Seattle Sounders missed the opportunity to climb to the top of the Western Conference after being held to a 1-1 draw by the San Jose Earthquakes.

The first chance of the game fell to the visitors in the 12th minute when Atiba Harris forced Stefan Frei into an impressive save with a powerful strike from the edge of the box.

Seattle took charge of the match following a sluggish start, but they were left frustrated in the first half as Jon Busch made stops to deny both Kenny Cooper and Obafemi Martins.

It proved to be a different story just after the break as the Sounders broke the deadlock in the opening minute of the second half thanks to Chad Barrett, who benefited from a clever pass from Martins on his way to sliding the ball past Busch.

Seattle could have extended their advantage, but were guilty of wasting good opportunities as Marco Pappa and Barrett missed chances from the edge of the box.

San Jose made the hosts pay for their misses in the 65th minute when Cordell Cato eased past a couple of defenders before picking out Chris Wondolowski, who tapped home the equaliser from close range.

Neither side were happy to settle for a point in the closing stages, but a lack of clear opportunities ensured there was no winner at CenturyLink Field.