Opponent: San Jose Earthquakes
When: 7 p.m.
Where: CenturyLink Field
TV: Kong 6/16
Radio: 97.3 KIRO FM; Spanish broadcast available on La Gran D 99.3 FM.
Scouting report
Sounders FC made the disappointment of its quarterfinal exit from the CONCACAF Champions League a distant memory with back-to-back wins to open the MLS season, and now Seattle (2-0) will try to make it three in a row — all at home — against San Jose (2-1-0). This game carries a little bit of extra importance for Sounders FC, not only because it is the third in a row at home before heading to the east coast next week, but also because with the league going to an unbalanced schedule, games against Western Conference foes carry more weight in the playoff battle
“We’ve talked about winning more games at home than we did last year, and starting off 3-0 at home is important to us,” Sounders FC coach Sigi Schmid said. “Especially because this game is coming against an opponent in the Western Conference, and conference games are more important because of the way the playoff format is structured and because we play those teams more often.”
When it comes to the Earthquakes, priority No. 1 is stopping forward Chris Wondolowski, who scored twice last week in San Jose’s 3-0 win in Toronto. While it is unfair to call the Earthquakes a one-man team, they do rely on Wodolowski quite a bit. Over the past two seasons, Wondolowski has 34 goals — the most in Major League Soccer — while the rest of his team scored 40.
“Everybody thought two years ago in 2010 when he scored those 18 goals that it was a little bit of a fluke, but obviously it wasn’t a fluke because he followed that last year with 16 and he’s already got three this year,” Schmid said. “… He’s a dangerous player.”
As for Seattle, injuries once again are a big concern despite being just two games into the season. Midfielder Mauro Rosales (knee) will miss his second straight game, forward Eddie Johnson (hip) will miss a third straight game, and right back Adam Johansson (hamstring) is also likely out. Midfielder Brad Evans (hamstring) is also a question mark, Schmid told reporters Friday.
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