Category: MLS

No love in the East Coast: Earthquakes fall to Red Bulls 4-1

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes thought 2019 would be a better year under first-year head coach Matias Almeyda, but it turned out to be a high hope, as the team dropped back-to-back home matches–a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Impact on March 2nd and a 3-0 shutout to the Minnesota United FC on March 9th–to start the season.

San Jose, however, decided to try their luck in Harrison, N.J. against the New York Red Bulls, who won their third Supporters’ Shield in 2018 after winning their final five games as well as qualifying for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. New York’s current head coach Chris Armas replaced Jesse Marsch, who left the coaching gig after three and a half seasons.

It was gameday in the East Coast and the Quakes fanbase caught the livestream on Twitter at 12:30 pm PT. Though, the diehard Quakes fans saved their seats in section 220 in the Red Bull Arena.

Moreover, the Wondo watch was in full effect as Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski entered the match with 144 goals. Wondo’s goal was to score his 145th goal to tie Landon Donovan’s 145 career regular season goals.

Unfortunately, Wondo never scored his 145th goal, but at least the Earthquakes avoided a shutout, thanks to Cristian Espinoza’s first goal as a Quakes forward. Espinoza was loaned to the Quakes on a season-long loan by Villareal CF on January 2nd. San Jose took an early 1-0 lead at the fifth minute.

But the mere 1-0 halftime lead was as far as the Quakes could go. The Red Bulls scored three unanswered goals in the second half. So it wasn’t much of a greeting when the Quakes’ Twitter announced to the Twitterverse that they were back for the second half.

It all started with a shot and Alex Muyl kicked in a shot past Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega to tie the match 1-1 at the 51st minute. After that, Magnus Eriksson was just inches away from his second goal of the season and San Jose was unable to score a go-ahead goal at the 55th minute.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match, swapping Nick Lima for Marcos Lopez at the 62nd minute. That, however, didn’t help San Jose’s cause because Muyl scored his second goal of the match for a 2-1 Red Bulls lead at the 71st minute.

Muyl’s go-ahead goal was the reason why the Quakes made their second substitution of the match, swapping Judson for Danny Hoesen. Moreover, San Jose made their third and final substitution of the match, swapping Vako for Jackson Yueill at the 78th minute. But neither helped as the Red Bulls scored not only one, but two late goals to call it a day. Bradley Wright-Phillips made it 3-1 Red Bulls at the 85th minute and Daniel Royer wrapped up the scoring with a down-to-the-wire goal to extend the Red Bulls’ lead to 4-1 at the 89th minute. The Quakes fell to the Red Bulls 4-1 in N.J.

The Quakes have a much-needed week off before they host LAFC on March 30th at 12:30 pm PT.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Improved Kings need wins in Philly and Boston

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photo from nbcsports.com file: The Sacramento Kings and D3’Aaron Fox head to Boston and Philadelphia for games Thursday and Friday nights.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The Sacramento Kings dropped a tough game to the Washington Wizards 121-115. The Kings made it close losing by six.

#2 The Kings head to Philadelphia and Boston this Thursday and Friday. Can the Kings pick up some key wins after losing to Washington in their bid to try and make the postseason?

#3 De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring. Talk about what he means for the club this season.

#4 In MLS action, the San Jose Earthquakes are headed to New York to face the NY Red Bulls. The Quakes are coming off two losses to the Montreal Impact and the Minnesota United FC. The later game was rough as they lost in a 3-0 shutout.

#5 After watching the 3-0 shutout, was this reminiscent of last year’s Quakes team or maybe more concerning than last year’s team?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday

Earthquakes blanked by Minnesota United 3-0

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — 2018 was a dark year for the San Jose Earthquakes, who finished the campaign with only 4 wins. One bright spot for the Quakes was the season series they won against Minnesota United. The United has traveled to San Jose twice before and lost both games. San Jose looked to continue that trend as Minnesota returned to Avaya Stadium. San Jose opened the 2019 season with a 2-1 loss to Montreal. They wanted to avoid making it a habit.

The Earthquakes opened the first half under pressure. Minnesota was able to maneuver the ball into the scoring third of the field. United had a total of 8 shots, most of which threatened the Earthquakes goalkeeper, Daniel Vega. Vega, who was under constant duress during the first half, faced a barrage of shot attempts for a near 10-minute stretch. He was equal to it. From the 27th minute through the 36th, Vega defended 5 shots on target, 2 of reach he blocked. San Jose in contrast, only had 4 shots on goal for the half.

