The Seattle Sounders face off against the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday (6:00 p.m. PT; ESPN, ESPN Deportes, TSN, 950 KJR AM) in Group B’s opening fixture of the MLS is Back Tournament. Here are three matchups to watch, presented by Toyota.
Xavier Arreaga vs. San Jose’s Defensive System
San Jose’s dramatic turnaround from bottom dwellers in 2018 to postseason contenders in 2019 was spurred largely by head coach Matias Almeyda’s enigmatic man-marking defensive system. Rather than sitting in organized blocks or limiting key spaces on the pitch, the Earthquakes harry and harass their individual counterparts all over the pitch.