Category: San Jose Earthquakes

Wondolowski Joins Century Club, Quakes Draw Orlando City 1-1

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Chris Wondolowski joined MLS royalty in Sunday’s 1-1 draw between the San Jose Earthquakes and Orlando City SC at Levi’s Stadium, scoring the tying goal on a penalty kick to become just the ninth player in league history to score 100 career goals.

“I’m very grateful,” said Wondolowski. “I know the historic value of it. I do appreciate it, but I think it’s one of those things that will slowly sink in. It hasn’t sunken in yet.”

Wondolowski’s marker extended the undefeated run by San Jose (5-4-3) to five games after Kaka put Orlando City (3-5-4) up 1-0 with a penalty strike of his own.

The two teams battled to a standstill in the first half, but a pair of penalty kicks broke open the flood gates in the second half.

“40 yards and in we were a bit missing today,” said Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear. “We had a couple of good opportunities in the first half, a couple chances off set pieces. They were well organized, we were well organized. Sometimes defense rules the day and that’s what happened.”

Despite being down a man after Brek Shea was shown the red card for a spikes-up slide tackle in the 51st minute, the Lions struck first. Goalkeeper Tally Hall lofted a long ball into the attacking penalty box. Forward Cyle Larin and Quakes keeper David Bingham collided going after the 50-50 ball. Referee Allen Chapman awarded Orlando City a penalty kick for apparent contact to the face of the Lion attacker.

“For us to allow that ball to bounce once close to our area is a definite no-no,” said Kinnear. “That five-second segment was the worst we defended all year and we got punished for it.”

After weeks of hype in the media leading up to the game, soccer superstar Kaka delivered on the pitch. The Brazilian went left as goalkeeper David Bingham went right on the penalty kick for a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute.

The name opposite Kaka on the marquee leading up to Sunday played the perfect foil, with Chris Wondolowski one-upping the former FIFA World Player of the Year by scoring a significant MLS milestone.

After Orlando committed a penalty in the box, Wondolowski lined up the penalty kick looking to draw San Jose even and pull himself into a tie with Edson Buddle as the eighth-highest scoring player in league history.

He did just that in the 68th minute, getting Hall to guess wrong on a low dribbler to the left for his 7th strike of the season.

The two-time MLS Golden Boot winner raced into the goal to retrieve the ball before being mobbed by his teammates feting him for his accomplishment. The goal scorer wasn’t doing it to soak in the moment though, he wanted to get play started as soon as possible.

“I was ready to go,” said Wondolowski. “I really wanted to get a victory, especially being up a man.”

“I talked to Chris after the game, he wasn’t happy with the result” said Kinnear. “I told him ‘Take a step back. Recognize what you’ve done’. It’s an incredible achievement, couldn’t have happened to a better guy. It’s not the end of his story, but it’s a great accomplishment for a person who has overcome a lot.”

Not too shabby for a player who, coming out of Chico State in 2005, played sparsely for San Jose after being drafted by Kinnear.

“I’m very grateful,” said Wondolowski. “I know the historic value of it. I do appreciate it, but I think it’s one of those things that will slowly sink in. It hasn’t sunken in yet.”

When the team moved to Houston, Wondolowski ultimately was traded by Kinnear back to San Jose where he’s scored all but 4 of his goals. Just this season Kinnear resumed duties as bench boss in Santa Clara.

“I haven’t really sat down with him and said ‘Hey, remember when I traded you’,” said Kinnear jokingly. “’What a great accomplishment.’ Looking at his career at the time, he wasn’t going to have a chance to play in Houston. I thought for him to ply his trade at home, I only made one call on Chris, and that was to San Jose.”

“He has great vision,” Wondolowski said of Kinnear with a smile and tongue firmly planted in cheek. “He knew he was coming back here. He knew he couldn’t bring me there. It was all a master plan.”

If the Danville native keeps up his pace this season, he could end the season as high as 5th on the all-time MLS scoring list. He’d pass Taylor Twellman (101), Dwayne De Rosario (104) and Jason Kreis (108) in the process.

