Tag: mls

Earthquakes take down Sounders 1-0 snap winless streak

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The San Jose Earthquakes celebrate their win over the Seattle Sounders at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sat Jul 31, 2021 (@SJEarthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SEATTLE–It has been a long time coming, but the streak is finally over.

Cristian Espinoza scored in the first minute of extra time in the first half to propel the San Jose Earthquakes to an upset victory over the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field.

That would be all that San Jose needed to snap an 11-game winless steak. They now have points in five straight games and moved into a tie for ninth place with Houston with 17 points. They also snapped a 14-game winless streak against their Western Conference rival. Seattle, atop of the Western Conference with 32 points, have lost two games in a row for the first time all season and back-to-back at home.

“It’s a big joy because we deserved the victory considering the quality of the opponent, Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda said after the victory. “Whenever we played this team, we were always routed. I think we played a really smart game and fortunately we got the win.”

San Jose (4-7-5) earned the game’s first scoring chance in the seventh minute. Shae Salinas serviced a ball over to a wide open Chofis. The Mexican striker’s shot sailed up and high over the net.

Seattle (9-3-5) controlled play in the opening 45 minutes from the 10th minute on. Kelyn Rowe made a nice pass into the middle where Raúl Ruidíaz one-timed a shot that was knocked up and over the net by Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

The Sounders had their best scoring chance in the first half in the 34th minute when Ruidíaz, the league’s leading goal scorer, found a streaking Reed Baker-Whiting inside the box but the 16-year old’s point blank was stopped by Marcinkowski to keep the game scoreless.

“I think I’m just trying to be more present. Just trying to be more in the moment and focus on doing everything well, having a really positive mindset and not letting big things get out of control”, said Marcinkowski.

The Quakes took advantage of a Sounders turnover when Florian Jungwirth, who made a start in the midfield, headed the ball over to Espinoza along the right side. Espinoza dribbled into the D and buried a low line shot through the legs of Xavier Arreaga (as three Sounder defenders converged on Espinoza) to the right corner that beat Sounders goalie Stefan Cleveland for his second goal of the season.

“When the team was losing so many games in a row, there were matches in which they played well. Obviously, the results weren’t what we expected. We believe in hard work, humility, and desire. When you believe in your work and virtue, sooner or later the sun will shine”, Almeyda said.

Despite winning the possession battle 63-37%, Seattle were left frustrated heading into the intermission.

In the second half both teams traded scoring chances in the first 20 minutes.

Sounders midfielder João Paulo’s right footed shot from outside the box was just wide left of the net in the 59th minute.

Chofis had a chance to give the Quakes some insurance but his attempt from 10 yards out was easily handed by Cleveland.

Chris Wondolowki thought he had scored his 167th career MLS goal in the 89th minute when his right footed shot beat Cleveland to the right corner of the net. However after a VAR review the goal was overturned as video showed the Andy Rios did not keep the ball in play when it crossed the sideline out of bounds.

Things got chippy in the final eight minutes of stoppage with each team being issued a yellow card. Joshua Atencio (90+3) and Nathan (90+4) both earned the infraction for hard fouls they committed.

Marcinkowski finished with three saves on the day to earn his second shutout and first victory shutout of the season. Cleveland made one save on two shot attempts in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose only had one corner kick. Seattle had seven.

This was the Quakes first win in Seattle since June 20, 2015. This was also Almeyda’s first win against the Sounders since becoming the head coach in 2018.

The Quakes are now 11-14-8 all-time vs. Seattle Sounders FC, including a 6-10-2 record on the road.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes travel out to Portland to take on the Timbers on Saturday on Wednesday 8/4 at 7:30pm at Providence Park.

Earthquakes and Dynamo draw 1-1 amid controversial offsides call

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The San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo played to a 1-1 draw in one of the more thrilling games this season at Pay Pal Park in San Jose Sat Jul 24, 2021’s game was the only home game the Quakes would play in the month of July (USA Today photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The soccer gods have had no love for the San Jose Earthquakes.

A controversial offsides call negated what would have been the winning goal for the San Jose Earthquakes in the third minute of stoppage time in the second half. Instead the Quakes had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

Carlos Fierro sent in a free kick into the middle of the box where Andy Rios had tapped it into the far right corner of the net. As the team celebrated what they thought was the go ahead goal, the assistant referee on the right sideline ruled the play was offsides.

San Jose has drawn a point in four consecutive matches but extended its season long winless steak to 11 games. Houston is 0-2-2. in its past four matches.

Houston (3-4-8) drew first blood late in the first half. A free kick from the left side was headed back toward the middle of the pitch by Oswaldo Alanís. Matías Vera collected the ball and fired a low liner of a shot that beat Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski just inside the right corner for his first goal of the season in the 40th minute.

