Undermanned Earthquakes Fall 1-0 on Road against Seattle Sounders FC
May 18, 2014 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release
SEATTLE, Wash. - The San Jose Earthquakes were an Obafemi Martins golazo away from taking a road point against Seattle Sounders FC, ultimately falling 1-0 after the Nigerian international scored the game-winner in highlight reel fashion on Saturday at CenturyLink Field.
Dressing just 16 players - two less than the maximum allotted on gamedays - due to injuries, international duty and suspension, San Jose was forced into a makeshift lineup. That lineup included an MLS debut for Billy Schuler, a new position for Jordan Stewart as left-center back and Shaun Francis' first game in nearly two months due to a strained hamstring.
Despite the adversity, the Earthquakes battled and put themselves in a position to earn a result. However, Martins' w�1/4nder strike had San Jose on its heels eight minutes in with the fleet-footed striker chipping a shot over Jon Busch. Martins was charging toward a pass sent via Gonzalo Pineda and somehow directed a waist-high ball on target while just a couple yards from the endline.
The Earthquakes played without regulars Chris Wondolowski (international duty), Clarence Goodson (international duty), Victor Bernardez (suspension), Alan Gordon (groin strain), Steven Lenhart (rehabbing from a sprained MCL), Yannick Djalo (groin tightness) and Andy Gorlitz (torn ACL).
Due to the absences, the team's bench included just five substitutes with an average of 20 career appearances each. By comparison, Seattle's bench had 327 more career appearances than San Jose's and an average of 61 games per player.
The Earthquakes return to action on Sunday, May 25 against the Houston Dynamo at Buck Shaw Stadium, presented by Supercuts. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.
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