Captions by Toby Dunkelberg
Photos by Jill Peck & Denise McCooey
Seattle and San Jose were both missing players in their 1:00PM Saturday matchup.The Sounders were without all three of their designated players, while the Earthquakes forward corp was utterly depleted. This meant both sides made heavy use of youth and bench players, with Seattle forced to rely on newcomer Thomàs as a crucial part of the attack in a 4-2-3-1.
The game started out well for the home side, After absorbing a few moments of pressure from San Jose, Seattle forced two good saves from Bingham on great long shots from Nealge and Pappa.
With all those players missing for Seattle, subs and youth were forced into odd positions. Rose and Azira looked to make the most of it with many moments of flare showing they could be more than fill-ins.
Despite moments of creativity, lapses of inattention proved Seattle’s undoing when in the 28th minute Matias Perez Garcia found a wide open Sanna Nyassi on the right for the first goal of the game.
Sounders continued to see possession but outside of a brilliant attempt from Rose they couldn’t convert that into chances. San Jose meanwhile got behind Seattle’s back four at will, forcing numerous tackles from Evans to keep it at 1-0.
The second half continued much the same way but with Zach Scott in for Brad Evans who had to go off due to a tight calf. Seattle started to look uninspired and, more and more tired after a grueling 120 minutes on Tuesday.
San Jose jumped on Seattle’s heavy legs and forced the Sounders to make draining runs out wide, a tactic that worked well for the Earthquakes as it made their speed all the more dangerous. Aaron Kovar came in to try and make crosses even more dangerous but there simply wasn’t a forward for the youngster to connect with.
After continually testing the defense and making Marhsall look tired, San Jose started to generate dangerous chances all over the pitch. After a couple near misses from Salinas, in the 73rd minute Perez Garcia danced through Seattle’s slow back line. His ensuing shot eluded Frei and effectively put the game to rest.
After the 75th minute it was clear to all in attendance that the game would end 2-0. Neither team looked very inspired going forward. The only slight moments of interest were a goal by Neagle that was called back due to Roldan fouling keeper Bingham, and a wide open chance from substitute Tommy Thomson that the Sounders somehow managed to keep out of the net.
The lack of finishing due to a combination of tired legs, injuries, suspensions, and illness cost the Sounders three points. With the 2-0 win in Seattle, San Jose continues a stretch of dominance agains the Rave Green. The Earthquakes are now 8-2-1 against Seattle over the last four years giving the Sounders both their home loses this year.