San Jose (3-7-5) answered back in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Shea Salinas won a free kick along the left endline. Cristian Espinoza serviced the ball into the middle of box where Zarek Valentin accidentally kicked into his own net for an own goal.

The action pack first half saw the Quakes saw San Jose dominate in possession with a 70%-30% margin.

Marcinkowski had a busy opening 45 minutes as he made four saves, two of those were diving stops.

In the second half, both teams came out aggressive as the physical play resulted in tempers flaring with several skirmishes resulting after hard fouls by both sides.

San Jose had a chance to gain the lead in the 87th minute, when they drilled in a low cross that would’ve been a tap in, but Dynamo goalkeeper Marko Marić footed away the ball which swept the ball away from danger.

Maxi Urruti made a bad tackle on Fierro with a minute left in stoppage time resulting in yellow card issued. Fierro frustrated by the foul, retaliated against Urruti with a kick and swing, that resulted in a red card and automatic ejection from the match.

Fierro will be suspended for the next match against the Seattle Sounders.

Marić finished the match with two saves. Marcinkowski made fives saves on six shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with three corner kicks. Houston had five.

The Dynamo beat San Jose, 2-1, in Houston in the season opening match in April. The Dynamo have won six of its last ten against the Earthquakes but have managed just one win in their last six trips to San Jose (D1 L3).

Houston has won four of its last 28 MLS matches (D12 L12) with all four wins coming at home. Houston is winless in 16 straight on the road (D7 L9), the second-longest away winless run in club history (20 straight from July 2015 to August 2016).

Chris Wondolowski has scored just two times in 19 career appearances against the Dynamo. His 0.13 goals per 90 minutes against Houston is the lowest against any team he’s played 100 or more minutes against in his MLS career.

UP NEXT: San Jose heads back out on the road as the travel to Seattle to take on the Sounders on Saturday 7/31 at 2:00pm at Lumen Field.

Earthquakes concede late goal end up with 1-1 draw with Sporting KC

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The visiting San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting KC wound up in a draw at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City Mo on Wed Jul 21, 2021 (image from @SJEarthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—Just when the San Jose Earthquakes thought they had ended their long winless streak, Sporting KC scored the equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time to earn a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at Children’s Mercy Park.

San Jose earned a point in its third consecutive match but remain winless in 10 straight matches. Sporting KC is now unbeaten in 12 straight matches.

A wild final 12 minutes, which included a controversial penalty by San Jose only to be overturned, was filled with drama and frustration on both sides of the ball.

Shea Salinas was whistled for a penalty inside the box on Johnny Russell in the 87th minute. After a video review, referee Joe Dickerson overturned the call.

San Jose weren’t able to escape out of danger, Cameron Duke won a free kick after a foul by Tanner Beason from 25 yards out in the third minute of stoppage time.

A minute later, Sporting KC scored the equalizer when Johnny Russel’s free kick ricochet off the post then off Marcinkowski and once again off the post again before the rebound was cleaned up by Dániel Sallói.

Sporting KC (8-3-3) garnered the majority of the scoring chances in a scoreless first half. They controlled most of the play in the attacking third as they peppered Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski with five shots on target in the opening 45 minutes.

The home team, who came into the match with the league’s best offense with 24 goals, had its best chance to draw first blood in the 39th minute when Wilson Harris sent in a shot from 20 yards out that was headed for the upper left corner only to have an out-stretched Marcinkowski spoil the bid, knocking the ball away for a corner kick.

San Jose (3-7-4) were turning over the ball over that led to counter attacks by Sporting KC. They weren’t able to generate many scoring chances in the first half. Their best chance came in the 27th minute when Chris Wondolowski found Salinas inside the box only to have Salinas’ attempt blocked by a Sporting KC defender.

The Quakes broke the seal early in the second half. Cristian Espinoza serviced the ball into the middle off a corner kick where an unmarked Nathan on the left side of the six-yard box headed the ball inside the right post into the back of the net for his first career MLS goal and first goal as in a Quake uniform in the 53rd minute.

Nathan, in just his third game for San Jose, has made an immediate impact for head coach Matias Almeyda’s squad and not just for anchoring the back field. The Brazilian center back provided an offensive spark for the Quakes throughout the second half as he joined in on multiple offensive rushes.

“I think he can give a lot,” said Almeyda regarding Nathan’s play. “He makes a difference because he has experience in Europe and many other reasons that include technique, fitness and physique. I think that is the type of reinforcement that we needed.”

