TUKWILA, Wash. - The San Jose Earthquakes haven’t made the MLS Cup Playoffs since their Supporters’ Shield-winning campaign of 2012. But when it comes to playing the Seattle Sounders, they seem to have it all figured out.
Last season, the Sounders dropped two out of three matches to the Quakes, with both defeats coming at home at CenturyLink Field. And those struggles don’t represent a one-season anomaly. San Jose has emerged as a top candidate for consideration as Seattle’s full-on bogey team and have ended up victorious in eight of their last 12 matches against the Rave Green overall.
It’s a trend the Sounders will look to buck as they gear up for their next match against the pesky Earthquakes at CenturyLink Field on Saturday (7 p.m. PT; Q13 FOX/Univision-Seattle/KIRO 97.3 FM/El Rey 1360AM).
“Obviously a conference game against a team that’s had our number the past year, year and a half,” Seattle captain Brad Evans told reporters after his team’s Wednesday practice. “Difficult team. Fast, physical, they’re playing for each other, getting results on the road. You can’t say enough about that group of guys.”
For Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, Saturday’s matchup with San Jose also presents his team with the opportunity to get on track against conference opponents. Seattle are off to an 0-4-1 start against Western Conference teams through the first eight games, compared to a 3-0-0 mark against the East.
“We need to do well in conference,” Schmid said Wednesday. “So far we’ve done OK against the East and we need to well in our conference now and playing against the West Coast teams. But hopefully the confidence that we’ve gained in the last five matches is able to carry us into this game as well.”
Evans also expressed hope that Seattle’s improved play of recent weeks could pay dividends come Saturday. After a lackluster 0-3 start, the Sounders are 3-1-1 over their last five matches and are coming off a dramatic 1-0 triumph over Columbus Crew SC last weekend courtesy of a late game-winner from rookie forward Jordan Morris.
“The most important thing is we focus and we build, probably mostly on our second half last week,” Evans said. “I thought the guys came out and put Columbus under pressure, created a number of chances and really looked fast and fluid in the second half. We can build off of that. It’s a home game and a great opportunity to pick up some points and carry that into a little bit of a road swing.”
