Category: San Jose Earthquakes

Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports: The San Jose Earthquakes get shutout by Real Salt Lake on Wednesday night 4-0 behind the help of Albert Rusnak who scored a goal and had two assists

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Real Salt Lake scored three goals in the second half, as their keeper Nick Rimando had a 4-0 shutout over San Jose in his 100th game with the team Wednesday.

The Quakes went a man down in the 61st minute, before Real Salt Lake’s second half scoring started. However, Joao Plata technically scored in the 50th minute, before his goal was overturned.

Real Salt Lake could have gotten a lot more goals though, as three players’ attempts all hit the far post in the second half.

Albert Rusnak had a goal and two assists amidst a game-high five shots, as Real Salt Lake outshot the Quakes 23-9. Five of San Jose’s shots came from second-half substitutes Jackson Yueill (1) and Danny Hoesen (4).

The match result ended a San Jose five-game unbeaten streak versus Real Salt Lake, as the Quakes continued on a six-game road winless streak. The contest also was contrary to a streak, where in the previous nine of 10 games, the scoring margin was limited to at most a goal.

After taking the ball from the other side, Man of the Match Luis Silva and Rusnak connected for the second straight game in the 29th minute, as Real Salt Lake took the lead. Silva’s third goal in as many games, went in between Victor Bernardez and goalie Andrew Tarbell.

Tarbell had a scary short clearing kick straight to Silva near the end of the first half.

In the second half, as a result of video review, Plata’s goal got taken away after the previous challenge between Tarbell and Silva. Tarbell had both hands on the ball.  

Both teams got more damaging yellows a minute apart. Kyle Beckerman’s will result in a next game suspension. This preceded Anibal Godoy’s second yellow of the game, leaving San Jose  a man down.

Jefferson Savarino gave Real Salt Lake back their Insurance goal on a well timed curve in the 68th minute.

The Quakes went down another goal in the 80th minute. Rusnak, who had hit the post earlier, and Plata combined for the 3-0 lead.

Finally, Yura Movsisyan capped the scoring, as he converted his second try on net in the 93rd minute.

Game notes: San Jose will try to get back on track versus the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday at 4pm as Quake Supporters #InvadeLA.

~ Photo: Yi-Chin Lee/Houston Chronicle

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ In a game that began with a false start, San Jose’s Andrew Tarbell made his first MLS start, but the Houston Dynamo remained undefeated at home (9-0-3) Saturday in a 3-0 win.

Through they had majority control of the ball, the Quakes (9-9-5) were not able to make the final connection they needed.

The Dynamo have not lost in their last six MLS games, while San Jose have lost their last five road games.

Both Alberth Elis and Vicente Sanchez each had a goal and an assist. The Quakes’ Danny Hoesen had a game-high five shots.  

Elis’ goal in the 21st minute was the score for the majority of the game. Tarbell made a fingertip save against Romell Quioto, but that led to a corner. Elis scored off that corner, but there was a potential question regarding him pushing Francois Affolter before that.

At the end of the first half, Had more passes, passing accuracy and possession. Houston had four shots off target and San Jose had two shots blocked . Quioto had four shots, two on goal, Elis had three shots, Hoesen had two shots and the Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski and Jahmir Hyka one apiece.

San Jose almost went a man down early in the second half. Andres Imperiale fouled Erick Torres on his way to the net, and was issued a red card. It was later changed to a yellow card and a penalty shot. With Tarbell seeing penalties a lot sooner than he would like, he was able to make the diving stop against Torres.

Torres helped out a bit on the offensive side too.

Vako had two shots, but one went high and one went the wrong direction up close.

Elis made an impact again when he went into the penalty box to make a pass to Sanchez. Goalie, attacker and defender converged at the corner as Sanchez just got past Nick Lima and Tarbell to make it 2-0 in the 86th minute.  

In stoppage time (the 94th minute), Tarbell’s attempt to go forward did not work out this time as his attempt deflected off Sanchez who kicked the ball back, and as it flirted with the goal line, Mauro Manotas made sure of its direction.

Game notes: It was also Affolter’s first MLS start. San Jose next plays the Philadelphia Union Saturday at 7:30pm.

~ Photo: ESPN

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia became the hero after he stopped San Jose’s sixth penalty attempt facing Victor Bernardez in a 1(5)-1(4) win Wednesday.

It was an Open Cup semifinal midweek matchup and a rematch of the 2004 semifinals with the same results. Kansas City continued their Open Cup and penalty success.

Both coaches started off with different strategies. Most of the Quakes’ regulars were on the bench, including David Bingham, Chris Wondolowski and Bernardez.