San Jose had a great chance to double its lead five minutes later. Espinoza spotted Wondolowski all alone just outside the box, but Wondo rushed his shot as Spoting KC goalie Tim Melia made an easy save on his attempt.

Carlos Fierro came in as a substitute for Chofis in the 76th minute. It was his first action since suffering a leg injury back on May 29th.

“I think we are making progress in every match. It does not matter if we are making little or big progress. The important thing is that we make that progress. You can see that in the last three matches that the team is playing with confidence and getting better. We are more secure and that gives us confidence to keep pushing. Playing as the away team is never easy and we should be pleased with these last three games in which we earned three points,” Nathan said.

Marcinkowski finished the evening with six saves, equaling a career high. Melia made two saves on three shots on target.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with nine corner kicks. Sporting KC had six.

Midfielder Judson was ejected from the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time in the second half when he earned his second yellow card of the match after committing a hard foul.

Forward Cade Cowell was called up to the US Men’s National Team on Tuesday to be on the roster for Gold Cup play. This is the 17-year old sensation’s first time being called up to the national team. He joins fellow teammate Jackson Yueill, who has been on the US roster since Gold Cup play began earlier this month.

San Jose holds an 25-28-9 all-time record against Sporting Kansas City, including an 8-21-2 record away from home. The last time the Quakes won in Kansas City was back on 8/19/2015 when they won 5-0.

Graham Zusi played in his 301st MLS games.

Eric Remedi has suffered 53 fouls this season, the most in MLS.

Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes was unable to be on the sidelines due to being in Covid-19 protocols.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host the Houston Dynamo on on Saturday 7/24 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Earthquakes battle Rapids to 1-1 draw

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Neither team gave in between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Colorado Rapids during MLS action at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City on Sat Jul 17, 2021 (@SJEarthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

COMMERCE CITY, Colo–The San Jose Earthquakes scored early but conceded an equalizer in the second half en route to a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at Dick’s Sporting Good Park.

San Jose have earned a point in consecutive road games but it’s winless streak has reached nine matches. Colorado is 6-2-2 in its last 10 matches.

The Quakes (3-7-3) drew first blood early in the first half. Cade Cowell received the ball along the right sideline. The sophomore sensation dribbled into the middle where he found Chofis just outside the box. Chofis moved inside and fired off a left footed shot from 12 yards out into the lower right corner past Rapids goalie William Yarbrough for his third goal of the season in the 11th minute.

For Cowell it was his fourth assist he has tallied. He is the first player in MLS this season to have four goals and four assists. Cowell and Chofis have been creating a good chemistry with each other recently.

“Every coach looks for chemistry and for different players to form partnerships. Chofis is a player that needs to have partnerships. Important things come from Chofis being on the ball. He is scoring and assisting on goals. He is one of our most dangerous players in the offensive phase. Cade keeps growing and yet is still very young. When he improves on the things that I am looking for, he will become a very important player for his club and country. That requires time for him to play, make mistakes, play well or decently. That is the only way for young players to progress and grow,” Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda said.

Chofis believes the sky’s the limit for Cowell’s potential to be a special player.

“I think players in the midfield, especially those in the number 10 role, as I was, need partnerships in order to understand each other, and make goal-scoring passes. Regarding Cade, who is just starting his career, we’re going step by step, and we’ve connected on a couple of goals. I have no doubt that he will develop into a great player in a couple of years. He still has much to learn. He is doing a great job and we need to continue down this path, in which we learn off each other. We also learn from everyone else, especially the coaching staff who take the week to plan goal-scoring plays,” said Chofis.

The Rapids (6-3-3) scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute as a result of momentum they started the second half with. A turnover by the Quakes inside their own zone led to Nicolas Benezet servicing a ball to Cole Bassett who cut onto his left foot from the edge of the penalty area and scored on a low shot just out of the reach of Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski’s outstretched arms.

In the 70th minute Agustin Zalazar, who interprets for Almeyda, was given a red card and ejected from the match when he kept arguing with the 4th official on the sideline.

The Quakes managed well despite the impact the altitude had on the match. They had a chance to end the game with a win on the match’s final play six minutes into stoppage time. Chris Wondolowski won a free kick from 20 yards out after Jack Price took him down with a hard tackle that resulted in a yellow card for Price.

Wondo’s free kick sailed just over the net ending the match.

“There were moments where the match would go back and forth, and we did not want that. That resulted from a lack of control from both teams. I thought the guys gave it their all. This is the path we must take to move past the situation we are in. We don’t find excuses. We have to keep working, correcting mistakes, and giving the team confidence because the players are the ones that will ultimately see us move forward,” Almeyda said.

