“Your movement is incredible. It’s like a nightmare for me.”
Those were the words of Chelsea captain John Terry at halftime of his squad’s exhibition matchup against the 2012 MLS All-Stars in Chester, Pa.
The subject of his praise? San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski, who has carved out a distinguished career as one of the premier goal-scoring threats in MLS largely based on his intelligent approach to the game and expert ability to position himself in exactly the right spots to score goals.
For the Seattle Sounders and Brad Evans – the club's new starting center back – the matchup with Wondolowski should be a perfect defensive test for their new-look backline as they gear up to take on the Earthquakes on Saturday night at CenturyLink Field (10 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
Evans is one of Seattle’s most versatile players and was switched to center back from the midfield at the start of the season. And while he looked good during the Sounders’ season-opening 3-0 blowout of the New England Revolution on Sunday, the matchup against an All-Star caliber forward like Wondolowski is new territory.
“Wondo’s so good in the box,” Evans told reporters following Seattle’s training session on Thursday. “His movement is unlike really any other forward in the way that he moves and the way he finds goals. … He’s more of a thinker in how he goes about his game.”
Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid agreed that Wondolowki’s cerebral nature should give Evans all he can handle.
“It’s definitely a good test,” Schmid said. “Wondo is one of those strikers who is maybe a little bit similar to [Seattle forwards Clint] Dempsey or [Obafemi Martins] where he likes to pull off the frontline a little bit and find the ball. He’s also got a great shot from distance, so you can’t give him a lot of space out there.”
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Evans said that while he’s never gone against Wondolowski as a center back, his experience marking him as a midfielder will help come Saturday.
“[I have to make] sure that I give enough cushion so if I do turn my head and he’s gone I can find him again,” Evans said. “Usually I’ve marked him on corner kicks in the past, so that doesn’t give an advantage, but I do know his movements.”
Evans also added that going up against Dempsey and Martins on a daily basis during practice has left him feeling confident that he’ll be ready for whatever defensive challenges Wondolowski may present.
“I get to play against Oba and Clint all the time in training and even Chad Barrett,” Evans said. “Guys that are very good up top, very good forward players that all provide something different. Over the course of the past six weeks, I’ve learned you can’t be too over zealous.”
Ari Liljenwall covers the Seattle Sounders for MLSsoccer.com.
