Massive Predictions: Crew vs. San Jose Earthquakes

After one week of the Columbus Crew season, things look good for the Black & Gold. Columbus scored four goals, had a clean sheet and set a high standard for the rest of the regular season.

Massive Report contributors predicted the match, but nobody could guess how big of a match would follow. This week, the Crew travel west to face the San Jose Earthquakes, and last week’s victory makes predicting this week possibly more difficult.

Before we get into the predictions, here’s how the standings shape up for the 2022 prediction season. Each correct result gets one point, and a correct result with proper score earns three.

Now, let’s see what the staff thinks will happen this week.

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Adam Miller

After an exhilarating 4-0 thumping of the Vancouver Whitecaps on the opening day, the Black & Gold head to San Jose to take on the Earthquakes. The ‘Quakes did not look great against Red Bull last week and appear to be in a bit of a limbo as a club.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda employs one of the most unique systems in the MLS, featuring high intensity, man to man pressure almost all of the field. The Crew are well suited to break this pressure and be a constant threat in the attack. The match will start slow before Columbus gains control and eventually buries the Earthquakes. The Crew will have goals from Yaw Yeboah, Gyasi Zardes and Luis Diaz, leading them to a victory.
Columbus Crew 3 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Brian Moracz

The San Jose Earthquakes are a mess. Despite having what I believe to be a talented roster, spear headed by two exciting Americans in Jeremy Ebobisse and Cade Cowell, they are trending in the wrong direction. Matías Almeyda no longer wants to be with the club and the Quakes play a high risk high reward style of soccer, which means if they aren’t at the top of their game, they give up a ton of goals.

I fully expect the Crew to take advantage of the dysfunction in San Jose and get an away win, something the Black & Gold struggled to do last season (winning only three matches away from home in 2021). The Crew continue their hot start and beat San Jose, with both Lucas Zelarayán and Zardes netting goals.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Caleb Denorme

The interesting thing to watch this Saturday as the Crew march into San Jose will be how similar their setup will be compared to the first game. San Jose traditionally likes to run a 3-4-3 formation, which is a similar three back system to what Vancouver ran on match day one.

I think the Black & Gold can dominate this game if they can exploit the narrowness of San Jose’s three back and the partnership of Milos Degenek and Jonathan Mensah can keep Eloy Room from being too busy. In the end I don’t see the Quakes being much of a threat, and I expect a 2-0 Crew win with goals by Miguel Berry and Zelarayán. Will this be the game where Zelarayan gets his first free kick goal of the season? We will see.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Collin Johnson

The road has not been friendly to Columbus during the head coach Caleb Porter era and the team will hope to turn that tide early. They’ll line up across from a San Jose team that lost its first home match of the season 3-1 to the New York Red Bulls despite holding 69% of possession and completing more than twice as many passes as New York.

The Earthquakes also lost the advanced stats battle putting up 1.5 expected goals to the Red Bulls’ 3.5. All this is to say that San Jose is currently a team in turmoil. Manager Matias Almeyda has been planning his exit since he first stepped up to the touchline, and has continued to reiterate his desire to move on from the club after his contract expires at the end of the season. If the Crew are able to put in a performance at, or even slightly below, the level of their opener we should see an early first road win of the season.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Devin Weisbarth

The Columbus Crew’s Miguel Berry and Lucas Zelarayán score against San Jose.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Drew McDaniel

San Jose’s woes will continue against Columbus. The Crew’s rock solid defense will hold strong, not giving San Jose much to work with. Crosses will be cleared, Ebobisse will be marked well, but Monteiro will find himself in space after a turnover in the midfield giving the Earthquakes their lone goal.

Yeboah will score his first goal off good counter pressure and a counter attack. Gyasi Zardes will get in on a cross to score a header to win the game. Lucas Zelerayán will struggle with the man marking scheme and other players will need to win the game.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 1

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Grant Miller

San Jose has seen better days. Their coach is actively working the media against ownership and running the team out in a 3-6-1 formation. The Crew under Porter have been terrible on the road, but anything less than three points here would be a disappointment.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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John Pearson

It might be odd to say the Columbus Crew left something to be desired in their opener when they won 4-0. However, it could have been a lot uglier for Vancouver if Columbus’ shooting was in mid-season form. What did look to be in mid-season form was the Crew’s defense, and for a San Jose Earthquakes attack that struggled to create chances against the New York Red Bulls might be in for a long day.