Both Marcinkowski and Yarbrough finished the match with one save on two shots on target.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had only one corner kick. Colorado had three.

The Quakes are now 30-23-19 all-time vs. Colorado, including a 13-15-10 away record.

All three of Chofis’ goals this season have been scored in the first 15 minutes of matches.

Cowell leads the Quakes in both goals (4) and assists (4).

Midfielder Shea Salinas wore the captain’s armband for the first time in 2021.

Forward Benji Kikanovic made his first MLS start, playing 45 minutes.

UP NEXT: San Jose finishes its three-game road trip against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday 7/21 at 5:30pm at Children’s Mercy Park.

Earthquakes’ late equalizer earns 2-2 draw with Minnesota FC

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Shea Salinas picked up his 50th assist for the San Jose Earthquakes against Minnesota FC at Allianz Stadium in St Paul on Sat Jul 3, 2021 (@SJEarthqukes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

ST PAUL—The San Jose Earthquakes used some late match magic from one of their young forwards to earn a 2-2 draw with Minnesota FC on Saturday evening at Allianz Stadium.

Benji Kinkanovic scored his first career MLS goal in the 82nd minute as San Jose escaped the Twin Cities with a point. While it snapped their two-game losing streak, the Quakes are still winless in its last eight games. Minnesota is undefeated in its last seven games (4-0-3) and have conceded only four goals in that stretch.

Shea Salinas setup Kikanovic just outside the box on the left side. The rookie, who came in as a substitute in the 73rd minute, dribbled past two defenders before roofing a shot into the upper center of the net past Minnesota FC goalie Tyler Miller. Kikanovic scored his first goal for San Jose in just his fourth appearance for the club.

“Yeah, we were actually down 2-1. He just told me to keep attacking, go forward, don’t try to play back, but keep it simple. Once I came in, I was just kind of waiting for my opportunity. Obviously, Shea [Salinas] was on the left and I just tucked in a little bit. He found me and I saw open space and was like, ‘Alright I’m going to take it. Either he’s going to foul me in the box and we’ll get a PK or I’m going to score,’ and I just happened to score,” Kikanovic said.

San Jose (3-7-2) drew first blood early in the first half. Cristian Espinoza pick-pocketed the ball away from Bakaye Dibassy. Espinoza dribbled into the middle of the before finding a wide open Cade Cowell who one-timed the ball into an empty net. It marked Cowell’s team-leading fourth goal of the season.

“I think as a young player, it’s not easy playing in these types of matches,” said Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda on the team’s youth scoring both goals of the match. “I have always debuted young players, and there are moments for them to play, and moments when they don’t play. Today, we were forced to play them because that is our reality. It makes me happy to see them progress rapidly. When they have 50 appearances with the senior team, I think then they will be ready to execute what I ask from them.”

Minnesota FC (4-4-3) answered back in the final seconds of stoppage time in the first half. Off a corner kick, Franco Fragapane volleyed the ball back into the center of the box with a bicycle kick. Brent Kallman out battled Tyler Beason and in one motion kicked a left-footed shot from a tough angle past Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season.

The home team seized the momentum from the late first half goal and carried it into the start of the second half. They had three scoring chances inside a minute from the 52nd-53rd minute which included Fragapane’s left footed shot hitting the post.

Minnesota FC drew a penalty kick when Judson took down Chase Gasper inside the box in the 64th minute. A VAR review of the play confirmed the penalty. Ramon Abila’s initial penalty kick was saved by Marcinowski but Abila cleaned up the rebound for his second goal of the season a minute later.

The Quakes almost pulled off the upset in the third minute of stoppage time when Orlando Alanis’s free kick from right side hit off the post.

Marcinkowski finished the match with three saves on five shots. Miller made one save on three shots.

Nathan Cardosa, known simply as Nathan, made his MLS debut for San Jose since the team acquired the Brazilian center back from Swiss club FC Zurich and signed him to a three-year contract (2021-23) with a club option for 2024 using Targeted Allocation on June 25th. Nathan started in the back four and played all 90 minutes.

“Some ties can be a good thing,” said Nathan after playing in his first MLS match. “I think we should be pleased with the result on the road. I’m pleased with my performance, but I am not yet in sync with the team. Before these next few matches, I will work to improve and get better. I think I will be at 100 percent very soon.”

GAME NOTES: San Jose had four corner kicks. Minnesota FC had seven.

The Quakes are now 4-3-1 all-time vs. Minnesota, including a 2-1-1 away record.

San Jose became the first team to score 2+ goals vs. Minnesota since May 8, snapping a streak of six matches with one or fewer conceded.

Cowell scored his fifth goal of his MLS career. He has now scored in each of the last two matches.

