San Jose has won two of its last three matches against the Sounders (L1)following a run of 14 straight meetings without a win (D6 L8). The Earthquakes beat Seattle, 4-3, at home, on April 23, becoming the first team to defeat Seattle after trailing by two goals in the Sounder’s MLS history.
The Sounders will miss the playoffs for the first time in club history following a 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. Seattle will set club records for fewest points (40, previous record 47 in 2009) and most losses (17, previous record 14 in 2016) in a full season this year.
San Jose’s 2-0 win over Minnesota United on Saturday was its eighth win this season, but the Earthquakes have not won two in a row all season. The Earthquakes have just one win on the road all season (D4 L11) as their seven away points are tied for the fewest in MLS (w/Colorado).
Raul Ruidiaz enters the final match of the season leading the Sounders with nine goals. Seattle has had at least one double-digit scorer in every season in 2013 when Eddie Johnson led the team with nine goals.
Shea Salinas, who announced his retirement on Wednesday, scored his first career direct free-kick goal in his 379th career MLS appearance and 336th for San Jose (including playoffs) in the Earthquakes win on Saturday. Those 336 appearances are the eighth-most by any player for a single team in MLS history.