San Jose struck early when Danny Hoesen gave a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute, his third of Open Cup play. He was able to get around Ike Opara and made a diagonal shot from outside the box. That also broke Sporting’s shutout streak in the Open Cup. Vako, making his first start, made the assist.

Shots and saves intermingled with shots from Kansas City’s Gerso Fernandes, Jimmy Medranda, Latiaf Blessing, and Graham Zusi.

Then the entire Sporting side, chipped in, literally. After in the attacking half for a while, 18 passes in all, Diego Rubio took pass from Medranda on the left and shot the ball past a late to react Andrew Tarbell, the game tied up in the 32nd minute.

Tarbell deflected Diego Rubio’s shot in the 60th minute. Hoesen had at least a third attempt against Tim Melia in the 66th minute.  

During the second half, the Quakes’ Fatai Alashe subbed in for Tommy Thompson and Wondolowski for Hoesen.

San Jose’s Darwin Ceren got the game’s first yellow card in the 74th minute.

Wondolowski got his first shot in the 82nd minute.

At the end of full-time, significant stats were for Kansas City, 22-11 shots, 11-3 shots on goal, 67%-33% possession, 11-1 corners and Tarbell making 10 saves to Melia’s two.

The first half of extra time saw Quakes’ Francois Affolter booked in the 92nd minute, Tarbell deny Diego Rubio again and Tarbell out of goal while Blessing went above the net.  

The second half saw more Rubio attempts, the second an almost straightaway free kick and Andres Imperiale issued a yellow card against Blessing.

During penalties, Sporting’s Benny Feilhaber had his first ever team penalty miss while Wondolowski’s shot bounced off Melia safely. After that, kickers prevailed, with Diego Rubio, Ilie Sanchez, Medranda, and Daniel Salloi connecting for Kansas City. For San Jose, Imperiale, Ceren, Vako and Florian Jungwirth got past Melia. In Sudden Death for Sporting, it was Matt Besler.

Game notes: It was also Affolter’s first start for the Quakes. San Jose now head over to Texas to play the Houston Dynamo Saturday at 6pm.

sjearthquakes.com photo: Marco Ureña and Chris Wondolowski  who both scored goals for the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night at Avaya Stadium edged the Columbus Crew as the Quakes keep their home winning streak going at four

By London Marq

SAN JOSE–Though the San Jose Earthquakes are one of Major League Soccer most storied franchises, success over the past few seasons has waned away from the San Jose football club. With a win tonight against Columbus Crew 2-1 Saturday night at Avaya Stadium, success may be back on the docket. Following a mid-season coaching change due to the teams less than satisfactory start to the season, the Quakes have found their stride. Under rookie coach Chris Leitch, play has at a higher level consistently and wins have begun to string together.

The Columbus Crew currently hold the sixth and final playoff spot in the East and are eager to hold that position. This match, a true test for San Jose against a team desperately trying to maintain contention. Given the circumstances, this match is the most important one of the Quakes season so far. A win would vault them from seventh in the west to fifth and well into playoff contention for the latter part of the season.

The first half of the match was chippy, physical, and entertaining. Between both clubs, ten fouls were conceded and Columbus’s Jonathan Mensah drew a yellow card early. San Jose took nine shots in the opening half. The opening goal was scored from Ureña (SJ). A an excellent piece of skill from near the baseline, left of the goal.

The second half saw Columbus take the pitch with a sense of urgency. Despite their vigor play, the next score was, again, San Jose. A nutmeg pass, from the baseline into the box found star captain Chris Wondolowski who only needed one touch to bulge the net. Columbus would score on a corner kick late, to make the score 2-1. By that point, it was too little, too late. The Quakes had all of the momentum, taking the wind out of their opponents sails.

The Quakes have a 11 games left this season in league play. Their next matchup comes Wednesday in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup Semifinal against Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City. A win will gain a berth in the final for the prestigious tournament and also confidence that they can play with any team in the league.

“It would be a great thing,” Chris Wondolowski said, when asked what a win on Wednesday would mean for the teams league play. “You want to be clicking at the time in the year. It’s the final stretch with 11 games left this season. It’s a great opportunity for us to gel.”

It’s an exciting time, no doubt, for the San Jose Earthquakes. They get the win tonight over Columbus Crew.

Quakes win Final 2 – 1

sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes Homegrown defender Nick Lima scores game-winning goal during Saturday night against the Colorado Rapids at Avaya Stadium

By London Marq

The San Jose Earthquakes welcomed in the Colorado Rapids to Avaya Stadium as they try to prove they are better than the standings might suggest. Mere weeks from a mid-season coaching change, the Quakes are making a push for the playoffs many thought impossible.

As of late San Jose has played excellently in their defensive third. Colorado had issues all match finding scoring opportunities. After the full 90, the Rapids only attempted eight shots, with only two threatening the goal. Defensive efforts such as these are exactly what rookie coach Leitch needs from his team if they want to contend in the post season.

