It's pretty hard to forget what happened last May when San Jose came to CenturyLink Field. Obafemi Martins' stunner withstood the test of time as the season progressed and ultimately earned him the 2014 AT&T Goal of the Year. This time around, the 'Quakes are rolling into Seattle as the Sounders are riding an opening weekend victory that left both the team and supporters pleased.
In this week's From the Other Side we talk with Elliott Almond of the San Jose Mercury News about this weekend's matchup.
Dangerman – Chris Wondolowski
It comes as no surprise to Coach Sigi Schmid and a backline with veterans Brad Evans and Chad Marshall that Chris Wondolowski is a threat every time he steps on the field. The man they call Wondo has seven career goals against the Sounders -- the most of anyone in Major League Soccer during the regular season.
Wondolowski has led the Earthquakes in scoring for five consecutive years, including 27 goals in 2012 when he was the league’s most valuable player. But the striker’s game has elevated since becoming a regular with the U.S. National Team under coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
Wondo might be considered nothing more than an opportunist goalscorer, but he holds up the ball better and his overall play is sharper. While it wasn’t readily apparent in San Jose’s season-opening 1-0 defeat at FC Dallas, the team is more potent than in the past two years. Surrounded by better pieces should make Wondolowski all the more dangerous this season.
Player to Keep an Eye On in 2015 – David Bingham
San Jose’s new Head Coach Dominic Kinnear handed the keys to a talented goalkeeper to take over for veteran Jon Busch, now a Chicago Fire backup. It could take the year for Bingham, 25, to show the coach made the right call. Bingham had a strong start last weekend except for allowing a fluke goal in the 92nd minute that spelled disaster. Now he goes up against a former UC Berkeley teammate in Stefan Frei.
The Golden Bears, by the way, have two other MLS keepers with Josh Saunders in the net for New York City FC and Eric Kronberg a backup with the Montreal Impact. Bingham was a freshman backup in Frei’s final season at Cal in 2008. “We were together for only two or so months,” he said this week. The 6-foot-2 Bingham had made only five MLS appearances since joining the Quakes in 2011 until taking over the job this season. But he played in 19 games last year while loaned out to San Antonio and a club in Norway.
Best Offseason Pickup – Innocent Emeghara
The Swiss striker became the Earthquakes’ third Designated Player, giving San Jose the kind of speed up front it had lacked. At 5-7, 150 pounds, Emeghara is expected to wear down defenses once he fully recovers from a left shoulder injury. He made his MLS debut last weekend in the final minutes as Kinnear plans to bring him along slowly. A member of the 2012 Swiss Olympic team, Emeghara has played for Zurich’s top soccer club as well as in Serie A in Italy.
Best Recent Team-Related Tweet
Favorite Stat
The Earthquakes have a 16-game winless streak – third longest in Major League Soccer history – that began after a 1-0 victory over the Sounders on Aug. 2 in the debut of the San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium.
Three Thoughts on #SEAvSJ
1) The Quakes’ new defending corps did well in keeping Dallas’ impressive forwards from getting too many opportunities. But Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins and Co. might be too much too soon for a talented group still learning to play with each other.
2) San Jose has kept its poise at CenturyLink Field with lesser talent, so fans should expect nothing short of a pitched battle.
3) Watch the midfield. On paper, Seattle has the edge with Lamar Neagle, Micheal Azira, Gonzalo Pineda and Marco Pappa. But San Jose has made major upgrades with a more fleet-footed attack that includes newcomer Sanna Nyassi on the right wing and Argentinean Matias Perez Garcia as the attacking midfielder. Kinnear also has the option of bringing on rookie Fatai Alashe, the No. 4 overall pick in the MLS draft, to play a box-to-box role.