“He’s done it not playing for the glamour team,” said Kinnear. “He’s done it with some calls not going his way. To get 100 goals as the ninth guy in the MLS, he should be really proud of himself.”

That he’d be able to do it all close to home means all that much more to the Quakes mainstay.

“It’s an amazing thing,” said Wondolowski. “I love it. I grew up with this club. To be able to do it for the hometown team in front of friends and family is pretty cool. I got to give my dad a hug after. He had tears in his eyes. It’s one of those things that he definitely appreciated, and I appreciate everything that he’s done.”

For now the season marches on, with nearly a third of the season over for a Quakes team just three points back of FC Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference.

“We’ve had five home games out of 12,” said Kinnear on the schedule so far. “I’m happy with the guys. The competitive spirit is great. At times we look like a great team. That shows the potential that we have. To see where we’re at and the company that we’re keeping in the Western Conference, we’re doing something right.”

Bingham’s blocks not enough

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By Pearl Allison Lo

~ James Riley rescued the Colorado Rapids with just his third career goal, in a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes Friday, in an on and off rainy match.

Quakes ‘ goalie David Bingham was performing as one of the heroes, parrying and blocking shots, as he frustrated Colorado players.

Even as the Rapids increased their possession percentage in the second half though, the Quakes largely remained defensive as Colorado outshot San Jose 13-3. The five minutes of stoppage time may have pushed Bingham and San Jose to the edge.

Bingham punched the ball to Riley and his looping header went into goal in the 93rd minute. It prevented the Quakes’ first consecutive road wins in nearly two years.

It was another tight matchup for the Quakes’ road trip finale. The teams have now drawn in their last four games and Colorado did the same. San Jose hasn’t scored multiple goals since March 22 and the Rapids have scored only one goal in each of their last five games.

The Rapids still set a MLS record, 11 games without a home win. The Quakes still haven’t lost in 11 games to Colorado.

San Jose started off with two quick corners.

The rain started about 5 1/2 minutes into the game.

Chris Wondolowski gave the Quakes a first half lead for the second time in the last three games. Both came in the 19th minute. The play started with a corner kick by Shea Salinas. Eventually, Sanna Nyassi sent a header to a wide open Wondo on the right side of the pitch. Wondo touched the ball as goalie Clint Irwin jumped and then fell before Wondo touched the ball again, blowing on his hands after scoring.

San Jose’s Tommy Thompson started for the first time this season and almost had a goal in the 30th minute.

Wondo had another opportunity in the 37th minute. After a cross by Marvell Wynne, Wondolowski’s shot was saved directly in front. It led to opposing coach Pablo Mastroeni coming off the bench and yelling.

The Rapids was able to break through the Quakes’ defense a bit near the end of the first half. Nyassi’s pass went to Powers and in the 43rd minute Gabriel Torres, one-on-one, kicked the ball right to Bingham, who was in an offensive position. That was San Jose’s only shot on goal in the first half.

In the 45th minute, Dillon Powers missed the pass by Torres to him up front.

Torres was in scoring position in the 53rd minute, but got the ball offsides.

In the 86th minute, Colorado’s Charles Eloundu skied the ball over Bingham and the net. Eloundu reacted and so did his coach, Eloundu with both hands over his head

In the 94th minute, Powers nearly made it 2-1 and after a corner kick, teammate Lucas Pittinari’s shot hit the post.

Game notes:. Quakes’ Paulo Renato started for the first time since March 14. San Jose broke Gabriel Torres’ two game goal streak. The Quakes’ Matias Perez didn’t start for the first time this season. The Quakes finished the road trip 1-1-2. They return home to face Columbus May 16 at 7:30 PM.

Bernardez Own-Goal Sinks Quakes in Salt Lake

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The San Jose Earthquakes saw a sure-fire victory turn into an unsatisfying tie after two Quakes players managed to find the back of the net.  Chris Wondolowski scored early, but a misplaced ball by Victor Bernadez led to an own-goal, resulting in a 1-1 tie between San Jose and Real Salt Lake Friday night.

