Sounders FC XI – Stefan Frei, DeAndre Yedlin, Jalil Anibaba, Zach Scott, Leo Gonzalez, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pineda, Marco Pappa, Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Sounders FC will have two veterans back in the lineup when it takes on the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at Levi’s Stadium. Brad Evans will be back on the right side of midfield while Leo Gonzalez returns to his customary left back position as Seattle faces the Earthquakes in a nationally televised match on NBC Sports Network.
Evans missed the last two matches with a knee injury, but has started in the midfield just once since May 3. Gonzalez also missed the last two matches while nursing a hamstring injury. Seattle is 6-1-3 when its 2013 Sounders FC Defender of the Year is in the starting lineup this season.
Stefan Frei will start in goal for Seattle one match after posting a season-high with seven saves against the LA Galaxy.
He will have a backline of DeAndre Yedlin on the right, Gonzalez on the left and a central pair of Jalil Anibaba and Zach Scott. All-Star center back Chad Marshall continues to recover from a neck sprain.
In the midfield, Osvaldo Alonso and Gonzalo Pineda will start in the middle, flanked by Evans on the right and Marco Pappa on the left. With Evans in the midfield, Seattle has the defensive cover in instances when Yedlin makes his runs up the right side. Evans is starting in place of Lamar Neagle, who suffered an ankle injury in the first half of Seattle’s 3-0 loss to the Galaxy on Monday.
At forward, Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey will partner in one of the fiercest attacking pairs in the league, combining for 17 goals and nine assists thus far in 2014. Martins scored a stunning goal in Seattle’s previous match with San Jose, a 1-0 win at CenturyLink Field in May.
