Tag: Avaya Stadium

Earthquakes end final home game with 0-0 draw with Rapids

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — With all eyes on the Wondo Watch, The San Jose Earthquakes (4-20-9) weren’t able to get their captain Chris Wondolowski the two goals needed to break London Donovan’s record in a 0-0 draw with the Colorado Rapids (7-19-7) in the final home game of the season at Avaya Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It’s not like the Quakes didn’t give it their best effort as the whole team was trying to set up Wondo throughout the entire match. Wondo’s best chances came at the 38th minute one-timing a centering pass from Nick Lima that was blocked by a defender and in the 54th minute he had a clear shot attempt from 18 yards out that sailed high over the net.

“I think they did a good job of marking up,” said Wondo. “I felt our final ball was lacking, our final movement. My shots went into defenders, they blocked them or I missed the target. That’s all on me.”

The first half of play was mostly quiet until about 10 minutes left till intermission. Rapids defender Kortne Ford had an apparent hand ball not called by referee Tim Ford in the 35th minute.

In the 37th minute, Rapids forward Shkelzen Gashi had his attempt from eight yards out just sail wide right of the far post that had beat Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

Tommy Thompson had a quality chance to score in the 40th minute, but his attempt was  saved by Rapids goalie Tim Howard.

In the 45th minute, San Jose had two chances to score, but Shea Salinas’ attempt was tipped over the net by Howard. Then on the ensuing corner kick, Anibal Godoy’s header attempt was also stopped by Howard.

In the second half, the Quakes controlled the play and tempo–winning the possession battle 65% to 35%–and looked like they were going to send the Blue and Black faithful home happy. In the 56th minute, Jackson Yueill’s header attempt on a centering pass was kept out of the net, thanks to the cat-like reflexes by Howard.

San Jose’s best attempt to break the deadlock came in the 71st minute. Yeuill one-tocuhed a back pass to Shae Salinas, who dribbled past one defender and shot the ball just wide right of the goal.

In the match’s final moments, Colorado’s Jack Price almost spoiled the afternoon for the Quakes. Price’s close range shot was tipped over the net by Marcinkowski in the 90th minute.

“Disappointing we didn’t win,” said interim head coach Steve Ralston, who was coaching his final home game for the Quakes. “I thought the performance was really well by the entire group. Unfortunately we couldn’t break them down in the final third (of the match).”

“He came in a very tought spot,” said forward Danny Hoesen regarding Ralston’s upcoming final game as interim coach. “He’s very professional and a good guy. Obviously it would be nice for him to get a win (in his final game as head coach). There will be a little bit extra motivation (next week in Seattle).”

GAME NOTES: Colorado’s Bismark Boateng received a yellow card in the 51st minute for a hard tackle on San Jose’s Jackson Yueill. Ford received a yellow card in the 78th minute for closelining Thompson.

The Quakes finished the match with 13 corner kicks compared to Colorado’s 3.

Vako entered the match in the 81st minute as a substitution for Hoesen.

San Jose is 29-21-16 overall against Colorado with a 16-8-8 record at home.

The announced attendance was 17,474.

UP NEXT: The Quakes travel up to Seattle to take on the Sounders in the regular season finale on Sunday, October 28 at 1:30 pm PT.

Earthquakes hold their own vs. Cruz Azul in 0-0 draw in friendly

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In what must have felt like a home game for the visiting Cruz Azul, the Mexican Liga MX team, came into Avaya Stadium with the majority of the fans rooting for them and left with a 0-0 draw over the San Jose Earthquakes in an international friendly at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening.

In front of a sold-out crowd, Cruz Azul–the current leader atop the standings in the Liga MX–dominated the first half of play as they had two scoring chances hit off the left post in the first 26 minutes of the match. Martin Cauteruccio had the best opportunity for Cruz Azul. San Jose had a tough time stopping Edgar Mendez from creating multiple chances in their defensive zone. Cruz Azul would have six corner kick opportunities in the first half (finishing with nine to the Quakes’ zero) but weren’t able to cash in on any of them.

The Quakes’ only good opportunity to score came in the 41st minute when Eric Calvillo received a pass from Chris Wehan and dribbled inside the d-box from the left point when fired a shot that Cruz Azul goalie Jose De Jesus Corona was able to make a diving save.

“I know I could’ve hit it harder,” said Calvillo. “It’s unfortunate I couldn’t get the goal I’ve dreaming about (my whole life). But I know it’s not going to be my last opportunity and I’m read for more.”