The second half opened with scoring early as Minnesota United drew a penalty in the 49th minute. MLS All-Star and Colombia national Darwin Quintero slotted it into the corner. Just short of 3 minutes later, Minnesota would find the back of the net with a goal from the former NASL MVP Miguel Ibarra. Just like that, 6 minutes removed from being tied at half time, the Quakes were playing to salvage a tie.

San Jose had no cohesive rhythm throughout that match, despite passing the ball often and with 83% accuracy. They lost more than 50% of their one on one and were on edge the entire time. After the match San Jose coach Matias Almeyda explained that the offensive game plan wasn’t executed as planned. As a result, the team spent more time crossing the ball from wide areas than they wanted. While the ball found its way into the offensive third with regularity in the second half, San Jose couldn’t manage to get a good touch on the ball to capitalize.

A late San Jose own goal by defender Harold Cummings in the 75th minute effectively ended the game. Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski had a chance to put the team on the board late when the ball came to him a few feet from the goal, but whiffed. It was the summation of the night San Jose had. It’s only two games into the season, so there’s no need to panic yet. Coach Almeyda is looking to take this season one game at a time. The goal right now it to get his team in a winning mindset for next Saturday’s tilt with the New York City Red Bulls.

FINAL: Minnesota defeated San Jose 3-0.

UP NEXT: San Jose heads to the Empire State to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 pm PT.

Earthquakes drop 2-1 decision to Impact

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes opened up the 2019 MLS season versus the Montreal Impact at Avaya Stadium Saturday evening. Prior to the kickoff, the Quakes gave a warm welcome to new head coach Matias Almeyda and the San Jose Sharks wished the home team the best of luck this season.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Harold Cummings, Guram Kashia, Nick Lima, Anibal Godoy, Judson, Vako, Magnus Eriksson, Cristian Espinoza and Chris Wondolowski.

It wasn’t long before the Quakes got on the board. Magnus Eriksson scored his first goal of the season for an early 1-0 lead at the 11th minute.

But it also wasn’t long before the Impact tied the score. Ignacio Piatti scored his first goal of the season to make it 1-1 at the 30th minute.

The Quakes looked disappointed just minutes before the first half came to an end. Saphir Taider scored his first goal of the season to give the Impact a 2-1 lead at the 44th minute.

The Quakes had a lot of work to do in the second half. Moreover, San Jose was down 2-1 at halftime, but they weren’t out of it just yet.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match at the 62nd minute as they allowed Tommy Thompson to enter and Lima to exit. Thompson received a yellow card at the 73rd minute.

The Quakes made their second substitution at the 69th minute as they allowed Jackson Yueill to enter and Eriksson to exit.

The Quakes made their third and final substitution at the 74th minute as they allowed Danny Hoesen to enter and Cummings to exit. Judson received a yellow card at the 77th minute.

The Quakes trailed 2-1 at the end of the second half. The officials added five minutes of stoppage time to the clock, so there was an opportunity or two, but the Quakes were unable to capitalize on those opportunities. San Jose (0-0-1) dropped a 2-1 decision to Montreal (1-0-0) in full-time.

The Quakes host the Minnesota United on Saturday, March 9th at 5:00 pm PST.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Arenado signs second largest MLB deal; Harper still waiting to sign; Cowboys’ Gregory suspended indefinitely; plus more

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Photo credit: @theScore

On Headline Sports with London Marq:

#1 The Colorado Rockies’ Nolan Arenado signed a eight-year deal at $250 million. He does have an opt-out year when he turns 30 in three years from now. They really are counting on Arenado to be their cornerstone.

#2 Bryce Harper continues to be a free agent waiting for that longterm deal a payout that would top the San Diego Padres’ Manny Machado’s $300 million deal. Harper is looking in the neighborhood of $350 million and ten years. Will he get a deal done soon?

#3 Dallas Cowboys pass rusher Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely for substance abuse. Gregory played two games in 2016, suspended for the whole season in 2017, played 14 games in 2018 and was second in sacks with the Cowboys. Gregory’s attorney says he can make it back in 2019.

