The San Jose Earthquakes aim to keep their winning streak alive on Sunday as they face the Seattle Sounders, who are coming off a solid performance in CONCACAF play.
After finishing 10th in the Western Conference last season, the Earthquakes (3-0-0, 9 points) are among four teams in the West that have not lost any points yet, and one of three that have not conceded a goal.
In their last match, Ousseni Bouda scored his second goal, again assisted by new player Timo Werner, giving San Jose a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union last Saturday.
The Earthquakes may have been fortunate, as the Union created more chances overall. However, Bouda noted that a win is still valuable, even if it wasn’t their best performance. “We could have done better in possession, but we got the win, and that’s what matters,” he said.
Werner, previously with RB Leipzig and Tottenham, has not yet started as he regains his fitness after limited play in Germany. However, he played the entire second half against the Union, which might lead to a start on Sunday.
Seattle (2-1-0, 6 points) comes into this match having won two straight after defeating West champions Vancouver 3-0 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup round-of-16 series.
Winger Paul Arriola scored twice in his first start since recovering from a torn ACL, showing he could be an important player for the Sounders as they try to stay competitive with the unbeaten teams in the West.
Seattle manager Brian Schmetzer highlighted Arriola’s overall contribution, saying it wasn’t just about the goals but also his smart play and strong defending, which aided the team. The inclusion of Arriola and Osaze De Rosario also allowed regular players Paul Rothrock and Daniel Musovski to rest, leading to Rothrock scoring the third goal and his second of the season across all competitions.