The Quakes superb defense played directly into their offense. While they also only had two shots on target, they attempted 15 goals total and drew 11 fouls. The scored in the 59th minute off a corner set piece that fell to the defender Lima well outside the box. Lime put it past the keeper with a beautiful bending long shot. It was the maiden goal of the game and would be good enough for three points in the standings.

The Quakes face Columbus, the team currently sixth in the eastern conference on August 5th. While it will not be a potential championship matchup, it will be a great chance for San Jose to see how they fare against a team currently in the playoffs, if the season were to end today. The Quakes sit one point out of being tied for 6th in the West. Can they make the push between now and the final game of the season on Oct 22nd? If they can continue the good play of late, they’ll be playing into November.

~ Photo credit: Jane Gershovich

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The Seattle Sounders scored three in the second to shut out San Jose 3-0 Sunday despite having less possession. Head coach Chris Leitch said he was frustrated after conceding two straight goals “It’s a game, right? We take chances to go after our goals and we don’t get it. We concede one and then shortly thereafter concede two. And then 10 minutes later off of another set piece. So two set pieces. The second one wasn’t necessarily off of a great play, it was just a mistake on our part. I thought we were moving the ball well in the first half and even parts of the second, but we have to be a little more assertive in that final bit.”

Cristian Roldan scored twice in two minutes starting in the 54th minute. He also led all with five shots and three shots on goal.

Seattle now has scored three goals in each of their last three games as a part of their three game winning streak. The Quakes now have given up at least three goals in their last three games as a part of their there game losing streak. Quakes midfielder Shea Salinas said the possession game was good in the first half but it was the second half that things came unglued, “It’s frustrating. You never want to lose a game. Especially 3-0. I think we ended the first half well with a lot of possession and a few chances. That just didn’t seem to carry over. In the first part of the second half they jumped on us early. Got three goals pretty quickly and then sat back. It was a frustrating 15 minutes there at the start of the second half.”

Kelvin Leerdam scored the Sounders’ third goal in the 65th minute. He also assisted with Roldan’s first goal.

San Jose had all of the game’s three yellow cards in the second, the first one starting a minute after Seattle’s second goal.

Game notes: next play the Colorado Rapids July 29 at 5pm.

 

~ Photo credit: AP

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ The home side prevailed, five goals the New York Red Bulls’ most in a match this year, with San Jose getting a goal Wednesday in the Quakes most lopsided loss this season 5-1.

Five goals was also the most the Quakes have given up in MLS play this year, with the four goal margin their worst loss as well.

The Red Bulls’ Daniel Royer had two goals, leading all with six shots and teammate Sacha Kljestan had a goal and two assists.

New York Sean Davis’s goal was the only goal in the first half. It came at 38 minutes.

The Red Bulls’ other goals came in two quick pairs. Kljestan and Felipe scored in the 73rd and 75th minutes. After San Jose’s newest Designated Player Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili scored in the 88th minute, Royer was quick to respond with his two goals in the 90th and 91st minutes. It was Qazaishvili’s MLS debut.

Game notes: Tommy Thompson led the Quakes with four shots in 66 minutes. San Jose’s next match is Sunday at 7:30pm versus the Seattle Sounders.

sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes huddle up before their Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match with the visiting Los Angeles Galaxy on Monday night at Avaya Stadium in San Jose

By London Marq

SAN JOSE–Tonight, the Los Angeles Galaxy traveled into Avaya Stadium for the quarterfinal matchup of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup versus their California rival San Jose Earthquakes. In just his third match as head coach, rookie Chris Leitch is proving why he the difference for the San Jose Earthquakes this season. nine days ago, he led his team to a stunning victory over this LA Galaxy club, where the Quakes scored two late goals including one that came in the final 2 minutes to win the California Clasico.

It seemed bleak early for the Quakes after the opening whistle. In just the 3rd minute, LA’s Van Damme put a goal in the back of the net. The Quakes would fire back quickly, however. Unlike in the previous match between these two clubs where 63 minutes came and went between the first and second goal, it only took 13 minutes before the second goal bulged the net tonight. Like the previous match, the second goal came from same player: Chris Wondolowski in the 16th minute. The Quakes were in control for that point on.

Wondolowski would go on to score one more goal in the 51st minute and Hoesen would score a goal as well. San Jose took full advantage of their momentum and had plenty of chances in the scoring third. San Jose took 20 attempts on goal, 12 of which we on target or blocked. Los Angeles had 8 attempts total. The Galaxy would go on to score one more goal in the 84th minute. It was too little, too late.

San Jose advances to the semifinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 3-2 victory over the LA Galaxy.