Wondolowski’s fourth goal of the season in the 19th minute came on a play that could have just as easily been called back as offsides. The U.S. Men’s National Team forward snuck behind a pair of Salt Lake defenders but without the ball. Shea Salinas fired the ball forward, pinballing off the rearguards to the foot of Wondolowski. Wondolowski fired the shot dead-on up top put the Quakes up 1-0.

The Earthquakes (3-4-1) appeared on track to bounce back from a 2-0 loss to New York two weeks ago, but the Bernardez blunder in the 71st minute spoiled any chances for a three-point night for San Jose. Bernandez, under pressure from an RSL forward, tried to chip a harmless volley back to his goalkeeper to reset the play. Or so he thought.

Instead of remaining in net, Goalkeeper David Bingham chose an aggressive approach to cut the ball off himself. Instead, he watched as Bernadez’s routine pass floated over his head and into the back of a wide-open net for the home team’s equalizing score while snapping a stretch of three-straight scoreless contests for Real Salt Lake (2-2-4).

Neither team mustered much offense over the remainder of the contest. Now San Jose rolls into a meeting with another 10-point team, the Houston Dynamo, seeking to separate itself from the other three Western Conference teams fighting for sixth place and a playoff spot.

Red Bulls’ Wings still Intact

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~ By Pearl Allison Lo
~ New York is now first in the East, as their pristine record also included their second clean sheet of the season, with a 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes Friday.

The Red Bulls controlled the majority of play, sending 21 shots goalie David Bingham’s way.

The Quakes beat the top MLS team last week, but could not beat the second-best, as they found themselves on the other end of a shutout this time.

However, though San Jose lost, it could have been worse. Bradley Wright-Phillips and Lloyd Sam were held scoreless, though Wright-Phillips did have five shots.

It was the Quakes’ second goose egg in their last three games.

New York has scored at least two goals in all but their first game.

Their first goal started with San Jose possession. However, Cordell Cato’s pass went to Felipe instead of his intended target. Felipe and Wright-Phillips then passed the ball back and forth, until Wright-Phillips slid the ball in between Bingham and Victor Bernardez as he slid himself. Sacha Kljestan was found open at the far post, hitting the center of the net in the 29th minute.

Six minutes later, Sam crossed the ball perfectly to Mike Grella, who was in a similar position to Kljestan. Grella then punched the ball in quickly to score through the right side of the net to make it 2-0.

Though the Quakes’ Chris Wondolowski had to leave last game, he was able to play. He did not come on until the 56th minute though.

San Jose tried to make some last-minute magic.

In the 83rd minute, Emeghara had two shots in a row, as his first rebounded off Luis Robles.

Wondolowski’s attempt in the 84th minute was saved.
Talking about the Red Bulls, Wondolowski said, “”Especially in the first half, they do a great job of pressing and pressing high up the field and they took advantage of our two mistakes.”

Bingham added, “”We were making rookie mistakes all over the field. All of us were turning the ball over in the middle of the park…They got their chances and they finished them.”

Game notes: Emeghara returned from suspension for Adam Jahn, who went on suspension. Emeghara had three shots, two on goal. It was the first win for the Red Bulls in the last five games the two teams have played. Defenders Roy Miller (knee) and Ronald Zubar (hamstring) remained out of action. This past week, the Quakes kicked off Get Earthquakes Fit, which requires 20 minutes of daily physical activity for students in the program. Tommy Thompson was called to the U.S. U-20 National Team. San Jose next plays Real Salt Lake again on May 1 at 7pm.

Quakes Shutout League Best Whitecaps

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By: Joe Lami

The San Jose Earthquakes earned their second home victory of the year on Saturday as they defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps by the score of 1-0 for their first shut out of the year.  Credit goes to the back line of Marvell Wynne, Victor Bernandez, Clarence Goodson and Cordell Cato.  Quakes captain, Chris Wondolowski gave them credit where it was due, mentioning “we have to credit the back wall for the shutout, they played amazing tonight.”

