Revolution vs. Earthquakes: Storylines to follow in week eight

Tonight, the Revolution will look to rebound from a 3-0, shorthanded loss at the hands of the Chicago Fire when the club hosts the San Jose Earthquakes. Neither the Revs nor the ‘Quakes have lost at home, and neither side has won on the road. Will the trend continue tonight?

Here are four storylines to track ahead of the match:

1. Which top MLS goalscorer will leave his mark: Kei Kamara or Chris Wondolowski?

Once teammates with the Earthquakes, Kamara (88 goals) and Wondolowski (123 goals) serve as the top two active goalscorers in MLS. Currently, Wondolowski needs 23 goals to surpass Landon Donovan as the top finisher in MLS history. Kamara needs one more goal to crack the top 10.

Will either player move closer to his respective target? Both have scored twice in six matches, and both will enter Wednesday’s match hungry for goal number three.

2. Will Juan Agudelo break Earthquakes keeper David Bingham, his USMNT teammate?

Agudelo, who has scored in both Revolution home matches this season, will look to continue his streak tonight against the Earthquakes. To do so, he’ll need to break Bingham, his National Team teammate during each of the past two January camps.

Neither player impressed Bruce Arena enough to earn minutes during the United States’ World Cup qualifiers vs. Honduras and Panama (Agudelo didn’t get a call-up, and Bingham rode the bench behind Tim Howard). A standout MLS campaign would work wonders for both players as they vie for a spot on the 2018 World Cup roster. Will Agudelo help his case tonight vs. Bingham?

3. Who will start for the Revolution at left back?

In recent weeks, Jay Heaps has “shuffled the deck” with his first-choice left back, seemingly playing the matchup card against the Dynamo and Fire. Kelyn Rowe featured in the position two weeks ago against the Dynamo. And Je-Vaughn Watson fielded the spot for 27 minutes before picking up a red card against the Fire last weekend.

With Watson out for tonight’s match, who will Heaps turn to? Conventional wisdom says Chris Tierney, who has made 201 starts for the Revolution during his 10 seasons with the team. But with Heaps turning away from Tierney in recent weeks, Rowe or even Donnie Smith could see minutes out wide beside Antonio Delamea.

4. Will the Revolution stay unbeaten at home?

Without question, the Revs have played their best soccer at Gillette Stadium. In two matches, the club has outscored its opponents 7-2, including a commanding 2-0 win over the Dynamo two weeks ago. Jay Heaps’ side seems intent on making Foxboro a fortress in 2017, and all has gone according to plan thus far.

The Earthquakes, who have have flown under the radar despite earning results in four of six matches, will step into the fortress tonight. Can the visitors break through and end the Revs’ unbeaten run?