#4 The Sacramento Kings have lost two of their last three games, but their efforts were right there with opposing teams: the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, and they beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Kings have another tough task when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night at the Golden One Center.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes open the season this Saturday at Avaya Stadium against the Montreal Impact. After the rough season they had last year, the Quakes are looking to turn it around this year.

Headline Sports with London Marq is heard each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes and Sounders settle for 2-2 draw

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose Earthquakes captain Chris Wondolowski looked ready for the regular season as he singlehandedly led a comeback for his team with two penalty shot goals in a 2-2 draw with the Seattle Sounders in a pre-season match on Saturday afternoon at Avaya Stadium.

This was the fourth and final pre-season game for San Jose that came into the game off of a 3-0 victory over LAFC last week and finished 1-1-1 on the pre-season. Seattle finished 2-2-1.

The Quakes had the field tilted in their favor in the first 30 minutes of the game. Nick Lima’s centered a pass to Magnus Eriksson and his corner shot was stopped by a diving Stefan Frei. Lima then sent in a shot from 25 yards out in the 24th minute but once again Frei made a diving save to keep the ball out of the net. Christian Espinoza had a chance in the 29th minute but his shot went wide right from 20 yards out.

Seattle drew first blood when Jordan Morris took received the ball at midfield, raced down the right sideline and went around newly acquired Quakes midfielder Judson and crossed the ball into the middle to a wide-open Victor Rodriguez in the slot, who kicked the ball past Quakes goalie Daniel Vega into the back of the net at the 31st minute.

Marcos Lopez had a chance for an equalizer toward the end of the first half after taking a nice pass from Eriksson. However, his shot sailed high over the net at the 39th minute.

The Sounders doubled their lead in the 52nd minute when Rodriguez won a battle for the ball along the left corner end line. He made a nice move around a Quakes defender then centered a pass over to Morris, whose shot was blocked and deflected back to Rodriguez at the side of the net chipped it off Vega into back of the net. San Jose was standing around looking for a handball that was never called.

“There’s always things we can improve on,” said head coach Matias Almeyda after the game. “We look for a style to be aggressive, we try to be offensive. Even when we were down 2-0, I valued the (team’s) attitude. It was an important change.”

It became Wondo’s World in a four-minute span midway through the second half. Wondolowski was tripped up trying to split two defenders just inside the box. His kick beat Frei into the lower right corner of the goal at the 57th minute.

Then, in the 61st minute, Ericsson threaded a pass into the middle of the box and Wondo was pushed down by Kelvin Leerdam earning a red card and an immediate ejection for the Sounders defender and another penalty shot for Wondo. He cashed in his second opportunity for his second goal of the match into the exact same location as his first goal. Leerdam received red card and was ejected from the match.

“We’re starting to understand the system,” said Wondolowski. “Understand the way he (Almeyda) wants us to play. It’s demanding, but at the same time it’s fun, entertaining and a joy to play.”

Shea Salinas, who came in as a late substitution, had a scoring chance seconds into stoppage time, but his shot went way over the net that resulted in a free kick to Seattle.

“It showed our willingness to come back after we were down 2-0”, said Lima. “We were able to come together as a team I think the way Matias (Almeyda) wanted. Fight, get a couple of bounced to go our way and evened up the score.”

GAME NOTES: Wondo ended up leading the Quakes with three goals in four games during the preseason.

UP NEXT: The Quakes open up their 2019 regular season on Saturday March 2nd as they host the Montreal Impact at 6:45 pm at Avaya Stadium.

Earthquakes shutout LAFC 3-0 in preseason rivalry match

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes stopped by the City of Angels to take on LAFC in a rivalry match at the Banc of California Stadium Saturday afternoon.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcos Lopez, Guram Kashia, Harold Cummings, Nick Lima, Magnus Eriksson, Judson, Anibal Godoy, Cristian Espinoza, Vako and Chris Wondolowski.

The Quakes were off to a great start. Eriksson’s free kick that rattled the near post at the ninth minute of the first half. Eriksson then found the back of the net five minutes later to give the Quakes a 1-0 lead at the 15th minute. Wondolowski doubled the Quakes’ lead at the 30th minute.

