The San Jose Earthquakes return to MLS action on Saturday night for a vital showdown with Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders FC at Avaya Stadium, presented by 7UP. The matchup kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on CSN California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF. Saturday also marks the club’s sixth annual A&W Celebrity Root Beer Float Night, with proceeds benefitting the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization dedicated to the development of young athletes and youth sports in the Bay Area. Each fan that makes the recommended $5 donation will also receive an A&W souvenir cup while supplies last.
Last Saturday, the Quakes lost to C.F. Pachuca of Liga MX 4-3 in a friendly, staging a comeback that included three second-half goals (highlights). Midfielder Shea Salinas recorded a brace and Tommy Thompson also found the back of the net in the match. Four players – Max Alvarez, Chase Minter, Christian Chaney and Joaquin Rivas – made their Earthquakes debuts after joining on short-term agreements from USL affiliate Sacramento Republic FC.
OPPONENT INFORMATION
Earthquakes vs. Seattle All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 10-7-3
Home: 5-1-2 (12 GF, 5 GA)
Away: 5-6-1 (12 GF, 17 GA)
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 24, Seattle – 22
Last Game vs. Seattle
Earthquakes 0, Seattle 2; May 7, 2016; CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
The San Jose Earthquakes fell to Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 at CenturyLink Field. The loss snapped a five-game unbeaten streak against Seattle (3-0-2) dating back to the 2014 season. The Quakes were forced to shuffle the lineup after last week’s late comeback draw in Philadelphia. With Quincy Amarikwa absent with a hamstring injury and Anibal Godoy serving a one-match suspension, forward Chad Barrett made his first start and appearance of the season and midfielder Matheus Silva made his first professional start. In the sixth minute of the match, Sounders FC midfielder Osvaldo Alonso drilled a low shot from the edge of the penalty area that was ticketed for the far post, but Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham fully extended to his left to punch it away for a corner kick. Seattle forward Clint Dempsey opened the scoring in the 26th minute. Receiving a pass at the penalty spot from Erik Friberg, Dempsey first-timed his shot past Bingham and into the side netting. The Quakes came close to equalizing just three minutes into the second half. Midfielder Alberto Quintero gained control of a long ball and had a go on net, but his shot was blocked. The loose ball rolled out to Barrett, but his subsequent effort was blocked as well. Ten minutes later, Earthquakes midfielder Simon Dawkins lined up to take a free kick just outside the 18-yard box. His curling effort froze goalkeeper Stefan Frei, but smacked the bottom of the crossbar, hit the goal line and was secured by the net minder as it popped into the air. San Jose looked to bring the score level at one apiece when Victor Bernardez was taken down in the penalty area late in the match. Chris Wondolowski stepped to take the penalty, sending Frei the wrong way, but his shot glanced the outside of the post and was cleared to safety. As the Quakes pushed on for an equalizer, Sounders FC forward Jordan Morris scored in waning moments to double the advantage and seal the result.
History of the Quakes – Seattle 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 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 … 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 … Quakes midfielder Sanna Nyassi made 38 appearances for Seattle from 2008-10 … Earthquakes defender Shaun Francis, as well as Sounders FC midfielder/defender Oniel Fisher and defender Damion Lowe were all born in Jamaica … Francis and Fisher play on the Jamaican 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 … San Jose forward Henok Goitom and Seattle midfielder Erik Friberg are both from Sweden.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Earthquakes vs. Sounders FC All-Time
The Quakes are 10-7-3 all-time against their Western Conference rival, with a 5-1-2 record at home.
Second Meeting
Saturday’s match marks the second meeting this season between the two clubs. Sounders FC defeated the Quakes 2-0 in their first clash at CenturyLink Field on May 7.
Success vs. Seattle
San Jose is 3-1-2 in their last six matches against Seattle, including two shutouts. In their only prior meeting at Avaya Stadium, the two teams drew 1-1 (9/12/15).
Best of the Best
Forward Chris Wondolowski has scored nine goals against Seattle Sounders FC in his career, including two last season, three more than any other player in MLS history. He has tallied at least one goal against Seattle in each of the past seven seasons.
Salinas Against Seattle
Quakes midfielder Shea Salinas has recorded four assists against Seattle in his career, trailing only Brad Davis (7) and Landon Donovan (6) for most against Sounders FC all-time.
Earthquakes in Friendlies
Including Saturday’s thrilling game against Pachuca, San Jose is 10-9-8 all-time in friendlies, including a 7-1-4 record in their last 12 matches.