Vancouver entered the game with 13 points in six games, leading all MLS teams, but sixth place in the Western Conference San Jose was able to put together their famous last minute goonies magic to get the victory.’

The Quakes owned Vancouver much of the game outshooting the Caps 12-5, but weren’t able to put the finishing touch on an attack until the 75th minute when Sanna Nyassi fired a rocket off the left boot into the left corner for the lead.  Quakes’ manager, Dominic Kinnear, mentioned “the last pass was still a bit off”.  The goal came off a double rebound, as Vancouver was able to get into the shooting lanes of both Cordell Cado and Matias Perez Garica shots.

Though the Caps were able to put up five shots, none of them were on target. San Jose Goalkeeper, David Bingham, jokingly said “yeah, I have not problem with not having to make any saves”. Wondolowski added “to keep them to zero shots is incredible”.

San Jose out earned corner kicks 7-1 over the Caps.  Three of which came in a span of two minutes early in the second half. The Earthquakes best chance off a corner came in the 69th minute, when it was taken short from the right corner.  The cross was beautiful into the box finding the foot of Clarence Goodson off a bounce.  Unfortunately Goodson wasn’t able to handle it and just missed the wide open net to the right.  Goodson commented on the miscue “it was a good run, the one I wanted to make. I was just a split second too late”.

Wondolowski was subbed in the 64th minute due to not feeling well.  The Quakes’ striker mentioned post-game “I wasn’t 100%, so Dominic and I made the best decision to help the team”.

The game was also extremely physical with a total of six yellow cards being issued, as well as two red cards, one to each team, that were issued in the 88th minute.  The cards were handed to the Quakes’ Adam Jahn and Vancouver’s Paolo Tornaghi.

The win for San Jose ends a two-game losing skid and ups their record to 3-3, while Vancouver drops to 4-2-1, as they’ve played the most games in MLS.

Morales takes down Quakes

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Photo credit: Cary Edmondson / USA TODAY Sports

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Real Salt Lake continued their unbeaten streak, now having won two straight games as they shutout San Jose on Easter Sunday, 1-0.

35-year-old Javier Morales put in a free kick in the 44th minute. It was Morales’ fifth point in the last three games and his second goal.

Real Salt Lake’s goalie Nick Rimando had two saves as he faced 12 shots.

It was Real Salt Lake’s second straight shutout of San Jose, but just their second win in their last 13 road games.

The Earthquakes Shaun Francis had to be taken out in the 37th minute. JJ Koval came in for him.

San Jose had three yellow cards.

The most devastating was Innocent Emeghara’s, who got a yellow card when he and a Real Salt Lake player were going for the ball. Emeghara’s elbow ended up getting the other guy in the head. Morales then scored on the free kick after a rebound off Victor Bernardez, who was apart of the wall.

The Quakes had chances in stoppage time. In the 47th minute, Nyassi made a nifty pass to Adam Jahn, who backheeled the ball wide of net. Seconds before the whistle in the 49th minute, after a corner by Matias Perez Garcia, JJ Koval’s shot was blocked in front of goal.

Emeghara had three shots in the second half, followed by Jahn and Koval with two shots apiece.

After a teammate blocked the ball with the ball going forward to their own net, Bernardez cleared the ball off the goal line with a bicycle kick in the 71st minute. He got kneed in the head after with a defender running after him.

The second half had five minutes of stoppage time. San Jose’s Fatai Alashe had the last shot and narrowly missed.

Regarding second-half chances, Bernardez said, “I think what we need to take away from this is we can’t give away halves to the opponent, which is what we did in the first half and that was the difference in the game.”

Game notes: Sebastian Jaime did not play for Real Salt Lake and Marvell Wynne for the Quakes. Luke Mulholland and Jordan Allen, who both scored last game, started for Real Salt Lake. It was Mulholland’s second straight start and Allen’s first. San Jose next hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps April 11th at 7:30pm. The Whitecaps are currently first in the Western Conference so far and have only lost once, but have one more game before they face the Quakes.