Espinoza tallied an assist on Cowell’s goal, marking his third assist of the season and 25th of his MLS career. Espinoza is now in sole possession of 10th place on the team’s all-time assists leaderboard.

Salinas tallied an assist on Kikanovic’s goal, marking his second assist of the season and 53rd of his MLS career. It also marked his 50th assist with the Earthquakes, extending his club assists record.

Marcinkowski made his 12th start of the season, the most starts he’s made in a single season in his MLS career.

Cowell (17 years and 263 days) and Kikanovic (21 years and 179 days), the Earthquakes’ two goal-scorers tonight, have a combined age of 19 years and 226 days.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return to action when they face the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, July 17. The match kicks off from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park at 6:00pm.

Chicharito’s brace leads Galaxy over Quakes 3-1 in Cali Classico

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The Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond looked about as surprised as the San Jose Earthquakes offense did standing in front of the net after Bond stopped a shot at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat Jun 26, 2021 (@LAGalaxy photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–Chicharito scored two goals and the Los Angeles Galaxy cruised to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park in the second installment of the California Classico.

Los Angeles have won three out of its last four matches, including two against San Jose. The Quakes have lost two matches in a row and are winless in their last four.

This was the first game where Pay Pal Park has been at full capacity for attendance since the 2019 season.

The Galaxy (7-3-0) drew first blood early in the second half. Samuel Grandsir serviced the ball from the right side into the middle where an unmarked Chicharito raced in and one-timed the ball past Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski for his ninth goal of the season at the 11th minute.

Despite having a 60%-40% edge in possession, San Jose (3-7-1) weren’t able to generate any quality scoring chances in the first 45 minutes of the match.

Los Angeles generated quality scoring chances with counter attacks that had San Jose on its heels during the first half including a shot from Grandsir from the left side of the box that Marcinkowski saved from going into the back of the net in the 41st minute.

“I think the team looked different compared to the last game,” said Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda. “They uncovered their identity. We keep making the same mistakes where we have to restart in the middle (of the pitch).”

San Jose had a chance to score the equalizer in the 49th minute but Chofis’s shot hit off the right post.

The Galaxy doubled its lead a minute later on an almost identical goal. Once again Chicharito was left unmarked by the Quakes defense and one-timed a shot after receiving a centering pass from Kévin Cabral for his team leading 10th goal of the season at the 50th minute.

Almeyda inserted 17-year sensation Cade Cowell from off the bench in the 54th minute and he immediately provided a spark for the anemic offense.

In the 57th minute Chofis had the ball inside the box, did a spin-o-rama before firing a shot just to the outside of the night on the right side. Then two minutes later Jackson Yueill’s shot from 15 yards out was saved by Galaxy goalie Jonathan Bond.

To add insult to injury, the Galaxy received its third goal thanks to a gift from Florian Jungwirth. Cameron Dunbar serviced a ball into the middle and the ball hit off the foot of Jungwith and rolled into an empty net in the 70th minute.

The Quakes spoiled Bond’s shutout bid in the 82nd minute when Chofis found Cowell just inside the D box and the sophomore forward beat Bond with a left footed to the lower left corner of the net for his third goal of the season.

San Jose broke a 258 minute score-less draught with Cowell’s goal. The last time they had scored in a match was against Sporting KC on 5/22/21 when Chofis scored the opening goal in the fourth minute.

Bond made two saves on three shots to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made one save on three shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had five corner kicks. LA had two.

San Jose was issued a yellow card at the 40th minute when Almeyda kicked a ball back onto the field before a free kick.

UP NEXT: The Quakes travel out to St.Paul to began a three-game road trip as the take on Minnesota FC on Saturday 7/3 at 5:00pm at Allianz Field.

Orlando City SC’s Michel and Dike score twice in 5-0 route over Earthquakes

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Orlando player Benji Michel celebrates after scoring a goal against San Jose goalkeeper J.T. Marcinkowski, right, Tue Jun 22, 2021 in Orlando (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

ORLANDO—When it rain it pours.

In the case of the Orlando City SC, the goals rained down just as much as the precipitation did as the host team dominated from start to finish in a 5-0 crushing shutout victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on a stormy Tuesday evening at Exploria Stadium.

It was the worst loss of the season for San Jose as they looked steps slower and played uninspired soccer for head coach Matias Almeyda for the entire 90 minutes. The Quakes have lost five of their past six matches. Orlando City have won two matches in a row and three out of its last four.

It was the second match in a row Almeyda has gone with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Orlando City SC turned the Quakes defense into a slice of Swiss cheese as they were able get open for scoring chances down the middle of the pitch throughout the whole match.

