By: Eric He
SAN JOSE – Give Chris Wondolowski a prime scoring chance around the net and he’ll usually convert. On Friday night, he had not one, not two, not three, but four great opportunities in the second half to put one past the goalkeeper. None of them went in.
The result? A disappointing scoreless draw for the San Jose Earthquakes against the New York City FC in front of a sold-out Avaya Stadium.
“Not happy with this point, no,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We should have come out with the win. I think we know that … We had some good looks. To come out with no goals is a bit surprising tonight.”
San Jose applied pressure throughout the second half and consistently knocked on the doorstep. Wondolowski had several chances from in close, none better than in the 69th minute when a deflected shot by Shea Salinas found Wondolowski all alone in front. But his volley bounced off the post to keep the match scoreless.
The captain said that was the opportunity he’d like to have back the most.
“I thought I had a little more time, but I’ve got to finish it,” he said.
Wondolowski also had opportunities in the 52nd and 57th minutes – the first of which was a header from point blank that went wide.
“I wasn’t losing any confidence,” Wondolowski said. “Just bad choices, bad execution, poor finishing.”
Chad Barrett subbed in and had a great scoring chance in the 76th minute off a terrific lead pass, but he was denied by NYCFC goalkeeper Josh Saunders. Another excellent ball in the 84th minute gave Wondolowski a chance on an odd-man rush, but he once again took to long to shoot and his attempt was blocked.
“Soccer’s always that game,” he said. “It ebbs and flows. I think we created some chances, especially myself. We need to finish them, and that changes the whole course of the game.”
The Earthquakes, who outshot NYCFC 19-10, also had the better of opportunities in the first half, but both teams entered the locker room scoreless. The 10th minute featured a cross by Quincy Amarikwa to Anibal Godoy, but his shot went high. Amarikwa had a chance three minutes later in front, but Saunders gobbled up the ball.
Another chance early in the first half saw Alberto Quintero weave his way through the defense, but he couldn’t get the shot off. Godoy had another opportunity in the 24th minute from point blank, but Saunders made the stop.
“The attitude of the guys, they’re disappointed in the locker room right now,” Kinnear said. “Ties are good, but we’ve got to do better than good right now, we’ve got to get some wins. To win games we need to start scoring some goals.”
David Bingham fended off shots as well on his net, with is biggest save in the half coming in the 31st minute, stopping Frank Lampard. As a whole, the Earthquakes managed to keep NYCFC’s star-power at bay, with the high press proving effective.
In fact, it was the first time NYCFC, the highest scoring team in MLS, had been shutout in 11 matches.
“I felt we were solid defensively tonight,” said defenseman Jordan Stewart. “It didn’t look like we were going to concede a goal tonight the way we were playing.”
This is the Earthquakes’ third consecutive draw. They have 12 games remaining and sit two points out of a playoff spot. That isn’t ideal, Wondolowski admitted, but it’s enough to give him hope.
“I think we have a very special locker room,” he said. “I love what we have here. I still think we can do some great things. Nothing’s changed, nothing’s wavered, and the belief is stronger than ever.”
Welcome aboard
Before the game, the Earthquakes made a trade, acquiring El Salvador National Team captain Darwin Ceren from Orlando City SC for Matias Perez Garcia and an international roster slot.
Ceren subbed in for Fatai Alashe in the 82nd minute, making his Earthquakes’ debut.
“I’m motivated to fit in and continue to play well with these guys,” he said. “Now I have to continue to play hard and earn the right to continue to play significant minutes.”
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