SEATTLE – With the club playing its fourth match in just 11 days and a fifth on the horizon on Sunday, Sounders FC Head Coach Sigi Schmid opted to rotate some of his squad on Wednesday night against the San Jose Earthquakes at CenturyLink Field.
Five new players entered the starting lineup for Seattle after a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday in its third match in six days.
Stefan Frei remains the starter at goalkeeper, but will have two different players in his back four on Wednesday. DeAndre Yedlin will stay on the right side with Chad Marshall in the middle, but Marshall will be joined by Djimi Traore to form the center back tandem and Jalil Anibaba will start at left back. This marks the first time this defensive foursome has been deployed by Schmid this season.
In the midfield, Marco Pappa comes back into the lineup after missing Saturday’s match with a slight hamstring strain. He will start on the left side while Kenny Cooper will move from forward to the right side of midfield. In the middle of the park, Osvaldo Alonso will partner with Andy Rose, stepping into the role typically occupied by Gonzalo Pineda. Rose made his first start since March 22 last week in the Open Cup and scored two goals in a 6-0 win over the Chicago Fire in the U.S. Open Cup.
At forward, Obafemi Martins makes his return from a red-card suspension to start alongside Chad Barrett. Clint Dempsey will be on the bench for Seattle, giving the star forward a rest during a busy portion of the schedule. In two previous matches that Barrett and Martins started together up top, Sounders FC topped Real Salt Lake 4-0 and the Chicago Fire 3-2.
Along with Dempsey, regular starters Brad Evans, Leo Gonzalez and Lamar Neagle will be on the bench. As will Marcus Hahnemann, Zach Scott and Micheal Azira.
Sounders FC XI – Stefan Frei, DeAndre Yedlin, Chad Marshall, Djimi Traore, Jalil Anibaba, Kenny Cooper, Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose, Marco Pappa, Chad Barrett, Obafemi Martins.