In the second half, Quakes head coach Steve Ralston flipped the lineup over and it seemed to change the momentum of the game as substitutes Danny Hoesen and Tommy Thompson generated chances for the Quakes.

“It’s been a difficult week right? A lot of stuff happening,” said Ralston. “For those guys to come out and play the way they did, I’m really pleased.”

Cruz Azul head coach Pedro Caixinha also flipped over most of his lineup in the second half bringing in the team’s leading scorer Elias Hernandez and former Quake Rafael Baca. Neither put a dent into the box score.

Cruz Azul had two late scoring chances in the final minutes, but both shot attempts sailed wide.

GAME NOTES: The Quakes’ Florian Jungwirth was issued a yellow card in the 67th minute for arguing with the referee.

Cruz Azul’s Antonio Sanchez also received a yellow card at the 76th minute for tripping San Jose’s Dominic Oduro.

Cruz Azul’s Pablo Aguilar received a yellow card in the 76th minute for a hard tackle on Jungwirth.

The Quakes’ overall record in international friendlies is 11-10-10, dating back to 1996. They have an 8-2-6 record in the past 14 friendly matches. However, against the Liga MX teams, they are 1-7-4 in international friendlies.

This was the first match since the Quakes hired Matias Almeyda as their new head coach for the 2019 season. Ralston, will remain in his role as interim head coach for the Quakes’ final two regular season matches.

UP NEXT: The Quakes will host their final regular season game on Sunday, October 21 against the Colorado Rapids at 2:00 pm PT at Avaya Stadium.

Earthquakes fall 3-1 to the Red Bulls, but the #WondoWatch continues

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By: Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes faced the second-ranked, Eastern Conference playoff-bound New York Red Bulls at home on October 6, crossing their fingers for a win. The Quakes have not prevailed in over a month.

New York picked up the first netter in the 29th minute when the ball slipped out of San Jose goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski’s hands, allowing Alex Muyl to take a shot from the left side, six yards outside the goal line.

And then they did it again three minutes later. The ball bounced off of San Jose’s right goal post (from the goalkeeper’s perspective) and redirected to the right. This phenomenon allowed New York’s Bradley Wright-Phillips to “rebound” the ball and kick it in toward the bottom of the left corner.

At halftime, the Quakes were down 2-0, which was a reflection of their performance over the month of September and a foreshadowing of the remainder of the match.

One-ninth of the way into the second half, at the 50th minute, Aaron Long bumped a header and put up another point for the Red Bulls. Danny Hoesen, eventually caught offside, attempted a shot at the 54th minute from outside the left of the Red Bulls’ defensive zone, which was immediately caught by goalkeeper Luis Robles. This prompted head coach Steve Ralston to substitute Vako for captain Chris Wondolowski (marking his 32nd appearance).

Wondo made his first scoring attempt upon entry at the 70th minute, when his shot from the center of the box was blocked. 13 minutes later, however, Wondolowski received a punt from Florian Jungwirth at the 83rd minute. His header from the right side of the goalpost earned him his 144th career goal, just one shy of former Earthquake Landon Donovan who holds the record for most career goals in MLS history.

The Quakes trailed 3-1, which was the final score at Avaya Stadium.

The San Jose Earthquakes are back at Avaya Stadium on Saturday, October 13 to face Cruz Azul at 5:15 PM PST.

Atlanta United came back from 2-goal deficit to top Earthquakes 4-3

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — New coach, same result. The Steve Ralston era opened up with what has been a familiar theme for the San Jose Earthquakes (4-17-8) this season. Atlanta United (18-5-6) came back from a two-goal deficit and scored late in stoppage time to defeat the Quakes 4-3 at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday evening.

This was the first game the Quakes have played since they fired head coach Mikael Stahre on Monday and replaced him with interim head coach Ralston. Ralston, a former U.S. national team player, previously served as an assistant coach at the start of the season.

“Right now I’m disappointed,” said Ralston. “(I have) a lot of different emotions to be honest. Nerves, excitement. Not knowing what to expect. To have face this team, in your first game with one day (to prepare), it’s not an easy one.”

Josef Martinez scored the game-winning goal four minutes into stoppage time, thanks to a great set up by Miguel Almiron. Almiron sent in a centering pass into the middle that Martinez was able to head in past JT Marcinkowski into the left corner of the goal for his second goal of the night and league leading 30th MLS goal.