Rowe rallies Revolution

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(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Not only did New England end their scoreless streak Saturday, they won their first game, beating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on a snowy Saturday.

Kelyn Rowe scored in the 21st and 37th minute to pace the team. He led all with seven shots, five on goal.

The Revolution built on last game, with two more shots on goal for a total of eight.

They are still undefeated at home, with a 9-0-3 record. The Revolution have strung together three wins against the Quakes now, San Jose with only two goals through then.

In net, New England’s Bobby Shuttleworth faced 10 shots, four on goal and made three saves.

San Jose avoided the shutout for the fourth time in their last six against the Revolution, with a penalty kick by Chris Wondolowski in the 62nd minute.

Rowe was aided by Lee Nguyen and Daigo Kobayashi the first time he scored. Rowe’s goal came at the 346th minute of the season.

The second time Rowe scored, he was helped by Darrius Barnes and Chris Tierney.

The Quakes’ Marvell Wynne got hurt in the 53rd minute and had to be taken out in the 55th minute with a left hamstring strain. It was head coach Dominic Kinnear’s last available substitution.

Clarence Goodson drew the penalty which Wondolowski won. Wondolowski led with four shots, three on goal. He now has three goals on the season.

About the match, Kinnear said, “ They came out ready, we came out a little bit sleepy and that’s why we were down 2-0 at halftime. We fought hard to get back into the game and then obviously the chance at the end would have been great for us.”

That chance he was referring to was Wondolowski’s head-on kick in the 93rd minute which Shuttleworth pushed away. It was followed by a missed attempt at the near post by Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi after Wondolowski kicked the ball forward.

New England head coach Jay Heaps said, “We were excited with our first half, and the way we went out in that first half, and even the start of the second, but unfortunately, it became a real game. It was a good job to hold on, but it probably shouldn’t have been as close, but it was.”

Game notes: Both San Jose’s Victor Bernardez and Revolution captain Jose Goncalves returned from red card suspension, each with a shot on goal and Goncalves with two crosses. New England was without Kevin Alston again. Tierney led all with seven crosses. The Quakes next play Real Salt Lake April 5 at 2pm.

Quakes’ #MarchHome complete

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By Pearl Allison Lo

SAN JOSE– 41 years since they were inaugurated, seven years since the stadium proposal, since playing in Spartan Stadium, leaving San Jose and playing at Buck Shaw Stadium, the San Jose Earthquakes now have their own home sweet home, Avaya Stadium.

In a more friendly environment than their first regular season game, the atmosphere was a sold-out 18,000 people strong.

Technically though, the Quakes were not strangers to playing in new stadiums, or Avaya itself. San Jose got to play in the first game ever at the new San Francisco 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium and of course the first game in their own Avaya Stadium February 28, when they won in the preseason finale versus the Los Angeles Galaxy.

The games have worked out well, with the Quakes winning all, 1-0, 3-2 and 2-1 respectively.

Still, the inaugural event of course deserved the attention it got.

The pregame ceremony started with a video. Then,The Great Soccer Ball Relay announcing the stadium opening, reached its final destination after commencing January 8. People kicking the ceremonial bright orange game ball included a member of the original 1974 team and Brandi Chastain. Krazy George then burst out of the giant drum behind the ball and started leading the crowd in chants, and then of course there were fireworks.

The 1906 Ultras’ first tifo at Avaya came via the movie 300. The supporters unveiled a huge banner depicting six red and gold barechested Spartan soldiers surrounding the Quakes logo, above the words: “This is where we hold them. This is where we fight. This is where they die.”

In the spirit of greenness, bicycle parking is allowed in the VIP lot. With a forecast of possible showers on game day, the rain held off for a perfect pitch.