“We were very bad on the pitch. We did not apply the pressure we needed to. We did not use spaces we thought about using. The goals came from our mistakes,” Almedya said.

Orlando City SC (5-1-3) used their speed to generate their first goal. Benji Michel possessed the ball inside the box where Florian Jungwith was late to arrive and tripped Michel resulting in a penalty kick in the sixth minute.

Nani cashed in the penalty with a low shot to the lower left of the net that beat a diving Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski a minute later.

Michel doubled Orlando City SC’s lead with his first goal of the match in the 16th minute. He beat Paul Marie to a chipped ball in the box by Chris Mueller and tapped it past Marcinkowski. 

Darly Dike made it 3-0 in the 31st when he grabbed a pass by Nani and drove around Marcinkowski before burying the ball into an empty net for his first goal of the match. Dike made his first start since returning from a successful loan spell with Barnsley in the English Championship.

The only thing that could stop Orlando City SC’s momentum and from scoring any more goal before halftime was the heavens. A lightning storm delayed the match for 56 minutes at the 40th minute of the first half. The match’s start was delayed for 30 minutes as the inclement weather made its presence throughout the night in the citrus city.

San Jose (3-6-1) was not able to generate any descent scoring chances. Whenever they possessed the ball in Orlando City SC’s side of the pitch a combination of sloppy turnovers, players not not being on the same page with one another and Orlando City outhustling them to clear the ball out of danger led to counter attacks the Quakes ended up getting burned on.

Cade Cowell and Shea Salinas coming into the match as subs once the match restarted did little to chance San Jose’s fortunes.

“They had three counterattacks and three goals pretty quickly there. It was a bit of a surprise and a bit frustrating for the whole team,” Salinas said.

Orland City SC didn’t let the long delay derail their momentum to start the second half. Off a set piece Nani serviced the ball into the middle of the box where Dike was left uncovered and his header beat Marckinkowski for his brace in the 49th minute.

Nani finished with a three point match (G, 2A).

“Orlando has more than just two important players; they have between 15 and 18 important players. Their fullbacks and center backs are important, their midfield is important, and they have many important attacking players. We are aware of the differences between rosters. We came to play our game, and evidently, we did that poorly. Our team, including myself, first and foremost, did not come through,” Almeyda said.

Michel completed the scoring with his own brace when he slammed home a shot from the near post that Marcinkowski had no chance at.

Orlando City SC’s goalie Brandon Austin had a relatively easy night only needing to make one save to earn the shutout victory. Marcinkowski, who received no help from his defense, made three saves on the eight shots he faced in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had five corner kicks. Orlando City had two.

The Quakes are now 1-2-3 all-time vs. Orlando City SC.

Judson (25th minute) and Oswaldo Alanis (52nd minute) were issued yellow cards during the match.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return home to host the Los Angeles Galaxy in the second installment of the California Classico on Saturday 6/26 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Stadium.

Earthquakes draw to 0-0 tie in inaugural match with Austin FC

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San Jose Earthquake players before their match against Austin FC the first meeting with the expansion team at Q2 Stadium in Austin on Sat Jun 19, 2021(@Earthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

AUSTIN, Texas–The San Jose Earthquakes played to scoreless draw with Austin FC in their first ever meeting with the expansion team on Saturday evening at Q2 Stadium.

The match marked the first ever MLS game to be played at the brand new stadium that was at 100% capacity for the match. Actor Matthew McConaughey, who is part owner of the team, led the more than 20,000 in attendance in a pregame chant banging on bongo drums before the opening whistle.

San Jose snapped a four-game losing streak but are winless in its past five games. Austin FC had their third consecutive draw and are winless in their past six games.

Austin (2-4-3) grabbed the momentum early in the game as they created the game’s first scoring chance in the 10th minute. Zan Kolmanic volleyed a ball into the center of the box where Diego Fagundez’s header was knocked away the net by Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.

San Jose (3-5-1) had its best chance to break the seal in the 36th minute. Chofis played a ball to the right side where Cristian Espinoza dribbled in and fired a shot off the right post.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda implemented a new system and formation for the match after having the past two weeks off during the international break.

“We were asked what we have been working on during the break. During this time, we were practicing this style of play and method because we thought we should play this way in this match. I am very pleased. I thought the team made a huge effort. We created clear counterattacking opportunities through this system. We still need that last step. We will keep working on that aspect, but overall, the guys were great interpreters,” Almeyda said.

Austin FC came out quick to start the second half. In the 51st minute Tomás Pochettino centered a ball inside the six-yard box, but Cecilio Domínguez’s left foot attempt was punched away by Marinkowski.