Marcinkowski was making his first MLS start in the San Jose net. He was tested early on by Atlanta FC, making three saves in the first 25 minutes of action.

“You always want to touch the ball early, make a clean save, make a clean pass (to) get your feed under you,” said Marcinkowski. “They’re a high scoring offense, they’re powerful, (at the) top of the league.”

San Jose would draw first blood in the 13th minute when Shea Salinas received the ball from Magnus Eriksson near the left wing. He sent over a crossing pass to an unchecked Nick Lima, who one-timed a header past Atlanta United goalie Brad Guzan into the far left corner of the net for his second goal of the season.

Quakes defender Guram Gashia kept Atlanta United from getting the equalizer at the 26 minute mark when he was able to block an on coming strike from Atlanta United midfielder Julian Gressel.

Quakes forward Danny Hoesen was injured in a collision with Atlanta United midfielder Jeff Larentowicz at the 18-minute mark. The result was a yellow card issued to Larentowicz. Hoesen remained in the game.

Hoesen then doubled the Quakes’ lead in the 43rd minute after Nick Lima sent in a long ball right in front of the defense box. Hoesen won the one-on-one battle against Atlanta United defender Michael Parkhurst and his initial shot was saved by Guzan. Hoesen then collected his own rebound and bent in a chip shot into the upper right corner of the goal for his team-leading 12th goal of the season.

Atlanta United’s Hector Villalba cut the lead in half two minutes before the end of the first half with a fantastic one-time strike from 20 yards out into the upper right corner of the goal that Marcinkowski and the Quakes could only admire from afar. Gressel sent a cross-field pass over to the left wing, where Villalba’s rocket of a shot was good for his sixth goal of the season.

Vako turned in the play of the game, and quite arguably the goal of the year, giving the San Jose a 3-1 lead in the 58th minute when he was able to take possession of the ball inside the right slot in the defense box. He dribbled around Atlanta United’s Chris McCann toward the middle, out-deked Gressel and fired a left-footed shot that curled in past Guzan for his 10th goal of the season.

In a weird turn of events the Quakes thought they had a 4-1 lead when captain Chris Wondolowski fired home a goal after receiving a wide-open pass from Anibal Godoy. However, after video review, it was determined there was a hand ball called on Eriksson inside their defense box that resulted in a penalty shot for Atlanta United. Martinez tapped in the penalty for his first goal on the night–and his 29th of the season–in the 70th minute.

With the Quakes’ heads still spinning from the goal that wasn’t, Almiron tied the match just three minutes later in the 73rd minute when Martinez dribbled inside the defense box and was tackled. No call was made on the tackled by referee Fotis Bazakos, who had a rough night on the pitch to put it lightly, and the rebound laid open where Almiron buried it into the left corner of the net for his 12th goal of the season.

In the 90th minute, Vako sent in a shot toward the goal that hit the elbow of Leandro Gonzalez Pirez that Bazakos apparently didn’t see, nor did the VAR decide it was worth replaying. That had San Jose scratching their heads in frustration.

“We’ve had this referee before,” said Wondo. “He’s had pivotal calls that’s come against us many times. To be honest I felt (we were) a little cheated by the refs (tonight).”

GAME NOTES: This was the second meeting all-time between the two clubs. Atlanta United won the first ever meeting back on July 4th, 2017 4-2.

Quakes defender Shae Salians was issued a yellow card in the 53rd minute when he slid in late on a tackle attempt on Villalba.

The announced attendance was 15,948.

The match was part of Mexican Heritage night at Avaya Stadium.

UP NEXT: The Quakes travel to Los Angeles to take on the LAFC on Saturday, September 22 at 5:30 pm PDT at Banc of California Stadium.

About time: Earthquakes part ways with both head and assistant coaches

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By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes made headlines Monday morning when they announced that they’ve parted ways with head coach Mikael Stahre and assistant coach Alex de Crook.

For many fans, however, these firings should’ve happened a long time ago. Like, 10 or more matches ago. The Quakes made the MLS Wild Card match last year and lost to the Vancouver WhiteCaps, but this year, this team will not see the playoffs.

Here’s the official press release, courtesy of the San Jose Earthquakes.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has parted ways with head coach Mikael Stahre and assistant coach Alex de Crook. Assistant coach Steve Ralston has been elevated to interim head coach for the team’s final six matches of the 2018 MLS regular season, while Alex Covelo will serve as an assistant on Ralston’s staff. The Earthquakes have begun their search for a permanent head coach.