I imagine Mensah, Room and the rest of the defense will have to work a little bit more in this one, but I don’t think they will be tested too much in this one and the Crew will see a comfortable win. A Zelarayán brace because he’s just that good and Berry continues his ascension with a goal. Oh, and take the over on a griddy celebration.
Columbus Crew 3 San Jose Earthquakes 1

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Nathan Townsend

The Crew were impressive in the season opener while San Jose was anything but. I expect Zardes to get the start this week and open his account for the season while the Crew defense will pick up where they left off last week with another clean sheet.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Patrick Murphy

The Crew offense surprised me last week with the offensive explosion in the opening win against the Whitecaps. I thought it would be a slow start to the year for the Black & Gold attack, but I was clearly wrong.

Going on the road will be a test against a San Jose Earthquake team that didn’t get a good result in a 3-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls in Week 1. There’s a lot of mess in San Jose with head coach Matias Almeyda already looking forward to his next job where he can acquire better players. Because of this, I think the Crew should win the game, assuming the team has the right mentality.

I don’t expect many (if any) changes from Caleb Porter and I think it will result in three points. But road games have proven me wrong before.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 1

Ryan Schmitt

I think Columbus will slow down this week. A lot of their success was due to defensive miscues at the center back and fullback in a 3-5-2 system. In San Jose’s 3-4-3, they’ll be a little harder to breakdown just due to the nature of the formation.

San Jose possesses the ball a lot, as shown in their 69% possession in the previous game, but they aren’t showing much purpose, which will ultimately be their downfall. I think the game will be a comfortable win, although Columbus may not have the most control over the game, but Columbus wins it in San Jose.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Theodore Sovinski

Earthquakes’ head coach Matias Almeyda is widely considered a lame-duck coach this year, and the players signed in the offseason point to a future without the Argentine. That incongruity could lead to a rocky season in the Bay, which bodes well for a Crew team riding high after week one. Columbus wins with goals from Miguel Berry, Lucas Zelarayán and Yaw Yeboah.
Columbus Crew 3 San Jose Earthquakes 1

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Thomas Costello

It’s hard to expect that the Crew repeat their same performance against the Whitecaps, but maybe it’s not that crazy to expect? Jonathan Mensah and Milos Degenek will have another strong game as they grow together as a center back partnership, with the Quakes pressuring more than the Whitecaps did at Lower.com Field.

Yeboah gets on the board with a goal, on a Lucas Zelarayán assist. In the second half, Luis Diaz will come onto the field as a substitute and score an unprecedented two goals in two matches.
Columbus Crew 2 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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Tyler Fisher

Well, I certainly did not expect that kind of performance to come out of the Columbus Crew. Probably one of the most complete games I’ve seen. A 4-0 win, and now the Black & Gold head to the Wild Wild West (for all my Dr. Dre and Tupac fans out there) to get a taste of California Love against a San Jose Earthquakes side, that is seeking revenge for losing their season opener at home to the Red Bulls.

While Columbus is still without a few players, and still getting players 90 minutes fit such as Artur and Aidan Morris, the Black & Gold have the depth and assets to field a strong side this weekend. If the Crew were to play a game like they did last weekend, it’s easily a dub for Columbus.

But San Jose is just that team it seems like; Able to pull a win out of nowhere against a team. Yes, they are unbeaten in their last seven home games against Columbus so that plays in their favor. However, the Crew hold the series record with 22 wins, so that is just what the Crew need to rub salt on the wound of the Quakes after losing. When all is said and done, Columbus gets the job done (I rhymed).
Columbus Crew 3 San Jose Earthquakes 1

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Zach Martin

The Crew head west to take on an Earthquakes team that got shelled 3-1 by the Red Bull. Outside of the 69th minute equalizer by Javier López, San Jose didn’t put up much of a fight.

There’s a solid chance that Artur makes the scoresheet after four shots last week where one almost went in if not for the crossbar. Plus, I see Berry staying on his hot from from last year and last week to put another one in net for the Black and Gold.
Columbus Crew 3 San Jose Earthquakes 0

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What’s your score prediction for the match? Let us know in the comment section below.