The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Sunday at Lumen Field.
San Jose had the first opportunity of the match in the seventh minute when Cade Cowell slipped a pass to Chofis López from 12 yards out, but he skied his shot over the crossbar.
The Sounders had several chances to take the lead, starting in the 21st minute when Raúl Ruidíaz took a beautiful cross from João Paulo off his chest, but he sent his shot over the goal. Ruidíaz nearly got one six minutes later when Kelyn Rowe sent a through ball to the near post, but Ruidíaz’s one-timed effort was saved by JT Marcinkowski.
Reed Baker-Whiting nearly opened his MLS account in the 34th minute when Ruidíaz put a sublime through ball into Baker-Whiting’s path, but the 16-year-old’s shot was saved by Marcinkowski.
The Earthquakes took the lead in first half stoppage time when Cristian Espinoza capitalized on a turnover and tucked a left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box into the near post corner.
San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski thought he had scored in the 89th minute to ice the game for the ‘Quakes, but his goal was ruled offside after the ball went out of bounds in the buildup.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Streak Snapped
The Sounders’ 14-match unbeaten streak against the Earthquakes was snapped on Sunday. This was San Jose’s first win over Seattle since 2015.
Bruin Returns
Forward Will Bruin came on as an 83rd-minute substitute marking his return to action after undergoing meniscus surgery. He was a spark off the bench late for the Sounders after missing the last five matches.
Quick Turnaround
The Sounders need to rebound quickly when they face an FC Dallas team on Wednesday (7 p.m. PT; JOEtv, Prime Video, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) that has been near the basement of the Western Conference all season. The Sounders will end a three-match homestand before going on the road for three contests in a row.
