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FC Dallas vs San Jose Earthquakes Preview: Lineups, Storylines & What to Watch

Big D Soccer May 16, 2026

FC Dallas heads west this weekend for another difficult road test against one of the surprise teams in the Western Conference, the San Jose Earthquakes. Both teams are coming off tough losses in the midweek, and will be looking to rebound on the penultimate weekend before the league’s FIFA World Cup break.

As Dallas kicks off their nine-game road trip, they’ll also be looking for their first road win in San Jose in nearly a decade. San Jose has been one of the most dangerous attacking teams this season, thriving in transition and piling up goals. Dallas will need to stay compact defensively, survive the early pressure and find a way to be clinical when it matters.

Let’s dive into some notes, predictions, and more.

TL;DR: Match Preview

Quick hits before kickoff.

Score prediction: FC Dallas 1 - 1 San Jose Earthquakes
Key player to watch: Santiago Moreno - Expect him to be more active on Saturday night after coming off the bench Wednesday. Dallas needs their second DP to start contributing more.
Why this game matters: This is the first game in a nine-game road trip. Even though there is a break after next week's game for the World Cup, Dallas will want to get off on the right foot for this road trip.

FC Dallas

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Season xG

Goal Leaders

Assist Leaders

Pass Completion %

Goalkeeper

Stats via American Soccer Analysis • BigDSoccer.com

FC Dallas Notes:

All-time vs San Jose: Dallas and San Jose have matched up 76 times across all competitions. Dallas’ record versus San Jose is 22-31-23, with a 108-134 (includes early MLS penalty kicks) goal differential favoring San Jose.

Road record at San Jose : FC Dallas holds a 8-18-13 all-time regular-season road record against San Jose. Dallas has scored 46 road goals against San Jose. San Jose has scored 67 goals at home versus Dallas. Dallas last won at San Jose on July 8, 2016. A Maximiliano Urruti goal sealed the win for Dallas that night.

Homegrown clock : Both Michael Collodi and Nolan Norris have gobbled up a good amount of minutes in 2026. Collodi has played the full 90 in each match, while Norris has been in and out of the lineup. Norris also has one goal on the season. Caleb Swann also made his debut off the bench in New York. Together, they have played 1955 minutes. To add more perspective here, Dallas HGPs only accounted for 1775 minutes in 2025.

What to Watch For: FC Dallas vs. San Jose EarthquakesFC Dallas opens a nine-game road trip Saturday night at PayPal Park against a San Jose side that is still the best team in MLS — even after losing their two best players to injury. Here’s what to watch for in the first leg of a very long summer.Big D SoccerDrew Epperley

Notable season stats :

FCD is 7th in crosses in MLS with 157.
The Burn are 6th in total distance covered in MLS with 514.71 km (941.20 miles).
FCD is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 190.
FC Dallas is 9th in MLS in xG with 21.74.
FCD is 5th in MLS in shot efficiency with 3.26.
Musa is 3rd in MLS in xG with 9.18. He also ranks tied for 4th in MLS in shots with 45.

Potential FC Dallas Lineup:

Given the rotation on Wednesday night and that this is the third game in seven days, expect some new faces in the lineup.

Projected Starting XI

Formation: 3-4-3

ST Musa

ST Farrington

CAM Moreno

LWB Binyamin

CM Cappis

CM CRamiro

RWB Johansson

LCB Norris

CB Urhoghide

RCB Moore

GK Collodi

Availability & Disciplinary Report

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Disciplinary Report Suspended: none Suspended with next yellow card: Osaze Urhoghide Suspended with next two yellow cards: Nolan Norris

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Availability Report Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin Out : Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg) Questionable : none On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC) Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras International duty: none

San Jose Notes:

Key player for San Jose: Preston Judd

Scouting San Jose Earthquakes: What FC Dallas Needs to Know 🔎A detailed scouting report on San Jose ahead of FC Dallas’ 2026 showdown, breaking down formations, key players, tendencies, and tactical edges.Big D SoccerDrew Epperley

Disciplinary Report

Suspended: none Suspended on next yellow card: none

Availability Report Out: Vitor Costa (lower body), Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), DeJuan Jones (lower body), Niko Tsakiris (lower body), Timo Werner (lower body) Questionable: none International duty: none

How to watch

📅 Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026 ⚽️ Kickoff: 9:30 PM 🏟 Venue: PayPal Park 📺 Streaming: MLS Season Pass 💬 Gameday Social: #FCDvSJE ☀️ Weather: 72, sunny

Don’t just read the free version

Big game this week for FC Dallas. Before we get into it, members have the full scouting report, projected lineups, and injury report. If you want to go into Matchday actually knowing what to watch for, now's the time.

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