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Sounders-Earthquakes Preview

Aug 1, 2009 - 6:01 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Seattle (7-3-8) at San Jose (3-10-5), 3:00 p.m. EDT

The Seattle Sounders FC is doing a nice job on the defensive end lately.

The expansion club, though, needs to start finding the back of the net with more regularity as they kick off a stretch of three straight conference road games.

Seattle looks to extend its unbeaten streak to seven Sunday at Buck Shaw Stadium where it faces a San Jose Earthquakes club that's hoping to have its top two scorers back in the lineup.

Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller stopped two shots and earned his sixth shutout of the season in a scoreless draw against Chicago on July 25. Coupled with a 3-0 victory at Colorado on June 28, Seattle (7-3-8) has shut out two of its last three opponents while allowing a total of one goal.

"Defensively our ability to hold the ball, our ability to balance people off offensively, we do a pretty good job of that," coach Sigi Schmid told the Sounders' official Web site. "It's just a matter of when we dominant games, the key to the sport is when you dominate games you've got to score goals and when you get dominated not to give any goals up."

Seattle, 3-0-3 since a 1-0 loss at Chivas USA on June 6, has scored twice in its last two matches.

With games at Real Salt Lake and Los Angeles following this contest, the Sounders are hoping their top two goal scorers - Fredy Montero (nine) and Nate Jaqua (five) - can start converting.

Montero hit a shot off the crossbar in the second half against the Fire while Jaqua missed on three first-half opportunities.

"It's disappointing - I think we did enough to win, but we have to be a little sharper in front of the goal," Jaqua said.

San Jose (3-10-5), meanwhile, is trying to build off a 2-all tie versus DC United last Saturday when it rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the opening 21 minutes.

Ryan Johnson scored his team-leading seventh goal in the 36th minute and Cornell Glen recorded the equalizer in the 62nd on a penalty kick for the Earthquakes, who are 0-2-2 since a 2-1 win over Los Angeles on June 20.

"It was a good fightback by us," Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop told the teams' official Web site.

San Jose's comeback, though, did not come without a cost, as Johnson left five minutes after his goal with a sprained left shoulder.

"The X-rays came back negative," he said. "I just have to deal with the pain for the week and get ready for Sunday."

Midfielder Arturo Alvarez, second on the club with five goals, is questionable Sunday due to a right hamstring injury that kept him from facing United.

San Jose signed Brazilian midfielder Andre Luiz Moreira on Friday.

Seattle midfielder Freddie Ljungberg will serve a one-game suspension after picking up two yellow cards last Saturday. Ljungberg and Montero scored in a 2-1 victory over San Jose on June 13 at Qwest Field.

The Sounders won the first-ever matchup with the Earthquakes on April 25, posting a 2-0 victory in Seattle.