We have four games left, folks. The one coming up this weekend sees two teams that have clinched a playoff spot and are separated by just three points.
FC Dallas hosts the San Jose Earthquakes in what could be classified as the biggest regular-season home game of the 2026 season. This one will likely determine where the club ultimately land in a couple of weeks as they are separated by three points in the standings. Dallas is third, San Jose is fourth. A win on Saturday helps Dallas take a commanding lead with three games to go. Let it slip at home and the standings get very interesting very fast.
San Jose hasn’t lost since late August, yet they also haven’t won a game since September. Bruce Arena’s club has become a draw specialist with four out of their last five ending level. They are dangerous enough to make you uncomfortable, but are also not dominant enough to beat you if you come out with something to prove.
Here’s what we’ll be watching out for on Saturday.
San Jose is surviving, not thriving
Dallas has had to deal with a lot of weird streaks lately. We had Seattle’s unbeaten run last week that they helped snap and now San Jose comes to Frisco with another one. Nine games unbeaten. But let’s be clear about that streak, it isn’t as impressive when you look at it up close. Since Arena shifted to a three-man backline in late August, the Quakes have gone 3-0-6. They haven’t won a game in October, as they’ve picked up three straight draws. They’ve found ways to grind out results by erasing second-half deficits.
That’s useful information for Dallas, a team that has also been grinding away results in recent months. San Jose isn’t coming to Toyota Stadium to control the game and impose their will. The Quakes want to be compact, stay organized in their new defensive shape, and nick something from a set piece or a counterattack.
The moment Dallas starts respecting that defensive structure too much and plays cautiously, San Jose gets exactly the game they will want on here. Dallas needs to be aggressive early. They need to force mistakes in their defensive end and make them answer questions they’d rather not be asked on a Saturday night.
Big D Soccer gives you the why — the tactical breakdowns, the honest assessments, the context that actually helps you understand what you watched on Saturday night.
If you're serious about this club, you should be reading all of it.
Keep Musa active
This is the section that matters most from a Dallas perspective. Petar Musa is still in the hunt for the league’s Golden Boot race, though his 20 goals are now five back from Lionel Messi’s 25. He’s playing against a defensive system designed specifically to deny him clean looks that he typically converts at a high rate. Arena’s new defense is designed to take away the central space that forwards like Musa feast on.
The answer isn’t to wait for a perfect chance to fall his way. It is to get him involved early and often. We’re talking link-up play, hold-up runs, getting the ball to his feet in tight areas and letting him work. When Musa is touching the ball regularly, he draws defenders, creates lanes for runners, and generates the kind of sustained pressure that eventually cracks even a well-organized back three. When he goes quiet for long stretches, Dallas becomes too predictable.
Eric Quill needs to build the attack through Musa, not just look for him on the end of things. Feed him early. Let him find the game. The goals will come as a result.