“I would like to thank Mikael and Alex for their hard work and professionalism this season,” said Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli. “Mikael has qualities, both as a person and a coach, that will be missed by players, staff and the front office alike.

“We felt we needed a change and decided that the six remaining games represent an opportunity for all of us to begin heading in a new direction and to evaluate our options actively with a single goal in mind: to strengthen our First Team for the upcoming season and beyond.”

Stahre and de Crook were two of the three additions to the coaching staff ahead of the 2018 season, along with goalkeeper coach Jyri Nieminen. Nieminen will continue in his role with San Jose.

Ralston, 44, joined the Earthquakes as an assistant coach in 2015 after four years in the same capacity with the Houston Dynamo.

A native of St. Louis, Ralston retired from Major League Soccer in 2010 as the league’s all-time leader in assists (135), games played (378), starts (372), and minutes (33,143). He played in four MLS Cup finals for New England and was named an MLS All-Star seven times. He received MLS Best XI recognition three times during his 15-year playing career and is the only three-time recipient of the MLS Fair Play Award in league history.

Internationally, Ralston scored four goals in 36 appearances for the United States National Team, including the game-winning goal against Mexico on September 3, 2005 to clinch qualification for the World Cup.

Covelo, 40, joined the Earthquakes in April of 2017 as the team’s Director of Methodology. He later served as an assistant coach for the Quakes during the last four months of the 2017 season, helping the club reach the playoffs after recording a 5-1-1 record in their final seven home matches. He returned to his original role following the 2017 season, where he’s worked extensively with San Jose’s young Homegrown Players and youth academy.

These firings came a little too late, but who knows, maybe the Quakes will pull off an upset over Atlanta United this coming Wednesday.

Earthquakes get blown out by Sporting Kansas City 5-1

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By: London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was a Western Conference matchup at Avaya Stadium on Saturday night as the red-hot Sporting Kansas City took on the bottom-feeder San Jose Earthquakes. It was less of a showdown and more of a beat down as the Quakes, whose record indicates their season, failed to show up on their home field.

With an opportunity to take control and grab the No. 1 spot on in the conference, Sporting Kansas City was motivated to put in a full 90 minutes. The rout was on early. Sporting KC showing why they are the standard in the West notched their first of five goals in the in the 18th minute. The goal came off the back heel of Gutierrez after well placed cross into the box from Gerso. Five minutes later, Sporting KC’s Gerso notched the second goal of the match off of an assist from Gutierrez.

Sporting KC showed the kind of chemistry that has been lacking at Avaya Stadium for the entirety of this season. Kansas City would notch one more goal before the first half and two more in the second half.

Long after the flame of hope had been extinguished for San Jose, Hoesen would score the only goal for the Quakes in the 80th minute. Much too little, far too late. This match was pretty much the Quakes being used as a stepping tool for Sporting KC to take the No. 1 spot away from Dallas FC. Once again, it was back to the drawing board.

Sporting KC blew out the Quakes 5-1.

The Quakes wrap up their homestand with a Wednesday night match versus Atlanta United at 8:00 pm PDT.

Earthquakes win wild 4-3 match over FC Dallas to snap home winless streak

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By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The 4000 lb gorilla has officially left Avaya Stadium. Chris Wondolowski was the difference in an offensive juggernaut featured in the second half. His game-winning goal help the San Jose Earthquakes (4-14-8) defeat the Western Conference leading FC Dallas (13-6-7) 4-3 on Wednesday evening in front of a small, but raucous crowd.

The victory snapped the Quakes’ longest home winless streak in franchise history of 12 games. The Quakes hadn’t won at home since the season opening match on March 3rd against FC Minnesota.

The Quakes captain was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench as a substitute the past five games. His last start was on July 25th, a home match against the Seattle Sounders. His game-winning goal came in the 62nd minute when he received the ball just outside the defense box and made a pretty give-and-go with Vako. As two FC Dallas defenders collapsed on Vako, Wondo was left all alone and fired a strike into the upper left corner of the net for his eighth goal of the season.

The Wondo Watch is now at 142, only three away from Landon Donovan’s MLS record of 145. It was also his 40th game-winning goal of his career. Which just so happens to be second in MLS history to guess who, Donovan, who had 41 of them.