The first goal of the new stadium came just five minutes in by way of San Jose’s Fatai Alashe, which was his first goal as he put in a triple header after Ty Harden then Clarence Goodson each headed the ball.

“I think when those goals went in the roof was almost getting shouted off the hinges,” said Head Coach Dominic Kinnear.

A day before the opening, Shea Salinas in his first ever Q&A with FanTalk, replied to a fan, “The stadium is amazing! I think it is one of the best fan viewing experiences in the country.”

On the atmosphere, Kinnear said,  “When you walk out here, just the energy and enthusiasm from some friends and family before the game, you know it’s spreading throughout the whole city and soccer community, it’s wonderful. The atmosphere was just fantastic…My thanks always go to Mr. Fisher and Mr. Wolff and Dave Kaval for putting together a great project and fulfilling everything and making the players love this place and giving MLS another wonderful stadium. Glad we won the game.”

Melissa McKenzie of the Santa Clara Weekly commented, “The atmosphere was incredible. The stadium is absolutely gorgeous and I love the fact that in addition to standard stadium food they’ve brought in food trucks. It’s a really exciting place to see soccer.”

On the patient and long wait for the stadium, “Many people have waited 40 years for this. We’ve been homeless and nomadic for 40 years. Now we have a home. Just as one 40-year era has ended, another one is just beginning,” said Gary Singh, a columnist at Metro Silicon Valley and author of The San Jose Earthquakes: A Seismic Soccer Legacy, which recently launched.

There were familiar faces on the other side, including former goalie Jon Busch and Head Coach Frank Yallop, now on the Chicago Fire.  “It was kind of nice to be the first (visiting) team here,” said Yallop, who also expressed feeling “emotional,” the stadium was a “special place,” “magnificent job,” was “excited” when he saw the plans and mentioned the boxes down low.”

On partaking in his dad’s soccer dream come true, Chris Wondolowski laughed and said, “It’s my dream as well. …been a dream to always play for the Earthquakes and yet alone, be able to open a stadium. It’s something special.”

The Quakes capped season ticket holders at 12,000 on Monday and launched the stadium’s official app Avaya Stadium on Wednesday.

Fans still have the Devotion Wall for season ticket holders and the LED Field Boards to look forward to, as mentioned on President Dave Kaval’s kickoff writeup on sjearthquakes.com. The latter will be available at San Jose’s second home match Sunday, April 5 at 2pm.

This is what Wikipedia had before the game. What will it have after?

 

Return of Dominic Kinnear (2015–present)[edit]

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Quakes Open Avaya Stadium With Win

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By: Joe Lami

The San Jose Earthquakes opened up Avaya Stadium with a victory, defeating the Chicago Fire 2-1.  It was a long awaited day for the Earthquakes, as they finally got to play the first match in their massive new home, as 18,000 Quakes’ supporters showed up to rock the house. 

San Jose used the excitement to their advantage, scoring two early goals in the first half.  Rookie midfielder, Fatai Alashe, started just five minutes in heading home a corner kick for his first career goal.  Matias Perez Gomez took the corner from the left side to set up Avaya Stadium’s opening goal.  Alahe commented on his goal that will live in Quakes’ history, “I didn’t think about it at the time, but it’s cool to realize afterwards.  It will be a goal that lives in history for as long as we’re in San Jose.

The momentum would continue for San Jose, as they were feeling it early.  Middlefielder, JJ Koval had an outstanding chance just one minute later, as he fired a right-footed shot from just outside the box that just missed the top left corner.

Quakes’ new head coach, Dominic Kinnear, commented about the fast start San Jose had, “The new stadium got the guys charged up.  That early goal helped even more so.  It definitely put a bounce into our step”.

San Jose would continue their first half dominance, as they would take the 2-0 lead in the 21st minute.  Ty Harden would be credited with the goal, his first MLS goal in his 100th game.  Once again, Gomez would set up the goal off a set piece.  He centered it from 35-yards out, Clarence Goodson would get the first shot, which would be saved by Fire goalkeeper, Sean Johnson.  Unfortunately for Johnson he coughed it right up, where Harden took advantage and slid the ball past the Chicago keeper for the goal.

