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The San Jose Earthquakes are no stranger to Seattle. Since the original club's founding in 1974 as part of the NASL, the Quakes have ventured to the Emerald City on a number of occasions for cup and regular season matches.
Saturday marks the 10th regular season meeting between the two sides since the Sounders joined MLS in 2009. In the previous nine matches, Seattle has collected wins five times and San Jose three times. The two teams played to their first ever draw at CenturyLink Field last season.
The Quakes began the 2015 MLS season on the road at FC Dallas, and looked certain to pick up a point until a late game mistake by goalkeeper David Bingham allowed the Texas team to snatch a game-winning-goal in second half stoppage time. The former Cal 'keeper and Generation Adidas signing will look for redemption this Saturday as he will again play between the posts for head coach Dominic Kinnear.
The official MLS injury report lists Steven Lenhart, Clarence Goodson, and Jordan Stewart as out for the match against the Sounders. The designated player trio of Chris Wondolowski, Matias Perez Garcia, and Innocent Emeghara are available and will be called upon to help the Quakes score their first goal of the season and first victory since a 1-0 win against Seattle last August at Levi's Stadium.
The Sounders, the defending Supporters' Shield winners, thoroughly dismantled Eastern Conference champions New England Revolution in their season opener last week. Clint Dempsey led the way for Seattle in a 3-0 victory and was the runner up for MLS Player of the Week behind fellow U.S. international teammate and Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore.
The Earthquakes return to San Jose after week two of the MLS season and will prepare for their home opener, the regular season debut of brand-new Avaya Stadium. Former head coach Frank Yallop will bring his Fire team to Avaya Stadium to face the Quakes. Last year, Chicago delivered five goals to San Jose in a one-sided loss at Buck Shaw Stadium.
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