The Quakes carried a 2-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half. Eriksson and Wondolowski each scored one goal apiece for the Quakes, who were pretty darn confident in the fact that they’d ultimately win the match for the much-needed confidence boost along with the bragging rights that arise when a team beats a bitter rival.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda made no changes to the team’s lineup to start the second half. Unlike in Northern California, both teams played under the warm California sun as opposed to the stormy Seattle weather.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match as Tommy Thompson entered the game as a replacement to Lima. The Quakes’ second substitution was Luis Felipe in for Eriksson. The Quakes’ third substitution saw Shea Salinas, who replaced Espinoza. The Quakes’ fourth substitution witnessed Jackson Yueill, who stepped on the field after Judson walked off of it.

Fast forward to the 76th minute when Godoy nearly kicked in a third goal, but was denied at the post by a LAFC defender. The score remained in a 2-0 lead in favor of the Quakes. After that, San Jose made its fifth substitution as Florian Jungwirth replaced Godoy.

Turns out, Vako indeed tripled the Quakes’ lead with the match’s third goal of the game at the 76th minute. The final score turned out to be a 3-0 Quakes win on the road. That being said, it was never too late for San Jose to beat LA. Media members on both sides of the field flocked to speak with Coach Almeyda along with the Quakes players in the hopes of getting some interesting quotes for their respective articles and/or broadcasts.

The Quakes wrap up the 2019 MLS preseason with a match versus the Seattle Sounders FC at Avaya Stadium on Saturday, February 23rd at 12:45 pm PT.

Reno 1868 FC shuts down Earthquakes 3-0 in preseason match

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes traveled to Reno, Nev. to face off against the Reno 1868 FC in a preseason match at Greater Nevada Field on Saturday afternoon. The match was streamed on Reno’s YouTube channel.

The Quakes’ starting lineup boasted a good amount of fan favorites such as Daniel Vega; Marcos Lopez, Guram Kashia, Harold Cummings, Nick Lima; Magnus Eriksson, Judson, Anibal Godoy, Cristian Espinoza; Vako, and Chris Wondolowski.

After the kickoff, the match went underway in Northern Nevada. Reno got on the board first as Raul Mendiola found the back of the net from close range. The score was 1-0 Reno at the fourth minute. As a result, Reno fans gave Mendiola, who made his Reno debut, a warm welcome with a lot of cheering and clapping for the Mexican attacking midfielder from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Nick Lima made sure Matt Bersano was on his toes at the 10th minute. Lima slotted a notable shot for the memory moment. Also, Vako fought to earn possession and then created an opportunity on the attack at the 16th minute.

But the Quakes were unable to completely stop Reno, who doubled their lead 2-0 on a counter-attack at the 29th minute. Seth Casiple was created with the goal and Danny Musovski, a Henderson, Nevada native, picked up the assist on Casiple’s goal.

Things never improved for the Quakes, despite the fascinating sight of Cristian Espinoza had a go from the distance at the 37th minute. Reno made it three consecutive goals as Musovski kicked in a goal that was assisted by Brian Brown at the 41st minute. Sure, Wondolowski nearly pulled one back at the 45th minute, but Reno was on a roll and carried a 3-0 lead to the locker room at the end of the first half.

The Quakes made a line change to start the second half. The new-look roster featured the likes of Andrew Tarbell, Shea Salinas, Florian Jungwirth, Jimmy Ockford, Paul Marie, Siad Haji, Luis Felipe, Jackson Yueill, Gilbert Fuentes, Tommy Thompson, and Cade Cowell.

Cowell received a fortunate chance, but his shot was just wide of the net at the 57th minute. Haji had a go from the distance at the 62nd minute. However, Reno couldn’t be stopped, and they wrapped up the match with a 3-0 shutout in full-time. Reno started their season on a positive note with a tally in the win column, while the Quakes took the loss.

The Quakes will return to California, but to Los Angeles, to take on LAFC inside the Banc of California Stadium next Saturday at 12:00 pm PT.

Clippers lead the game wire-to-wire, down the Kings 122-108 on Sunday

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lac bogie
Photo @SacramentoKings

By Charlie O. Mallonee

Have you ever had one of those days at the office when you show up and you feel that your rhythm is just a half a beat off? For you “old schoolers,” everyone in the workplace is moving at 45 rpm while you are dragging at 33 1/3 rpm. The was the kind of day the Kings had on Sunday in Los Angeles versus the Clippers as they lost 122-108 to close out their six-game road trip.

Sacramento never held a lead in the game on Sunday. The Clippers largest lead of the game was 25 points. LAC held a 16 point advantage — 67 to 51 — at the half.

