San Jose Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders | MLS Match Preview

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
July 13, 2013 (WEEK 20, MLS Game #182) 7:30 p.m. PT (CSN-BA; KING-NBC/KOMO2)

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Blacked out in Seattle. (Watch on ROOT Sports)

The San Jose Earthquakes return home to take on Seattle Sounders FC when the clubs meet for the third time this season, Saturday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes are coming off a pair of losses on their two-game Eastern swing, last a 2-0 defeat in New England. Sounders FC remain on the road off a loss at Vancouver last weekend, a 2-0 defeat to their Cascadia rivals. The teams have split their two meetings this season, each winning at home.

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REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Paul Scott; AR2 (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Jesus Cisneros
MLS Career: 15 games; FC/gm: 26.9; Y/gm: 4.3; R: 2; pens: 7

DISABLED LIST: SJ: Ty Harden, Peter McGlynn … SEA: Josh Ford, Steve Zakuani
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Alan Gordon
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Rafael Baca, Steven Lenhart, Chris Wondolowski … SEA: Eddie Johnson, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: SJ: Nana Attakora (CAN), Marvin Chavez (HON), Clarence Goodson (USA), Chris Wondolowski (USA)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (12 meetings): Earthquakes 6 wins, 15 goals … Sounders FC 5 wins, 15 goals … Ties 1
AT SAN JOSE (5 meetings): Earthquakes 3 wins, 9 goals … Sounders FC 1 win, 4 goals … Ties 1

2013 (MLS)
3/23: SJ 1, SEA 0 (Wondolowski 46+)
5/11: SEA 4, SJ 0 (Neagle 28, 54; Rosales 46+; Martins 93+)

• The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Chris Wondolowski scored the only goal of the game to give San Jose a victory March 23 at Buck Shaw Stadium, then Lamar Neagle scored twice and Mauro Rosales and Obafemi Martins added goals in a dominant 4-0 Sounders FC win, May 11 at CenturyLink Field.
• The Sounders FC win in the last meeting snapped a four-game Earthquakes winning streak in the all-time series, dating back to 2011.
• Coaches record: Sigi Schmid vs. SJ: P32 W15 L12 D5 … Mark Watson vs. SEA: first game

LAST MEETING (MLS)

• The opener came in the 28th minute. After a turnover at the center line, Sounders FC broke the other way, with Eddie Johnson's low cross chested down by Mauro Rosales for an on-rushing Lamar Neagle to hammer past Jon Busch.
• It was 2-0 just just moments before the halftime whistle. After a foul just outside the left corner of the Earthquakes area, Rosales curled a 20-yard free kick off the inside the near post and past Busch's five.
• Neagle and Sounders FC put the game away in the 54th minute. The forward fought off a pair of Quakes defenders to control Servando Carrasco's pass and then put a left-footed shot inside Busch's left-hand post from the edge of the area.
• The rout complete in stoppage time, when Obafemi Martins took advantage of a clearance that bounced off a Quakes teammate right into his path to poke into the goal from close range.
• SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (4-4-2): Michael Gspurning - DeAndre Yedlin, Djimi Traore, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez - Mauro Rosales (Mario Martinez 62), Servando Carrasco, Osvaldo Alonso, Brad Evans (Obafemi Martins 55) - Eddie Johnson, Lamar Neagle (David Estrada 86).
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Justin Morrow, Victor Bernardez, Dan Gargan - Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Ramiro Corrales (Shea Salinas 64), Walter Martinez - Alan Gordon (Marcus Tracy 65), Chris Wondolowski.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes went down to a second successive defeat on their Eastern road trip, falling 2-0 to the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Quakes sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 21 points from 20 matches.

LAST MATCH

• The Revolution opened the scoring in the 13th minute. Saer Sene started the sequence with a shot that Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch was able to punch away. But the ball found its way back to Sene, and from well out, wheeled and fired a rocket that found the top-right corner of the net.
• New England put the game out of reach in the 78th minute. Lee Nguyen sent a low cross into the six-yard box that second-half substitute Dimitry Imbongo was able to slide in front of after beating the San Jose backline, turning the ball into the goal.
• Quakes interim head coach Mark Watson made two changes to the team that lost 3-2 to the Chicago Fire at Toyota Park. Dan Gargan came into the back four for Justin Morrow and Shea Salinas came back from suspension for Mehdi Ballouchy.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Jason Hernandez, Brad Ring, Dan Gargan - Shea Salinas, Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca (Marcus Tracy 76), Walter Martinez (Mehdi Ballouchy 84) - Adam Jahn, Alan Gordon (Cordell Cato 86).

