San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders set out in search of their first win of the season when they go head to head at PayPal Park on Saturday.
Luchi Gonzalez's men are unbeaten in each of their last five games against the Sounders and will head into the weekend looking to extend this dominant two-year streak.
Match preview
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San Jose Earthquakes were left empty handed once again as they suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sporting Kansas City when the sides squared off at the Children's Mercy Park last Sunday.
An 11th-minute strike from Brazilian forward Vitor Costa gave the visitors a dream start to the game but quick-fire goals from Daniel Rosero Valencia and Alan Pulido helped the Wizards turn the game on its head.
Gonzalez's side have now lost each of their opening four games of the new MLS campaign, suffering defeats against FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Vancouver Whitecaps and Sporting Kansas City respectively.
This has been in keeping with their unconvincing performance in pre-season, where they picked up just one win in their five warm-up matches while losing once and claiming three draws.
The Quakes' poor start to the season has been owing to their defensive vulnerability as they have conceded at least two goals in each of their opening four matches while finding the target just three times at the opposite end of the pitch.
San Jose Earthquakes head into the weekend without a win in any of their last 10 MLS outings, claiming four draws and losing six since a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on September 17.
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Seattle Sounders, on the other hand, were left spitting feathers last time out as they were held to a somewhat disappointing 1-1 draw by Colorado Rapids when the sides met at Lumen Field.
In a game where Josh Atencio received his marching orders, Raul Ruidiaz put the hosts on their way to a first win of the season with an 11th-minute penalty but Kevin Cabral struck with three minutes left in the game to force a share of the spoils.
Prior to that, Seattle Sounders kicked off the campaign with a 2-1 defeat against Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium on February 24, one week before playing out a goalless draw with Austin FC on home turf.
Brian Schmetzer's men have now gone six consecutive games without a win across all competitions, losing six and claiming two draws since a 2-0 pre-season victory over Swedish outfit Norrkoping on February 4.
While Seattle will be looking to find their feet this weekend, recent results against San Jose Earthquakes offer little optimism as they have failed to win each of the last five meetings between the two teams, losing four and claiming one draw since a 3-1 victory in September 2021.
Team News
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San Jose Earthquakes will be without several players down the spine of the team as the likes of Michael Baldisimo (Philippines), Ousseni Bouda (Burkina Faso), Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador), Cruz Medina (USA Under-19) and Emmanuel Ochoa (Mexico Under-20) are all away on international duty.
On the injury front, Gonzalez will be unable to name the duo of Carlos Akapo and goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, who are currently recuperating from foot and ACL injuries respectively.
Teenage midfielder Niko Tsakiris has also been out of action since sustaining an abdominal injury back in October and will also play no part in this weekend's matchup.
Seattle Sounders will have to cope without Atencio, who is currently suspended, meaning that experienced midfielder Albert Rusnak could be handed his first start of the season.
On the injury front, the Sounders remain without several key players down the spine of the team, including the likes of Xavier Arreaga (ankle), Braudilio Rodrigues, Stefan Frei and Reed Baker-Whiting (all hamstring)
Argentine forward Pedro De la Vega has missed the last two matches after sustaining a muscle injury against Austin on March 3 and will play no part in Saturday's game.
Brazilian defender Nathan Cardoso is also set to sit out his third consecutive game through injury while fellow countryman Joao Paulo is currently recuperating from a hip problem.
San Jose Earthquakes possible starting lineup:
Daniel; Marie, Wilson, Rodrigues, Costa; Morales, Yueill; Espinoza, Skahan, Pellegrino; Ebobisse
Seattle Sounders possible starting lineup:
Thomas; A. Roldan, Ragen, Andrade, Tolo; C. Roldan, Chu, Vargas, Rusnak; Morris Ruidiaz
We say: San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 Seattle Sounders
San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders have both stumbled into the new campaign and will be looking to find their feet this weekend. The Quakes' home advantage gives them a slight edge here and we finally see them ending their losing streak in front of their home supporters.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joshua Ojele
