Three keys: Sounders look to get back on track vs Earthquakes

The Seattle Sounders have had two full weeks to stew over their 4-2 loss to the Timbers, and they’re likely itching to get back onto the pitch and erase those memories as quickly as possible. They head to San Jose on Saturday to face the Earthquakes for the second time this season, with the last time being a 2-0 Seattle win at CenturyLink Field.

While this has been a bit of a rivalry at times, this version of the matchup has serious playoff implications and could turn the tide towards the winner. A win for the Sounders would catapult them above the ‘Quakes, and a win for San Jose would make the climb even harder for the Sounders. Both teams have two games in hand over the Timbers and Sporting KC, so the winner of this one would have a huge advantage in the final stretch.

Here are three keys for the Sounders when they face the Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

1. Can Seattle break its skid at San Jose?

Even though this isn’t a traditional rivalry, the Earthquakes have been a bit of a “bogey” team for the Sounders since they joined MLS in 2009. The record favors the Earthquakes (11 wins to Seattle’s seven in MLS play), and the Sounders haven’t won an away match against San Jose since 2010. But the Sounders beat them 2-0 earlier this season, and that was before the Schmetzer/Lodeiro era in Seattle. If everyone is fit and ready to go, there’s no reason that the Sounders can’t finally break their bad luck streak in San Jose.

2. International fatigue or extended rest?

Like the Sounders, the Earthquakes had six players off on international duty over the past two weeks. Lucky for the club, they also had a bye week – just like the Sounders. This puts them in a very similar position to Seattle, which makes this match even more interesting and intriguing. Neither side can lean on the excuse that they had tired players and didn’t have time to train with them all week. Will the rest be effective for the players left behind? Or will the international players make less of an impact after grueling travel and playing schedules? For Seattle, at least, most of its starters that were gone are likely to retain their places. San Jose is likely to do the same, especially with important players like Chris Wondolowski and Alberto Quintero.

3. Will Seattle’s loss to Portland be just a bump in the road to success?

The Sounders had been flying high going into their trip to Portland two weeks ago, but a poor game plan and the loss of Clint Dempsey brought them crashing back down to earth in the 4-2 loss. Rivalry matches like that tend to happen in a vacuum, and aside from any mental blocks, I don’t see it as indicative of how the Sounders will play for the rest of the season. San Jose has been historically tough for them, and the continued absence of Clint Dempsey won’t help. I think the Sounders can go back to the fluid, creative, high-scoring soccer that they had been producing in the six matches prior to the Portland loss, though. Head coach Brian Schmetzer will have had two weeks to decide who fits best into the starting XI in place of Dempsey, and he’ll have hopefully found ways to fix the mistakes of two weeks ago.

Spenser Davis also covers the Sounders for Sounder at Heart.

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