Marcinkowski kept the Austin FC off the scoreboard in the 63rd minute when Alexander Ring rifled a shot from 15 yards out on net and Marcinkowski sent it away to the right for a corner kick.

The Earthquakes best scoring chance in the second half came late in the 83rd minute. Cade Cowell set up Carlos Fierro with a back pass just inside the D box and Fierro’s right footed attempt heading for the top right corner was knocked away by Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver.

“In the second half, we made changes to our system again and we had more goal-scoring chances. I think the effort made in changing positions has a risk in tiring out the players. That is why I appreciate the effort they made. I repeat that this is how we thought this match should be played. Within the losses that we had, I looked inward and felt that I had to make effective changes. I think these changes were effective,” said Almeyda.

Marcinkowski earned his sixth career shutout and first of 2021 with six saves, equaling his career high. His 12 saves over the past two games are the most in consecutive matches in his career (previous high was 10).

“I think it’s a long time coming to be honest,” said Marcinkowski regarding his first shutout of the season. “We’ve been playing well in the back, just haven’t found a clean sheet yet. It was a really good night to have our first one and unfortunate not to get more. I thought we deserved a little bit more out of the game, but we’ll take the point and all eyes on Orlando now.”

Stuver stopped all nine shot on target to earn his second shutout of the season.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had seven corner kicks. Austin FC had nine.

Chris Wondolowski made his first start of the 2021 season. It marked his first regular season start since Nov. 8, 2020.

The Earthquakes faced former players Danny Hoesen, Nick Lima, and Andrew Tarbell. The match will mark Hoesen and Lima’s first ever match against the Quakes since their departures from San Jose prior to the 2021 MLS season.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes take on Orlando City SC in their second consecutive road match on Tuesday 6/22 at 4:30 p.m at Exploria Stadium.

Galaxy upend Quakes 1-0 with second half own goal

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The Los Angeles Galaxy celebrate after a deflected ball that went off of the San Jose Earthquakes Tanner Beason’s foot and went into the Quakes own goal for the score of the night as the Galaxy wound up chalking up the win at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson (@LA Galaxy photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

CARSON, Calif—Jonathan Bond stole the show late in the second half as the Los Angeles Galaxy only needed one goal to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 in the first installment of the 2021 California Classico on Saturday afternoon at Dignity Health Sports Park.

San Jose has lost a season worst four matches in a row and have been stuck on nine points for the past month. Los Angeles have won three out of its last four matches and have 15 points. They are undefeated at home at 4-0-0.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda used a different starting line up in the match. Tyler Beason, Judson and Carlos Fierro returned to the starting 11 for San Jose.

Los Angeles (5-2-0) took advantage of the open play throughout most of the game. They out shot San Jose 12-4 in the first half as they were able to generate multiple scoring chances.

San Jose (3-5-0) almost gifted wrapped LA a goal in the 31st minute. Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski was guilty of another nonchalant pass inside his own box. Efraín Álvarez intercepted the ball and his shot hit off the right post. On the conceded corner kick, Daniel Steres’ header hit the cross bar and then Jonathan dos Santos rebound attempt was knocked away by Quakes defenseman Tommy Thompson.

“We went wrong by letting the game be open,” said Chris Wondolowski. “At times that can suit us, but we knew coming into this game that was not our game plan.”

The Galaxy came out strong in the second half as Chicharito had a shot from close range stopped by Marcinkowski in the 47th minute.

The Quakes got a break when dos Santos had to leave the game in the 51st minute with an apparent lower body injury and was replaced by Adam Saldaña.

San Jose had momentum on its side after making three substitutions at the 62nd minute. Wondolowski, Shae Salinas and Paul Marie entered the game for Almeyda. Wondo had two scoring chances and Salinas had one from the 64th to 65th minute but Bond came through with saves on all three attempts.

“There are moments when matches go a certain way. The games are close, and the ball won’t go in. We need to keep working. We have to give the players calmness because this also becomes a questions of confidence,” Almeyda said.

Los Angles broke the seal in the 70th minute. Samuel Grandsir, who came in the match as a sub in the 63rd minute, received the ball from 15 yards out. Grandsir bulled his way past Paul Marie, knocking him down inside the box. Grandsir’s shot from along the end line went off the foot of Beason and into the back of the net for an own goal.

It was the only scoring the Galaxy would need as they relied on their goalkeeper to preserve the win.

Bond saved his best for last near the end of the match. In a two-minute span from the 79th minute to the 81st minute he stopped two point blank chances by the San Jose. First in the 79th minute, Andy Rios got behind LA’s defense with a one-on-one attempt only to have Bond kick it away from danger. Then in the 81st minute, Salinas’ rebound attempt was knocked away by Bond for a corner kick.