Thompson Finds the Net
On Saturday, Tommy Thompson scored his second goal in an international friendly for the Quakes, having previously capitalized in the 2-1 victory against CDS Vida on Oct. 14, 2014.
Meredith Returns from Injury
Against Pachuca, goalkeeper Bryan Meredith made his third start of 2016 after previously starting in the 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad of La Liga on May 18 and the 2-0 loss to the Portland Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup on June 14. The Quakes goalkeeper has been out of action since early July after undergoing surgery to repair an abdominal strain.
Salinas Records a Brace
Against C.F. Pachuca, Shea Salinas scored his second and third international friendly goals with the Quakes. Salinas previously found the back of the net in the 4-0 win against the Honduran U-23 Olympic Team on July 15, 2008.
On the Leaderboard
Among the Earthquakes that rank near the top in various statistical categories in MLS are:
David Bingham – 75.7 saves percentage (3rd in MLS)
David Bingham – 84 saves (6th in MLS)
David Bingham – 1.10 goals against average (7th in MLS)
David Bingham – 6 shutouts (t-5th in MLS)
Alberto Quintero – 62 fouls suffered (4th in MLS)
MLS Goals Since 2010
Chris Wondolowski has been by far the league’s most efficient striker since 2010, leading the league in goals during that time span:
1. Chris Wondolowski – 111 goals
2. Robbie Keane – 80
3. Alvaro Saborio – 71
4. Kei Kamara – 68
5. Bradley Wright-Phillips – 62
6. Sebastien Le Toux – 55
7. Fabian Espindola – 54
8. Thierry Henry – 51
T9. Dominic Oduro – 50
T9. Will Bruin – 50
Wondolowski Continues To Climb All-Time MLS Goals List
Chris Wondolowski knows how to find the back of the net. Here are the top-10 all-time goal scorers in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 144 in 334 games
2. Jeff Cunningham – 134 in 365 games
3. Jaime Moreno – 133 in 340 games
4. Chris Wondolowski – 118 in 251 games
5. Ante Razov – 114 in 262 games
6. Jason Kreis – 108 in 305 games
7. Dwayne De Rosario – 104 in 343 games
8. Taylor Twellman – 101 in 174 games
9. Edson Buddle – 100 in 304 games
T10. Roy Lassiter – 88 in 179 games
T10. Carlos Ruiz – 88 in 182 games
Wondolowski Near Top Of MLS All-Time Game-Winning Goals List
Chris Wondolowski has a flair for game-winning goals. Here are the top-five game-winning goal scorers in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 41 in 334 games
2. Jeff Cunningham – 40 in 365 games
3. Chris Wondolowski – 38 in 251 games
4. Ante Razov – 33 in 262 games
5. Jason Kreis – 31 in 305 games
Road Goals Leaderboard
Here are the top-five goal scorers on the road in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 62
2. Chris Wondolowski – 60
3. Jeff Cunningham – 57
4. Ante Razov – 54
5. Jaime Moreno – 50
Goals for One Club
Here are the top-five goal scorers with a single club in MLS history:
1. Jaime Moreno, DC – 131
2. Chris Wondolowski, SJ – 114
3.Landon Donovan, LA – 112
4. Taylor Twellman, NE – 101
5. Jason Kreis, DAL – 91
Earthquakes To Host A&W Celebrity Root Beer Float Night on Saturday, Sept. 10
The San Jose Earthquakes will host their sixth annual A&W Celebrity Root Beer Float Night on Saturday, Sept. 10, starting at 5:30 p.m. PT in the 7UP Epicenter prior to the club’s match against Seattle Sounders FC scheduled to kickoff at 7:30 p.m. Fans can expect to have A&W Root Beer Floats prepared by former 49ers center Eric Heitmann and former U.S. Women’s National Team member and 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Brandi Chastain, among many others.
Earthquakes Announce Kickoff Time Change for Match Against Whitecaps FC on October 16
In conjunction with Major League Soccer, the San Jose Earthquakes announced that the club’s match on Sunday, Oct. 16 against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Avaya Stadium has been moved to 2 p.m. PT. The match, originally scheduled for 4 p.m., will be broadcast on CSN California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.
ACADEMY UPDATE
Quakes Academy Returns to Pitch
The Earthquakes Academy kicked off the 2016-17 season against Placer United SC. The U-14s won 2-1, the U-13s tied 0-0 and the U-12s lost 4-0 and tied 2-2. The Earthquakes now turn their attention to the De Anza Force, with a full slate of games featuring every age group from U-12 to U-18 on Saturday. The matches will be played at Las Positas College and Vista Montana Park.