Kinnear, also added on Garcia’s great job with the set piece, “He brings a great ball, putting it in the right spot. That’s what we need”.

Chicago was able to get on the board in the 29th minute, as Harrison Shipp tapped one by Quakes’ keeper, David Bingham.  The goal was step up beautifully with a pass from Joevin Jones, that left it right on the foot of Shipp for the easy one.

The Fire were trying to equalize the entire second half, but the Quakes defense held to earn the three points.  “I’m glad we won, it makes opening the new stadium feel even better,” added Kinnear. 

Wondo in Seattle

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Photo credit: Major League Soccer @MLS

By Pearl Allison Lo

It was San Jose’s turn to score three goals, as Chris Wondolowski accounted for the majority, with the Quakes breaking their winless streak 3-2, against the Sounders Saturday.

Seattle was coming off a 3-0 win and had recent success at home against San Jose.

The Quakes instead went with recent success overall, now 7-2-1 since 2012 and won for the first time since August 2, when they also beat the Sounders. Wondolowski also hit the equalizer in that game.

Seattle’s least favorite player, Wondolowski, who scored two goals, now has nine goals in 14 games against them.

Quakes’ Coach Dominic Kinnear and goalie David Bingham got their first wins.

San Jose’s Innocent Emeghara got his first MLS goal as well as his team increased their resiliency and defense with a man down amidst increasing second half pressure. Seattle more than doubled their passes from the first half and had eight corners, 22 crosses and nine shots (seven on target) in the second half.

Less than a minute into the game, 18 seconds to be exact, the Sounders’ Clint Dempsey picked up right where he left off, with two goals his last game. Dempsey had a header off the Tyrone Mears save by Bingham while Bingham was lying down. The defender next to Dempsey fell after kicking towards the ball. It was the fastest goal in Seattle franchise history.

Wondolowski had a header into the post in the 9th minute.

His next opportunity came from Marvell Wynne kicking the ball forward and then chasing it down before it reached the endline. Wynne then passed the ball to Wondolowski who directly in front of the net, received the ball off his chest and kicked it past diving goalie Stefan Frei in the 13th minute. It was Wynne’s fist assist.

The Quakes’ Matias Perez Garcia had a shot go wide left in stoppage time.

At the end of the first half, San Jose had 17 to the Sounders’ six clearances. Wondolowski was the only one with more than one shot.

In the 48th minute, Wondolowski gave the Quakes the lead with the help of Brad Evans losing the ball. Wondolowski did not hesitate as he kicked the ball over a bent backwards Frei who had his hands above his head.

Four minutes later, San Jose went down a man when Victor Bernardez received a red card in the 57th minute.

Bingham had a number of saves at points amidst corner kicks, including a header from Dempsey at one end. At the other end, Dempsey also narrowly missed sliding the ball into the net.

Emeghara’s goal came in the 70th minute. He passed the ball to Adam Jahn, who passed it right back to him with space. Emeghara faked out Brad Evans and kicked it past a diving Frei before another defender could get back in time.

Obafemi Martins cut the margin to one in the 84th minute. Possession started with Shea Salinas giving the ball away. Eventually, Gonzalo Pineda got the ball to Andy Rose who got the ball before it went out of bounds. Rose then found Martins who was behind the Quakes’ Shaun Francis who was behind Bingham, as Martins calmly put the ball in before Fatai Alashe could get back in time. Martins also scored in his last game.

Seattle is now 20-1-0 when Martins scores.

Game notes: Both Nigerian, Martins and Emeghara traded jerseys post-game. All three San Jose rookies were in the starting lineup tonight, Alashe and Emeghara getting their first shot. Teammate Ty Harden made his first season appearance in the second half. The Quakes finished with 46 to the Sounders’ eight clearances. San Jose will now have their official home opener at Avaya Stadium, hosting the Chicago Fire March 22 at 4pm.