Sounders’ Saturday scouting report: San Jose Earthquakes

The Sounders return to CenturyLink Field on Saturday for their second consecutive home match, this time against the San Jose Earthquakes. Fresh off of last week’s last-gasp win courtesy of Jordan Morris, the Sounders will hope to continue the momentum before heading back out onto the road next weekend. Seattle currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference with a 3-4-1 record, and depending on how other matches shake out, a win for the Sounders could take them above both the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the standings.

The Earthquakes have a had a similarly turbulent season thus far. Their lows weren’t as bad as Seattle’s, however, and they sit at a fairly comfortable fifth place with a 4-2-3 record. The Earthquakes are coming off a fairly tepid stretch. Their last three games were a 3-1 loss to Portland, a 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City and a 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.

So what can the Sounders expect when their Western Conference rivals come to town?

Wondo’s World

It’s no secret that San Jose relies heavily on Chris Wondolowski, who at age 33 continues to be one of the most dangerous forwards in the league. “Wondo” leads the Earthquakes (and all of MLS) with seven goals; nobody else on the team has more than one. This is no surprise for anyone who has followed the league for any length of time. Wondolowski is fifth in all-time goals scored in MLS with 110 since his career in the league began in 2005.

Wondolowski is an old-school forward, a traditional “No. 9” striker that has become increasingly rare in the modern game. Even though he has plenty of skill and technique on the ball, it’s his size and finishing instincts that have made him one of the most successful in MLS history. Teammates will be pumping in crosses and set pieces towards Wondolowski’s head, where he will almost always do something with them. His size and strength also means that he can shield opponents, bring down long balls over the top and open up space for teammates.

How does Seattle stop such a versatile forward? Luckily, captain and center back Brad Evans returns from his suspension just in time for this match. Evans will need to keep an eye on Wondolowski’s runs into the box and force him to play the ball backwards or sideways rather than drive it towards goal. Chad Marshall will probably need to be the one to mark Wondolowski on set pieces, using his height and strength to combat his opponent’s.

No place like home

Of San Jose’s rather modest number of goals allowed so far this season (11), a whopping nine of them were scored when playing away from home. While the Earthquakes will have Victor Bernardez available in central defense, it’s looking like US international Clarence Goodson will be out. Expect the Earthquakes to bunker down on defense and play for a draw as their weakened backline and poor away form means they can’t take any chances.

This strategy fits San Jose’s attacking strengths, though, so I expect them to be hoofing long passes to Wondolowski for much of the match. Seattle’s forwards need to pressure goalkeeper David Bingham to clear the ball quickly in the hopes of forcing inaccurate passes. Defenders (or even Osvaldo Alonso from midfield) need to close Wondolowski down quickly, as he’ll likely win many of his aerial duels.

Supporting cast can be contained

Even though it’s the Wondo show in San Jose, he does a have a handful of teammates that are also capable of doing damage. Fortunately for Seattle, those players’ weaknesses can be exploited as well. Forward Adam Jahn and midfielder Alberto Quintero have each earned MLS Goal of the Week honors this season; the award-winning goals belie the heart of San Jose’s strategy: work the ball to the flanks and pump in a cross.

The Sounders’ fullbacks will need to be vigilant when an attacker picks up the ball on the flank and close them down so that they’re forced to pass backwards or push inside and likely lose the ball. Midfielders like Quintero need to be marked from midfield, especially in crossing or set-piece situations. When a cross to a player’s head is unavailable, San Jose likes to have players make runs from deep that can be dangerous and catch defenders off guard.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.