“It’s great to get the goal,” said Wondo. “I keep using this word, but I’m so proud to be the captain of these guys. To be with them, to be out there fighting. It’s a huge win.”

FC Dallas would get off to another quick start against San Jose. In the eighth minute, Michael Barrios received a favorable bounce off a throw in and centered the ball right into the middle of the box where both Nick Lima and Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell both went for the ball that deflected off Tarbell and right into a waiting Maxi Urruti. The Argentinian play-maker wasted no time tapping it into an empty net for his seventh goal of the season.

Vako would give the Quakes the equalizer in the 16th minute when after a nice give and goal with Magnus Eriksson, he was able to get the ball inside the box after a failed header clearing attempt by Matt Hedges left Vako all alone with a clear path to the goal where he took two dribbles and rocketed a shot into the upper left corner of the goal past FC Dallas goalie Jimmy Maurer . It was the Georgian striker’s seventh goal of the season.

Hedges would be the focus of another blunder in the 30th minute when he misfired wide right on a wide-open net after receiving a great centering feed from Barrios.

Vako proved to be a one man show in the 42nd minute when he gave the Quakes a 2-1 lead. He received a pass from Jahmir Hyka from 20 yards out, then dribbled down the middle of the box where he magically was able to get the ball through three FC Dallas defenders and once again had a clear path to the goal. He snapped a shot past a diving Maurer into the right corner of the goal for his eighth goal of the season leaving FC Dallas stunned.

“We had a lack of balance from our side tonight,” said FC Dallas head coach Oscar Pareja. “When you get three goals on an away game and don’t get points, obviously something didn’t work out well.”

FC Dallas tied the game in the 51st minute when substitute Santiago Mosquerea, who came in to start the second half, was rewarded after taking a centering pass from Urruti and fired a shot from 10 yards out past Tarbell for just his second goal of the season.

However, the deadlock wouldn’t last long when three minutes later at the 54th minute, Eriksson scored on a spectacular shot from 20 yards out. Eriksson worked a give-and-go with Wondo and on the return feed bent one in just inside the upper left corner of the post that Maurer had no chance at. It was the Swedish midfielder’s seventh goal of the season.

“I think the combination play up front has been better,” said Eriksson. “We have gotten to know each other better. It has worked well for the moment. We finally took three points at home and it’s a good feeling.”

FC Dallas would not go quietly as just four minutes after Eriksson’s goal at the 58th minute. they would get the equalizer at the 57th minute when Dominque Badji finished a pretty tic-tac-toe of a goal. Urruti sent a pass over to right side to Jacori Hayes, who then centered the ball over to a wide-open net. Badji, who one-timed the ball into an empty net for his team-leading ninth goal on the season.

“Not happy,” Quakes head coach Mikael Starhe jokingly said when asked about how he felt about the four-goal span in 10 minutes. “We talked about it in the locker room that we have to continually play our game and follow our game plan.”

Things would settle down after Wondo’s goal. However, FC Dallas put the pressure on the Quakes in the final minutes of stoppage time. Lima made a game saving sliding deflection to knock out the ball past the net in the final seconds of stoppage time.

GAME NOTES: The Quakes were without the services of defenseman Harold Cummings who was suffering from a thigh injury.

FC Dallas was without midfielder Carlos Grueza due to a suspension from yellow card accumulation.

There were no yellow or red cards issued in the game by referee Sorin Stoica.

The Quakes are now undefeated in their past four games against FC Dallas 3-0-1, including 3-1-4 in their last eight against FC Dallas. Overall, they are 16-8-8 against FC Dallas.

Jahmir Hyka’s goal streak was snapped against FC Dallas. He scored his last three matches against them.

UP NEXT: The Quakes travel to Vancouver to take on the Whitecaps on Saturday, September 1 at BC Place at 7:00 pm PDT.

Whitecaps come back from 2-0 deficit to edge the Earthquakes 3-2

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By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes (3-14-8) might want to want to hire a voodoo doctor with their way their luck has been this season at home. Down 2-0 entering the second half, the Vancouver Whitecaps (10-9-7) rattled off three unanswered goals to edge the Quakes 3-2 on Saturday evening at Avaya Stadium.

It was a very important win for Vancouver. With 37 points on the season, they currently are tied with the Portland Timbers in sixth place and jumped over the Seattle Sounders in the MLS standings. All three teams are vying for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

For the Quakes, they still haven’t won at home since their season opening match against Minnesota FC back on March 3rd.