TEAM NEWS

• It was the first time the Quakes have suffered back-to-back losses since Mark Watson took over as interim head coach, and they lost for a third consecutive match on the road.
• “I can’t tell you how much we’re all looking forward to getting back (home). Right now, you’re seeing a lot of fried brains, fried legs,” said defender Jason Hernandez. “There’s been a lot of travel with a lot of difficult games. The games we’ve been playing have been down to the final second – every one of them, so we’re really excited to get back home, get some rest and get in front of our own fans.”
• The Earthquakes are 1-8-2 on their travels this season, the most road losses of any team in MLS, but now return home for three consecutive matches.
• “With all the issues we’ve been dealing with, we’ve played seven of the last nine games on the road, I believe, it’s been a tough stretch,” said Quakes interim coach Mark Watson. “We’ll dust ourselves off. We’ll fly back tomorrow and get everyone rested and healthy or as healthy as we can.”
• After facing a season-high 10 shots in the midweek loss to the Chicago Fire, goalkeeper Jon Busch made seven saves vs. New England, one short of his season-best.
• “Jon was huge for us tonight. He gave us a chance to still be at one-nil and have a chance to tie the game and we almost took advantage of that,” Watson said. “Jon’s been really big for us all year and was big for us in Chicago Wednesday night and was big for us tonight again. Like I said, he gave us a chance to have any hope of getting any points.”
• Said Hernandez: “We’ve been going through a rough stretch defensively and many games we’ve been in, (Jon) Busch has come up big for us. He keeps us in a lot of matches where maybe the score might be a little different, so he’s been huge for us. Unfortunately, we can’t get the job done well enough for him to make him work a little less.”
• Dan Gargan made his first start since May 11, coming in at left back in place of Justin Morrow, who did not feature in a match for the first time since March 23.
• “It’s been tough time for us. The last two games – Wednesday night in Chicago and tonight with 16 players. We’ve got a bunch of guys with internationals and a bunch of guys injured. It’s been tough times for us. So we knew we’d be up against it,” said Watson.

READ: San Jose returns to Buck Shaw at last, hope three-game homestand is right tonic

SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
Seattle Sounders FC lost to Vancouver Whitecaps FC for the first time ever in MLS, dropping a 2-0 decision on Saturday evening at BC Place. Sounders FC are in seventh place in the Western Conference with 24 points from 16 matches.

LAST MATCH

• Whitecaps FC took the lead after just four minutes. Kenny Miller received a long ball over the top from Corey Hertzog before cutting back on his right foot just inside the box and placing the ball in the bottom-right corner of Michael Gspurning’s goal.
• The insurance tally for Vancouver came 11 minutes from full time. Substitute Darren Mattocks latched onto a Gershon Koffie flicked header to break through on goal and finish with a left-footed effort.
• Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid made two changes to the team that defeated D.C. United 2-0 on Wednesday evening at CenturyLink Field. Shalrie Joseph and Lamar Neagle came into the team in place of Mauro Rosales and Andy Rose.
• SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC (4-4-2): Michael Gspurning - Zach Scott, Djimi Traore, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Leo Gonzalez (DeAndre Yedlin 79) - Brad Evans, Shalrie Joseph, Servando Carrasco, Lamar Neagle (Mauro Rosales 72) - Eddie Johnson, Obafemi Martins.

READ: Shalrie Joseph starts to find footing with Seattle after rough start to 2013
TEAM NEWS

• Sounders FC were shut out for a second consecutive match on the road and the third time in their last four games away from CenturyLink Field.
• “I thought we had some good combination play up front, I thought we put ourselves in some very dangerous spots. The quality of our crossing still needs to be better, I think there were some good situations we put ourselves in and that’s something we’ve got to get back to as well,” said Sounders FC head coach Sigi Schmid.
• Said midfielder Brad Evans: “We couldn’t have created any more chances, we had the chances we just didn’t finish them so bottom line is finish your chances but also keep it tight in the defense. … If you look at our chances, it’s the most we’ve created all season, we had a game plan and I thought we stuck to it well.
• After missing two matches while with the U.S. U-20 national team and suffering an injury, DeAndre Yedlin came on for the final 11 minutes in Vancouver, replacing Leo Gonzalez.
• “We didn’t feel he could go much beyond 60 so we decided to bring him off the bench,” Schmid said. “One of my beliefs is that you don’t change your back four in a tight game; I went against my own principle and we took a goal right away from that so I’ve got to stick with my principles.”
• Shalrie Joseph made his first league start since May 26 vs. LA, playing the full 90 minutes for just the second time this season.
• “The guys were getting me the ball in the attacking spots. I always look to get everybody involved and try to create chances,” said Joseph. “With Eddie and [Obafemi Martins] you just got to slide them in and play their feet and they’re so comfortable on the ball, once you get them the ball they’ll score, they’ll get a shot on goal; I expect better from them next week. Hopefully we can keep playing like we did tonight but get results at the end of the day.”
• Osvaldo Alonso missed a fourth consecutive match, but is expected to return to full training ahead of the San Jose match.
• “We didn’t think Alonso was quite ready so our feeling with Alonso was to make sure he was 100 percent ready and we think that’ll be the case [this] week,” said Schmid.