TUKWILA, Wash. – As the Seattle Sounders get set to return from their two-week break from MLS play on Saturday with a road matchup against the San Jose Earthquakes, they enter a stretch run that will make or break their 2016 season.
Going into Saturday (7:30 p.m. PT; JOEtv, Univision-Seattle; KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360am), the Sounders (9-13-4, 31 points) are four points behind the Portland Timbers for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot, and first must vault over San Jose (7-8-11, 32 points) in order to get there.
The golden opportunity to make up some of that ground isn’t lost on the Sounders as they prepare for the matchup, midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz told reporters after Seattle’s practice on Wednesday.