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The San Jose Earthquakes haven't tasted victory for a very long time. In fact, it was August 2 of last season that the Quakes last laid claim to three points in the MLS standings, a 1-0 win against the Seattle Sounders in the first sporting event ever held at Levi's Stadium.
What has transpired since is a club record 16-game winless streak that includes last weekend's 2015 season opening loss at FC Dallas. And so the Earthquakes travel to the Pacific northwest to face the Sounders, hoping the rave green will help the blue and black move out of the red.
The match will be broadcast in the Bay Area on Comcast SportsNet California with kick-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Pacific time. Those stuck in their car with only a radio at their disposal can follow all the action from CenturyLink Field on 1590 KLIV (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish). Live streaming of the match online can be found through MLS Live.
The Sounders demolished the 2014 Eastern Conference champions New England Revolution last Sunday by a score of 3-0 as the lethal attacking duo of Clint Dempsey (two goals) and Obafemi Martins (one goal) paced Seattle in front of a sellout home crowd. Head coach Sigi Schmid may be without defensive midfielder enforcer Osvaldo Alonso for the time being, but that didn't stop the Sounders from bossing the middle of the park against the Revs. The Quakes will have their hands full dealing with the same issue on Saturday.
Head coach Dominic Kinnear is likely to employ the same starting eleven this weekend as last, as injuries to Steven Lenhart, Clarence Goodson, and Jordan Stewart require him to go with a less than full strength lineup. Newly minted designated player Innocent Emeghara, who made his MLS debut last week against Dallas in a cameo substitute appearance, could enter the starting eleven, but it is not clear whether Kinnear judges the Swiss international match fit enough to get the call.
The Quakes offense will again be in the hands of Chris Wondolowski and Matias Perez Garcia, as San Jose's other two designated players bear the load of the scoring expectations. Winger Sanna Nyassi has done a great job for Kinnear since joining the squad in the offseason, and he is expected to again be an outside threat against Seattle. Goalkeeper David Bingham, whose late game gaffe gifted FC Dallas the win last Saturday, will have his chance to atone in net and will certainly be tested by the Sounders attackers.
In 9 all-time meetings between Seattle and San Jose in the Emerald City, the home side has 5 wins and the visitors 3. In two matches at CenturyLink last season, the Sounders collected a 1-0 win and a 1-1 draw. Wondolowski is the Earthquakes leading scorer in Seattle, his first goal for San Jose against the Sounders came on August 2, 2009.