The Kings came out in the third quarter playing with improved energy and appeared to ready to make a game of it. In the fourth quarter, Sacramento twice closed within five points of the lead, but the Clippers were able to go a scoring barrage that would allow them to open a lead as large 19 points in the final period to end Kings hopes of a comeback victory.

The victory upped the Clippers’ record to 28-22 for the season while the loss drops the Kings back to .500 on the year at 25-25. The loss dropped the Kings’ record on the road trip to 2-4.

Early Start
The Kings did have to battle an early start in the “City of Angels” on Sunday. Because the Lakers also have a home game scheduled on Sunday at the Staples Center, the Clippers always have to play the early game. That game has to tip-off by 12:30 so the second game can begin by 6:00 PM.

The early start may have been a problem, but then again, this is a young team that should be able to handle time diversity easier than older veterans.

Playoff Picture at Game 50
LAC holds the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with the win on Sunday. They are 7.5 games behind the conference-leading Warriors. The Clippers have won three consecutive games and are 4-6 in their last 10 games.

Sacramento is in 10th place in the Western Conference 3.0 games behind the Clippers for the final playoff spot in the West. The Kings are now on a one game losing streak and are 5-5 over their last 10 games.

From the Game Book
Kings

lac kings 5
Kings starting five Photo: @SacramentoKings

Team Stats

  • SAC shot 39.8% (37/93) for the game. NBA teams do not win shooting under 40%
  • It was a horrible 3-point shooting night: 8-for-36 (22.2%)
  • 44 rebounds – 8 less than LAC
  • The Kings recorded just 18 assists. That is not their game. They average 25.8 assists per game
  • The team committed 12 turnovers that resulted in 18 points for the Clippers
  • Two positives: 12 steals and six blocked shots

Player Stats

  • De’Aaron Fox was the Kings’ leading scorer with 21 points. He shot 8-for-16 from the field with one 3-pointer
  • Bogdan Bogdanovic came off the bench to put 19 points in the book. He was a monster at the free throw line, converting 8-of-9 opportunities
  • Buddy Hield and Iman Shumpert scored 16 points each in the game. Hield went just 2-for-7 from downtown
  • Marvin Bagley III did not start, but added 14 points, hitting 5-of-10 shots in the game
  • Willie Cauley-Stein flirted with a double-double as he scored nine points and grabbed 12 rebounds

Clippers
Player Stats

lac beverley
Graphic @LAClippers
  • Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to score a game-high 25 points. He shot an incredible 11-for-13 for the game
  • Tobias Harris scored 18 points, including going 4-for-4 from the charity stripe
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put 17 points up on the board by going 7-for-7 from the free throw line
  • Patrick Beverly tried to post a triple-double by scoring 16 points, hauling in 10 rebounds and dishing out eight assists

Team Stats

  • The Clippers shot 47.7% (42/88) overall versus the Kings
  • LAC hit 11-of-29 (37.9%) of their 3-point field goal attempts
  • Los Angeles converted 27-of-29 opportunities from the free throw line (93.1%)
  • They dished out 35 assists and made just 19 turnovers to very close to that magic 2:1 ratio

Up Next
The Kings return to Sacramento and will host the Atlanta Hawks for the only time this season. Hawks guard Jeremy Lin has been rumored to be a trade prospect for the Kings.

The Clippers will host the Hawks on Monday night at Staples Center.

Part 2 of the Earthquakes’ picks in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

After a much-needed weekend, the MLS was ready to roll in the third and fourth rounds of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft in Chicago Monday.

It didn’t take long before the San Jose Earthquakes were on the board in day two of the SuperDraft. So, that being said, San Jose selected defender Nathan Aune out of Seattle University. Aune appeared in 17 matches and started in 16 matches on defense. Aune scored two goals and was a key part of the Redhawks’ defense that allowed just 24 goals in 20 meetings. Moreover, Aune was named to the All-WAC First Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Second Team.

Contrary to popular belief, San Jose passed on the 74th overall pick in the fourth round of the SuperDraft, so their second and final day in Chicago ended with only one brand-new pick. The Quakes needed all the help they could get, and hopefully, these prospects-turned-pros will carry out their respective duties.

Best of luck to the Quakes, whose season kicks off on March 2 at 7:00 pm PT.