The data from the loss is not pretty. It was a game that became very direct and a bit sloppy. Seattle Sounders FC highlights were limited Michael Gspurning dominating his net, some strong effort by David Estrada and near chances inside the box. In the 75th minute it was Busch that double-saved Mauro Rosales and Estrada in one of Seattle's most threatening moments.
One of the surprises of the match is that Frank Yallop did not use a single sub. The official, non-Opta data shows how close the match was and could be why Sigi Schmid says in the quotes that he felt the Sounders deserved a tie.
Scoring Summary:
SJ - Chris Wondolowski 45+1'
Seattle Sounders FC - Michael Gspurning, DeAndre Yedlin, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Djimi Traore, Leo Gonzalez, Mauro Rosales (Alex Caskey 81), Osvaldo Alonso, Andy Rose, Steve Zakuani (Eriq Zavaleta 85), Sammy Ochoa (Lamar Neagle 81), David Estrada.
Substitutes Not Used: Marcus Hahnemann, Marc Burch, Zach Scott, Servando Carrasco.
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Alonso 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Estrada 2); FOULS: 10 (Yedlin 3); OFFSIDE: 1 (Estrada, Rosales 1); CORNER KICKS: 8 (Rosales 8); SAVES: 4 (Gspurning 4).
San Jose Earthquakes - Jon Busch, Ty Harden, Nana Attakora, Jason Hernandez, Dan Gargan, Shea Salinas, Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Ramiro Corrales, Adam Jahn, Chris Wondolowski.
Substitutes Not Used: David Bingham, Cordell Cato, Brad Ring, Walter Martinez, Sam Garza, Marcus Tracy, Abu Tommy.
TOTAL SHOTS: 13 (Wondolowski 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Salinas, Wondolowski 2); FOULS: 8 (Three players, 2); OFFSIDE: 3 (Baca 2); CORNER KICKS: 7 (Salinas 6); SAVES: 4 (Busch 4).
Misconduct Summary:
None
Referee: Baldomero Toledo
Referee's Assistants: Frank Anderson, Adam Garner
4th Official: Daniel Radford
Attendance: 10,525
Time of Game: 1:52
Weather: Clear and 54 degrees
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FRANK YALLOP
On game:
"It was a solid performance all the way around for us. Seattle is a good team and they created a lot of dangerous situations, but our back four did a very good job and didn't let them get many clear-cut chances. We had three very good chances to score and I feel that we deserved the win tonight. I am proud of the effort."
On Chris Wondolowski:
"He had some great chances tonight and he finished the hardest one of all of them. That is what I like about Chris. He never hangs his head and he keeps pushing, looking for the opportunities even if he has missed some earlier in the game. That was a great finish tonight."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On scoring winning goal:
"I was lucky enough to get the touch and control the ball. I saw Seattle's goalkeeper [Michael Gspurning] shading toward the ball. He probably wasn't expecting me to shoot from outside the box. I got a good foot on it and was able to score far post. It was a great way to go into halftime with the lead. Our defense really handcuffed them in the second half to hold that lead until the final whistle"
On win:
"It was a great win for our team. Whenever you walk out on your home pitch, you're thinking three points. It feels good to get an early test with a [Western] Conference opponent who is always tough to beat. There was an electric atmosphere tonight and we definitely fed off of that."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SHEA SALINAS
On shutout:
"Our back line was huge tonight. They were winning every header, fighting hard for 90-plus minutes. Jason [Hernandez] and Nana [Attakora] were stingy in the middle, and Dan [Gargan] was amazing on the outside. [Jon] Busch made some incredible saves and played one of his better matches."
On team's play:
"We're feeling momentum. We played well in Columbus; we had a great week of practice and tonight we took a step closer to where we want to be as a team. Our midfield play was fluid, creating chances for our strikers. Every guy is upping their play and, until we are back to full strength on our roster, we are going to need that every night."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC HEAD COACH SIGI SCHMID
Overall thoughts:
"I thought the spirit and effort was good. We controlled the possession most of the game until we made that error and allowed a very good goal by [Chris] Wondolowski to end the first half. [Michael] Gspurning made some good saves for us in the second half, but really we were just chasing the lead throughout the second half."
Thoughts on David Estrada's debut:
"It was okay. He helped us by stretching our defense and I thought he did that."
How difficult it is chasing the game:
"We made the changes we thought we had to [in order to] make the game work in our favor. We just needed to find ways to get fresh legs on. I thought we deserved to leave with a tie, not necessary a win, but at least a tie."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC GOALKEEPER MICHAEL GSPURNING
Overall thoughts on the season:
"It's not the start we want, but we know there are positives to take from what we've done so far. We continue to play well. We have to find a way to fix the problem of conceding the late goals. The only way to solve this problem is to battle through and train hard for the next week."
How important are the veterans on this team:
"It is absolutely up to us. We know the situation and how to lead this team and we know it's important to improve our quality both individually and as a team. It doesn't of course look good when you look on the standings and you're the last team in the table. If we stay calm and work together, we know we can gain the points and victories in the tough schedule coming up."
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC MIDFIELDER OSVALDO ALONSO
Thoughts on season overall so far:
"Of course we're not happy, but there's always more games to play. We have to continue to prepare more both physically and mentally to make those victories happen."
On the match:
"It was a good match tonight. They are one of the best teams out this way. We knew we had to come back after the goal to end the half, so we knew what was coming to close out the game."
Thoughts on having players gone:
"We now have other players who can step up. They have to continue to play with confidence with their opportunity. As a team, we have to look forward with those men who are stepping up to the level that we want them to be at."