Quaking in Their Boots?
The Quakes are more likely to be battling for a high draft pick than they are to be battling for a playoff spot this season. Dominic Kinnear has assembled his side to defend and counter, especially on the road. San Jose will come into CenturyLink and hope to absorb the pressure of the Sounders attack, and hopefully get a few opportunities to use their speed on the flanks to cause some damage in transition. This side is coming into this game with some of their best players injured. Clarence Goodson did not play last week in Dallas due to injury, and Innocent Emeghara came on as a last minute sub, but didn’t have the chance to do much. Kinnear & his side would be more than thrilled with a point from this game.
Sounders Set Sights to Soar
The Sounders are coming off an impressive outing last weekend against New England (For a review of the Sounders 3-0 win against New England last Sunday, go here) and they are poised to have a similar performance against the San Jose Earthquakes. After all, why fix what isn’t broken? With Ozzie Alonso still nursing an injury, the Sounders ought to come out with the same line-up as last week. Maybe we’ll see Andy Rose in the central midfield instead of Michael Azira, but with Azira not injured or playing particularly poorly, there is little chance that Azira doesn’t make his second straight start. With the Quakes hoping to hit Seattle on the counter with their speed, I suspect that Leo Gonzalez & Tyrone Mears will not be getting forward as much as they did last week. The attack of Oba, Clint, Pappa, and Neagle should be more than enough to break down the defense. The middle of the park ought to be packed out with San Jose’s midfield & defense, so it’ll be interesting to see how Pappa & Neagle try to break down the wings, as neither of them are true wingers. All in all, there’s no reason to doubt a similar performance as last week. Will we see another Goal of the Year from Obafemi Martins? We’ll just have to wait and see.
Pointless Predictions
Score: 4-1. 3 points for the Sounders.
Goals: Oba (2), Dempsey, and Pappa for Seattle. Wondolowski scores on the counter for San Jose.
First Yellow Card: Victor Bernárdez.
