Seattle Sounders earn painful 1-0 win over San Jose Earthquake

The Sounders earned a gusty 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes in a midweek clash of the top two teams in the Western Conference. Victory yes but at what cost. The Sounders lost midfielder Jordy Delem in the third minute and goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the 3rd minute of stoppage time due to leg injuries. Both players had to be helped off the pitch and were unable to put any weight on the injured leg. The injuries were eerily similar in that the cause of the injury was due to the way they landed on the pitch. Now that is not a medical observation but an objective guess.  

SHUFFLED LINE UP

With two games in a span of five days Sounders head coach, Brian Schmetzer shuffled his deck. The Sounders started the game with no Will Bruin, no Brad Smith, no Joao Paulo, and the continued absence of captain Nicolas Lodeiro. The absence of four first-team players created an opportunity for Jordy Delem, Ethan Dobbelaere, Daniel  Arreaga,  and  Danny Leyva.  With Smith, Bruin, and Paulo on the bench, Schmetzer went with a 4-3-3 lineup. Unfortunately for Schmetzer, he had to shuffle the three minutes into the game.

Central defender Jordy Delem  suffered  a nasty knee injury and had to be escorted to the dressing room and was replaced by Shane O’Neill

SOUNDERS EXPLOIT THE FLANKS

Despite the shuffled deck, the Sounders exploited the San Jose Earthquakes right side with long deep runs by Nohou who started at left wing-back for Smith. The first few times Nohou went on a walkabout on the Sounders left side but was unable to produce a  dangerous cross. The third time was a  charm for  Nouhou and the Sounders. The Cameroonian speedster streaked down the left side one more time and crossed the ball into the Quakes goal. A weak clearance by a Quakes defender put the ball into Cristian Roldan’s path. Roldan passed the ball from his right foot to his left and unleashed an absolute laser beam that found the back of the Quakes net for the Sounders 1-0 lead.

QUAKES PUSHING LATE IN HALF

The Sounders make shift backline  persevered some sustained attack by the Quakes who found some space behind the Sounders defender. Were it not  for  Stefan Frei save in the 37^th minute the teams were destined to up 1-0 at the break.  The Quakes  Cade Cowell’s right footed shot was on its way to the back of the Sounders until a right handed swat by Frei pushed the ball wide.

QUAKES CONTINUE PRESSURE

Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer brought in Fredy Montero to replace   Ethan Dobbelaere for some possession and offensive firepower.  The Quakes had offensive intentions of their own as they started the second half with a  continued assault on the Sounders defense. The Quakes attacked the left side of the Sounders defense but were unable to muster meaningful shots on goal. The Sounders continued their disciplined defending though it looked shaky at times.

The insertion of Joao Paulo for Daniel Leyva enabled the Sounders to gain some possession. The Quakes countered with the insertion of Chris Wondolowski last week’s MLS Player of the Week for Javier Lopez and Andres Rio for Cade Cowell.  The game went back and forth and until heartbreak entered the pitch for the Sounders.

WILD  PAINFUL ENDING

Sounders keeper Stefan Frei attempted to bat down a cross in the 93^rd and came down awkwardly on his foot and left the game to bring to two the number of Sounders players who suffered game-ending injuries.  To add insult to injury the Sounders were out of subs and midfielder Alex Roldan had to finish the game in goal.  In his four minutes in goal, Roldan was credit with three saves as the Sounders hung on for a well-earned but costly victory.