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Game Notes: Matchup details for tonight's contest vs. Sounders FC

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OPPONENT INFORMATION
Earthquakes vs. Seattle Sounders FC All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 
10-6-3
Home: 
5-1-2 (12 GF, 5 GA)
Away: 
5-5-1 (12 GF, 15 GA)
All-Time Scoring: 
San Jose – 24, Seattle – 20
Last Game vs. Seattle Sounders FC
Earthquakes 1, Seattle Sounders FC 1; Sept 12, 2015; Avaya Stadium, San Jose, CA
The San Jose Earthquakes earned a point by drawing with Seattle Sounders FC 1-1 at Avaya Stadium to finish the season series with Seattle with an undefeated 2-0-1 record. The result, paired with the Quakes 2-0 victory over Seattle on June 20 at CenturyLink Field, gave San Jose the win in the Heritage Cup with a combined score of 3-1. The Quakes lone goal in the match was scored by Fatai Alashe, who made his first career start on defense in Victor Bernardez’s absence. Midfielders Anibal Godoy and Marc Pelosi returned to San Jose’s starting XI after missing the team’s last match due to international duty. The Quakes first scoring opportunity came in the 23rd minute. Midfielder Shea Salinas went at his defender with pace, pushing the ball to the end line before attempting to cross the ball in front of several oncoming attackers. However, his pass attempt was blocked and cleared out for a goal kick. Fourteen minutes later, forward Chris Wondolowski nearly gave the home side the lead. Receiving a chipped pass over the defense from Anibal Godoy, Wondolowski turned quickly onto his left foot and curled a shot to the far post, smacking the woodwork. In the 70th minute, San Jose took a 1-0 lead on the head of midfielder Fatai Alashe, who was coincidentally being honored with his very own bobblehead night at Avaya Stadium. Alashe was on the receiving of a precise free kick from Matias Perez Garcia, who had entered the match just seconds prior, and redirected the set piece to the far post. Seattle drew level in the 82nd minute. After Quakes keeper David Bingham made a tremendous save on a header by Sounders FC midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz, forward Obafemi Martins volleyed the rebound into the empty net.
History of the Quakes – Seattle Sounders FC Rivalry
The two teams first met in regular season play in 2009 when the Sounders joined MLS … San Jose won all three meetings in the 2012 regular season, including two wins at CenturyLink Field in Seattle … Chris Wondolowski scored the winner in a 1-0 win on March 31 in Seattle on a penalty kick, following a foul by Marc Burch on Steven Lenhart … Lenhart then scored a dramatic game-winner on Aug. 11 at Buck Shaw Stadium, netting a stoppage time goal following a late equalizer by Sounders FC … San Jose then took a 2-1 win on Sept. 22 at CenturyLink Field with goals from Simon Dawkins and Chris Wondolowski … Seattle did win 1-0 over San Jose in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match at Kezar Stadium. Current Quakes midfielder Cordell Cato scored the winner for Seattle that night … The Quakes and Sounders FC played three times in 2009, with Seattle taking both meetings at what was then called Qwest Field (2-0 on April 25 and 2-1 on June 13), before the Earthquakes registered a 4-0 triumph at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug. 2 … In 2010, the Earthquakes edged the Sounders FC at Qwest Field, 1-0 on May 22 thanks to a Chris Wondolowski goal, while Seattle returned the favor at Buck Shaw on July 31 through a Fredy Montero strike … In 2011, the two teams battled to a 2-2 draw at Buck Shaw on April 2, while Seattle took a 2-1 decision at CenturyLink Field on Oct. 15 … San Jose won each of their three regular-season matches in 2012 by one goal … Seattle Sounders FC knocked the Earthquakes out of the 2012 U.S. Open Cup in the quarterfinals, upending San Jose 1-0 on June 26 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco … They have squared off twice this season, with each team winning their home game. In the first meeting, San Jose won 1-0 thanks to a Chris Wondolowski goal in first-half stoppage time … After dropping their second meeting of 2013 4-0 at CenturyLink Field, the Earthquakes bounced back for a gritty 1-0 win … San Jose dropped their first meeting of 2014 against Seattle after a golazo from Obafemi Martins, a chipped shot from near the end line on May 17 at CenturyLink Field … The San Jose Earthquakes evened the season series on Saturday, Aug. 2, topping Western Conference leading Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 thanks to a goal from Portuguese forward Yannick Djalo … The two teams finished off the 2014 season with a 1-1 draw at CenturyLink Field on Aug. 20, with goals by Sounders FC forward Chad Barrett and Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski …, On March 7, the Earthquakes secured their first victory of the 2015 season with a 3-2 win on the road at Seattle… In their second matchup of 2015, the Quakes shutout Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 on the road at CenturyLink Stadium on June 20 … San Jose drew with Seattle Sounders FC 1-1 in their final matchup of 2015 to finish the season with an undefeated 2-0-1 record against their Western Conference foes.
Earthquakes – Seattle Sounders FC Connections
Seattle Sounders FC was brought into MLS as an expansion franchise ahead of the 2009 season, a year after the San Jose Earthquakes rejoined the league following a two-season absence … Sounders FC sporting director Chris Henderson played with Quakes general manager John Doyle in the early 1990s for the U.S. Men’s National Team … Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart, Seattle midfielder Brad Evans, and Seattle defender Chad Marshall played together for the Columbus Crew in 2008 … Earthquakes defender Shaun Francis and Marshall were teammates with the Columbus Crew from 2010-12 … Quakes midfielder Cordell Cato made eight appearances for the Sounders FC in 2012, recording one assist … Seattle midfielder Brad Evans scored his first career goal against San Jose … Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham and Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei played at Cal … Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn (2009-12), Seattle midfielder Aaron Kovar (2012-13), Seattle forward Jordan Morris (2013-15) and Seattle defender Chad Marshall (2002-03) played at Stanford … Jahn and Kovar were teammates at Stanford in 2012 … Quakes midfielder Sanna Nyassi made 38 appearances for Seattle from 2008-10 … Earthquakes defender Shaun Francis and Sounders FC midfielder/defender Oniel Fisher were both born in Jamaica and play on the national team together … Earthquakes goalkeeper Bryan Meredith played for Seattle from 2011-12 … Seattle defender Tyrone Mears as well as Quakes defender Jordan Stewart and midfielder Simon Dawkins were all born in England … Mears (2007-09) and Dawkins (2013-16) also both played for Derby County … Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski and Sounders FC forward Clint Dempsey played together for the United States National Team during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, with Wondolowski replacing Dempsey in the 87th minute against Portugal … Dempsey (2001-03) and Quakes midfielder Shea Salinas (2004-07) both played at Furman University … Earthquakes forward Chad Barrett played for Seattle Sounders FC from 2014-15, scoring 12 goals over 44 appearances … San Jose midfielder Cordell Cato and Seattle defender Joevin Jones are both from Trinidad … Quakes midfielders Anibal Godoy and Alberto Quintero as well as Sounders FC defender Roman Torres were all born in Panama City, Panama.