It looked like the Quakes would snap their 11-game winless streak at Avaya when they drew first blood early in the first half when Jahmir Hyka intercepted a clearing attempt by Vancouver’s Aaron Maund off of a centering pass by Nick Lima in the seventh minute. Hyka collected the ball and fired off a shot into the lower left corner of the goal past Whitecaps goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic for his third goal on the season.

San Jose would double their lead when Marcel de Jong tripped Danny Hoesen just inside the box at the 15th minute. The foul was initially ruled outside the box, but after the video review, the Quakes were awarded the penalty shot.

Magnus Eriksson converted the penalty for a 2-0 lead with a low line drive to the left corner of the goal beating a diving Marinovic for his fifth goal of the season at the 18th minute.

Quakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell made a nice diving save off of a Kei Kamara, the Whitecaps’ leading goal scorer, header to open up the first minute of the second half. Tarbell was able to tip the ball away from the goal. It was a foreshadow of things to come in the second half.

“We played well the first 30 minutes,” said Quakes head coach Mikael Stahre. “After we conceded the first goal, we lost everything. The power, the willingness to play the game.”

Yordy Reyna would cut the lead in half in the 59th minute on a free kick from 25 yards out for his fourth goal of the season. The free kick was set up, thanks to a foul committed by Luis Felipe. Reyna’s shot deflected off Tarbell’s hand into the right corner of the net.

Three minutes later, Vancouver would tie the game when Kamara created a counter attack. He passed the ball over to the left side for a streaking Cristian Techera, who deked out Florian Jungwirth and fired the ball past Tarbell into the net for his eighth goal of the season at the 62nd minute.

“They gotta believe they are good players,” said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. “When they produce performances like that, especially in the second half, we’re just not that nice to play against–which is a good trait to have.

Kamara would give the Whitecaps the lead in the 68th minute when Reyna received a long ball from midfield on the left side and centered the ball over to a wide-open Kamara, who tapped the ball into an empty net for his team-leading 11th goal of the season.

“It was a gut punch,” said Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski. “(We) played so well for so long and then (you) have 15 minutes of complete letdowns.”

An apparent hand ball inside the Vancouver box on Maund wasn’t called in the 83rd minute when a centering feed fell beside Maund and appeared to touch his arm. Maund was then taken out by friendly fire four minutes later when his teammate Kendall Watson’s forearm smacked him upside his head when both players were attempting to clear out a centering pass.

Even with six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the game, San Jose would fail to get the equalizing goal and drop another heartbreaker at home.

GAME NOTES: Anibal Godoy received a yellow card in the 30th minute after a sliding tackle on Reyna. Reyna received a yellow card in the 51st minute for unsportsmanlike conduct when he spiked the ball protesting a foul. A minute later, Vancouver’s Felipe was also issued a yellow card as well as De Jong was tagged with a yellow card on a vicious tackle on Lima at the 52nd minute.

Play was stopped a minute into stoppage time in the first half when Jakob Nerwinski collided with Joel Quiberg as both players were playing a loose ball in the air. Both players did not suffer an injury on the play.

This past Wednesday, Quakes defenseman Guram Kashia was named the recipient of the inaugural #EqualGame award from UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, for his stand in the wake of intense criticism after wearing a rainbow-colored armband in October.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return back to action on Wednesday, August 29 as they host FC Dallas at Avaya Stadium 7:30 pm PDT.

Wondo’s sub heroics help Earthquakes earn draw against Toronto FC 1-1

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By Marko Ukalovic and Alexandra Evans

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Just when the San Jose Earthquakes (3-13-8) were left for dead, the heroics of their captain Chris Wondolowski, who came off the bench as a sub rescued his team and prevented another home loss in a 1-1 draw with Toronto FC (6-12-6) at Avaya Stadium on Saturday evening. San Jose still only has one win at home on the season.

The first half would go scoreless. However, the Quakes had three great chances to break open the deadlock. In the 22nd minute, Vako dribbled between three defenders inside the box only to have his right foot shot blocked away by Toronto FC goalie Alex Bono.

Vako would create another chance three minutes later when he dribbled in to the right of the box, back flipped the ball to defenseman Joel Quiberg, who made a perfect cross over to Eriksson, whose rocket of a shot was thwarted by Bono.

