SOUNDERS FC: Sounders at Earthquakes match preview

Tomorrow night the Sounders (0-2-1) will take on the San Jose Earthquakes (1-1-0) at 7:30 p.m. Seattle is looking to rebound from a tough start to the season by earning their first win. For San Jose, they are looking to continue the style of play that led them to a 2-0 win over FC Dallas last weekend.

It appears the Sounders will be without forward Fredy Montero for the match as he recovers from wrist surgery.

“..In the surgery they actually found an old break in there, as well as the new one. It was a little more than they had expected, so based on that they're thinking maybe not this weekend,” Head Coach Sigi Schmid said.

To Continue...Another scratch for tomorrow will be forward Mike Fucito who hurt his ankle in training.

So the question is, who will replace Montero if he is not available for tomorrows match?

While I personally believe Sigi will give the nod to Nate Jaqua, the coaching staff is exploring all their options.

“We've got Rosales who can play in that position. We've got Zakuani who can play there. Estrada has done well for us in games recently, so he’s an option,” Schmid said.

While it is likely the Sounders will be without one of their main goal scorers, San Jose is hoping to lean on the hot foot of theirs. After winning the golden boot award last year with 18 goals, Chris Wondolowski is already off to a hot start this season. He scored twice last weekend in the Quakes 2-0 victory. The Seattle defense will definitely have their hands full staying with Wondolowski.

Another important key for the Sounders will be shutting down Bobby Convey. Convey has not scored as of late, but he is fast on the outside and still can be very dangerous. Luckily, it looks like James Riley is fully recovered from the concussion that forced him to miss the match against Houston. He will be a key defender in stopping Convey.

The season is still young and there should be no reason for panic just yet. While the Sounders have not been scoring, they have out-shot their opponents 47-33. It will only be a matter of time before these shots/opportunities are converted into goals, leading to wins.

Lets hope the trend starts this weekend! The match will be broadcast tomorrow night on King 5.

Reach Ryan Kinney at rkinney20@gmail.com