MLS in 2025, with the Dane registering his league-leading fifteenth help in San Diego’s final match.
He has additionally registered extra purpose involvements (27) than every other participant within the competitors this season, two greater than Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.
MATCH PREDICTION: SAN DIEGO FC WIN
San Jose have misplaced solely two of 17 all-time house matches towards enlargement groups (W10 D5), although a kind of two defeats got here of their final house match towards an MLS newcomer, a 2-1 loss to St. Louis Metropolis SC in June 2023.
However the Earthquakes snapped a run of 5 straight house regular-season attracts with their win over Vancouver. San Jose are unbeaten in seven straight regular-season house matches (W2 D5), final dropping a league match at PayPal Park 4 months in the past, on April 19.
San Diego, in the meantime, are the primary enlargement group in MLS historical past to win 5 consecutive regular-season away matches. The victory over Sporting Kansas Metropolis was their eighth away triumph of the season, additionally a file for enlargement groups within the competitors.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
SJ Earthquakes – 31.7%
Draw – 25.3%
San Diego FC – 42.9%