“Feels like those chances reflect on (how) our season (has gone) so far,” said Eriksson. “We are playing better as a team, creating chances. But we still missed the three points, especially (here) at home.”

The best opportunity for the Quakes came at the 35th minute when Danny Hoesen received a ball from 12 yards out and centered a ball off the hands of Bono that trickled out to the middle of box where Eriksson had a wide-open net to shoot at. His attempt was deflected over the net on a desperation tackle by Justin Morrow.

“From my perspective, it was the best 45 minutes of the season,” said head coach Mikael Stahre. “We created five really big chances in the first half. If we score in the first half, we would win the game.”

Toronto FC’s best chance in the first half came when Marco Delgado centered ball into the middle of the box where Jordan Hamilton was one-on-one with Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell, but Hamilton was whistled offside at the 17th minute.

Lukas Janson, who made his debut for the defending MLS champions, drew first blood for Toronto FC in the 59th minute after taking a pretty centering feed from Gregory van der Wiel, who came in as a substitution for Ashtone Morgan a minute earlier. Janson tapped the ball into an empty net for his first career MLS goal.

Wondolowski’s equalizer for the Quakes in the 77th minute came on his own rebound. His initial shot from eight yards out was stopped by Bono, but he was not able to hold on to the rebound. Wondolowski crashed the net and kicked the ball into an empty net for his seventh goal on the season.

“You want to prove that you deserve time out there,” said Wondolowski. “Earn minutes anyway you can. I try to make any impact I can. I do like starting though. But I don’t mind coming off the bench.”

San Jose had one last chance to escape with a win late in the match, but Kashia’s header off a Chris Wehan free kick in the second minute of stoppage time sailed wide of the net.

GAME NOTES: Defenseman Shea Salinas had to sit out the game due to a red card he received last week against the Colorado Rapids. Toronto FC was without forward Jozy Altidore and defenseman Chris Mavinga, who were both suspended.

WONDO COUNTDOWN! Wondolowski is now four goals away from the all-time lead in MLS history with 141 goals. Former Quake Landon Donovon is the leader with 145 goals.

Dominic Oduro made his debut for the quakes as a substitute for Eriksson in the 89th minute. Oduro was acquired in a trade on August 8th that sent Quincy Amarikwa to the Montreal Impact.

Guram Kashia received a yellow card in the 52 minute of the match when dragged down Janson.

The Earthquakes are in the midst of a 10-game home winless run (0-5-5), tied for their longest such streak in club history, June–August 2000.

Tarbell has conceded 10 goals from outside the box this season. Since 2010, only one keeper has allowed more such goals in a single season.

Toronto FC has one win in their last seven-league away games (0-3-3), allowing 2+ goals in five of the seven matches.

The overall series is now 5-5-5.

UP NEXT: The Quakes take on the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, August 25 at Avaya Stadium at 7 pm PDT.

Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake battle to scoreless draw

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Donson

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It was a gorgeous evening in San Jose, California as the ever-reeling Earthquakes hosted the Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium Saturday night. With exactly three months until the Quakes’ final regular season match, San Jose is trying to salvage a season that is long lost to them at this point. With only two wins, they are the bottom feeders with 12 points, the least in all of Major League Soccer. Real Salt Lake sits at sixth in the Western Conference and looking to improve on their postseason position.

The beginning of the game was punctuated by injury as several fouls early contributed to stoppage time. In the seventh minute, Real Salt Lake’s Albert Rusnak was the game’s first substitution. Aggressive, chippy play would prove to be the story of the night. 34 fouls were committed, 16 by the Quakes, and 18 by Real Salt Lake with five yellow cards between both clubs. Both teams we consistently off balance and chances were squandered all match.

Credit should be given to the Quakes goalie Tarbell, who had a number of quality saves to keep the score at nil-nil. If he can continue to gain clean sheets with his level of play, the rest of the club will be able to figure it out offensively. The Quakes’ offense never gained any steam. No matter how many chances they had deep in the scoring third they failed to connect on key passes, were often out of position, and lacked synchronicity. Given their lack of offensive execution, they did a good job grinding out a draw against a team in Real Salt Lake, who is having a far better season.

Final: Quakes vs. Real Salt Lake match ends in scoreless draw.

Up Next: The Quakes will continue to look for answers on August 4 when they go on the road to face the No. 1 seed in the West–FC Dallas. Match time is set for 5:00 pm PDT.