“Executing the game plan is something that we need to work on. I think right now, we’ve gotten a little too much in a hero ball. Guys take it upon themselves and try to do something special and I think (those are) the times we have been dangerous to be honest,” Wondolowski said.

San Jose kept the pressure inside the Galaxy end with four minutes of stoppage time but weren’t able to score the equalizer in a frustrated effort.

Bond finished the match stopping all 12 shots on goal to earn the shutout victory, his fifth of the season. Marcinkowski made seven saves on the eight shots he faced in the losing cause.

GAME NOTES: Each time had four corner kicks in the match.

Thompson, who made his 150th appearance for San Jose, became the first home grown player to wear the captain’s armband.

San Jose is 6-3-2 in its last 11 matches against the Galaxy.

Judson made his first start since November 8th, 2020.

Salinas made his 300th career appearance for the Quakes. He became only the second player in franchise history to to reach that mark.

UP NEXT: San Jose continues its road trip to Texas where they take on Austin FC in its first ever match up with the new expansion team on Saturday 6/19 at 6:00pm at Q2 Stadium.

Sporting KC rolls past Earthquakes 3-1

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Visiting Sporting KC came in and took care of business against the San Jose Earthquakes at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat May 22, 2021 (@BlueTestamentKC photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif–Sporting KC scored three unanswered goals as they came back from an early deficit to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose has lost three matches in a row after winning three of its first four games. Sporting KC have won two in a row and have outscored their opponent 6-1 in its last two matches.

The Earthquakes (3-4-0) grabbed the momentum early as they drew first blood in the fourth minute. Sporting KC conceded a corner kick. Off the set piece, Cristian Espinoza served the ball outside the box from the left end. Chofis gathered the ball, made one touch before chipping a shot into the upper left corner for his second goal of the season past Sporting KC goalie Tim Melia.

Sporting KC (4-2-1) answered back in the 15th minute thanks to a nice individual play by Alan Pulido, who was a thorn in the side of San Jose all game long. Pulido won a ball off Paul Marie and threaded a pass between three Quakes defenders over to Jaylin Lindsey. The Sporting KC defender got behind Cade Cowell and tapped the ball past Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski, who challenged the shot, into the lower left corner for his first goal of the season.

Sporting KC were able to keep the momentum on their side for most of the first half thanks to some sloppy turnovers by San Jose.

Each goaltender made a big save in the opening 45 minutes. Melia stopped a chance from Cowell in the 24th minute making a sliding two-hand save on Cowell’s shot from 10 yards out. Marcinkowski made a kick out save on Pulido after a Quakes turnover led to a mini breakaway for Pulido down the center of the box.

San Jose held a slight edge in possession in the first half with a 51%-49% margin. Sporting KC out shot San Jose eight to four also in the first half.

The second half was tale of the Quakes missing out on its opportunities and Sporting KC taking advantage of theirs.

In the 59th minute, Chofis made nice serve into the middle where a wide open Andy Rios mistimed his header wide left instead of into an empty net.

Just a minute later, Sporting KC’s counter attack led to the game winning goal.  Dániel Sallói dribbled down the right wing before making a cross pitch pass over to Pulido. The native of Cuidad Victoria, Mexico made one move left before going right and firing the ball off the leg of Tommy Thompson that went under the crossbar in the upper right corner for his fourth goal of the season.

Another missed opportunity for San Jose came in the 72nd minute when Paul Marie made a nice move down the right wing and centered a ball into the box where a wide open Chris Wondolowski fired the ball wide left instead of into an empty net.

Sporting KC put the game away with its third unanswered goal three minutes later off another counter attack. This time it was Pulido setting up Sallói. Pulido dribbled in from the mid-line down the right side. He fed Sallói who made a one touch before bending the ball into the right corner past Marcinkowski for his third goal of the season.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda could only look on in helpless frustration as Sporting KC had his team on their heels for the majority of the match.

Melia finished the match with four saves, including the Quakes final good scoring chance when he stopped a point blank shot from Jackon Yueill in the 84th minute, on five shots to earn his fourth victory. Marcinkwoski (3-4) made four saves on seven shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had eight corner kicks. Sporting KC had two.

Chofis’ goal in the fourth minute snapped an 187 minute goal less draught by San Jose.

San Jose has scored eight goals at home, the most in the MLS.

The Quakes have conceded three goals after the 75th minute, also the most in MLS.

Wondo, who substituted in the 65th minute for Rios, made his 350th appearance for the Quakes.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to Los Angeles to begin a three-game road trip as the take on the Galaxy on Saturday 5/29 at 4:00pm at Dignity Health Sports Park.