San Jose Earthquakes podcast: Quakes drop 2nd straight match, so what now?

Photo credit: thebluetestament.com

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes dropped their second straight match to Sporting KC 2-1 last Saturday.

2. The Quakes take on LAFC on Wednesday night.

3. The Quakes partnered with Silicon Valley’s leading communications company 8×8, Inc.

4. The Quakes Boys’ Academy returns to action on Saturday, August 31.

5. Reno 1868 FC has had some rising stars as of late.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Quakes’ results go back to March in 2-1 loss

sjearthquakes photo: The San Jose Quakes take a tough loss from Sporting KC on Saturday. The Quakes have not won in their last three games.

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes were unable to hold on, losing back-to-back games for the first time since the season started as they lost to Sporting Kansas City Saturday. 

The Quakes remained in sixth place and Kansas City are now six points under the playoff line. Both of San Jose’s recent setbacks were 2-1 losses.

While the Quakes scored first, they were outscored in the second, with all three goals in the game almost exactly 25 minutes apart.

Chris Wondolowski began the contest with more MLS records as he headed in his 10th goal of the season. He now has played 10 seasons in a row with 10 or more goals as he scored his 72nd career goal on the road. San Jose’s sequence began with Cristian Espinoza’s corner kick as he found Wondolowski with space. The ball then hit the near post as it traveled along the netting for the 1-0 start.  Wondolowski led all with four shots in the first half as he earned his first point since July 20.  

San Jose goalie Daniel Vega started off the second half with a right hand slap of Johnny Russell’s attempt in the 47th minute.  

However, Sporting was able to match the Quakes in the 50th minute. Russell started from the far right side to send the ball to Jimmy Medranda, who made a close connection with Benny Feilhaber. Feilhaber then swung his left leg around to send the ball through traffic with Vega making an unsuccessful dive. 

Vega was able to make another near post save in the 71st minute against Roger Espinoza as Vega made an aggressive offensive slide. 

San Jose’s Andrés Rios made his MLS debut in the 68th minute.  

The winning ball was set up by a foul against Vako which led to a free kick. Russell took the kick as it went off the near corner post right to Graham Smith, who earned his first career MLS goal on the entry in the 76th minute.  

Substitute Danny Hoesen had a close chance on the other end but San Jose were unable to tack on another through the 94th minute.. 

Up Next: Judson received another caution in the 59th minute and will miss the Quakes’ following meeting versus the Los Angeles Football Club Wednesday at 7:30 pm. 

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Time to forget Rapids and shift attention to Sporting KC

Photo credit: sjearthquakes.com

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu:

1. The Quakes fell to Colorado 2-1 at DSG Park on Saturday, August 10.

2. The Quakes continue their road trip on Saturday, August 17 against Sporting KC at Children’s Mercy Park.

3. Former Quakes midfielder Walter Martinez died of a heart attack at 37 on Sunday, August 11.

4. Which Quakes should folks include in their Week 24 lineups for fantasy soccer?

5. Carlos Cesar Rivera, the Spanish voice of San Jose Earthquakes soccer, still has the passion after 44 years.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Quakes come back once, but not twice, in 2-1 loss

photo from mercurynews.com: San Jose Earthquakes forward Tommy Thompson, right, reaches in to stop Colorado Rapids forward Andre Shinyashiki who drives to the net in the first half of an MLS soccer match Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, in Commerce City, Colo.

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes fell behind on the road for the fourth straight time as the Colorado Rapids were successful for their second game in a row Saturday.

The result put an end to the Quakes’ five-game unbeaten streak. Vako was the lone scorer with his fourth goal in five games. Colorado’s Diego Rubio had a goal and an assist. 

In the first half, San Jose led possession (64.4%-35.6%) and shots 11-7, two of them hitting the post and Chris Wondolowski (back in the lineup) led all with four shots, his frustration clear after his attempts. 

One of the two posts hit, came in the 21st minute from Judson, his rebound going straight to Florian Jungwirth and then to keeper Clint Irwin. 

Vako, Salinas and Wondolowski had a try at tic-tac-toe, but it fell short with Wondolowski in the 27th minute. Judson was then able to stop Kei Kamara at the other end.

Before two minutes of stoppage were added, the Rapids were the first to score this time as  Kellyn Acosta scored his first goal since May 11, Kamara taking a piggyback ride in celebration.

In the second half, the Quakes maintained their possession advantage, but the Rapids were much better. 

San Jose’s Danny Hoesen and Carlos Fierro (debut) came in as substitutes in the 58th minute.  

Right after Andre Shinyashiki hit the post, Magnuss Eriksson sent the ball down to Hoesen, who with his back to net, made the much shorter pass up to Vako. Vako kicked at net and Irwin did not even have the chance to make a save attempt in the 62nd minute. 

Colorado went back up 2-1 when Rubio received the pass from Keegan Rosenberry with space. Rubio was easily able to maneuver himself into an advantageous position in the 73rd minute. It was Rubio’s third straight goal in as many games, the first of the streak beginning against the Quakes and looking back further, his sixth goal in the past eight games. 

The Rapids were able to maintain their lead through five more minutes of stoppage time in the second half.

Up Next: San Jose continues their three-game road trip next Saturday versus Sporting Kansas City at 5:30 pm. 

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Time to talk Quakes soccer plus more

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. Former Quakes forward Archie Roboostoff passed away on July 31st at age 67. Roboostoff spent the 1974-75 seasons with the Quakes’ NASL team.

2. The Quakes and Columbus Crew SC settled for a 1-1 draw on August 3rd.

3. The Quakes honored and raised funds for the Gilroy Garlic Festival victims on August 3rd, too.

4. Quakes fans had a good laugh after seeing Florian Jungwirth’s Instagram story on August 4th.

5. The Quakes Boys’ Academy U-15s finished second in the MCC Tournament.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Improvement for Quakes, Even in 1-1 Draw

By London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes had a bittersweet evening at the gorgeous Avaya Stadium when they took on their interconference rivals, the Columbus Crew. Entering play the San Jose had been red hot. Winners of four straight and sitting squarely in third place in the Western Conference. Columbus traveled to San Jose winners of two straight, but still, one of the bottom-ranked team in the all of MLS this season.

San Jose will be looking back at the first half of this match wondering what could have been as they failed to convert on several golden opportunities inside the box. Reasonably the Quakes could have had a three-goal advantage by the 41st minute when they were granted penalty as the result of a handball. The Sweden native Magnus Eriksson was able to slot the ball into the bottom left corner and give San Jose the first goal of the game.

The Crew would have their revenge in the 65th minute. Taking advantage of lethargic San Jose defense former Men’s National Team striker Gyasi Zardes sharply headed the ball into the goal area.  It was another moment that San Jose will look back on in the coming days. The match would finalize at a goal apiece, though San Jose did have scoring opportunities late.

Although San Jose didn’t get the win, they still got the one point for the tie. That one point put them in second place in the conference, continuing their excellent run of form this season after finishing dead last in 2018. This is the type of game San Jose will have to learn from. Despite them playing so well, they need to learn to battle complacency. Columbus is the type of team they should have beaten, and it will not be easier playing more talented teams. Nevertheless, San Jose walked away having moved up in the standings.

They will try to solidify their position next Saturday, August 10th at Colorado.

FINAL: San Jose draws with Columbus, 1-1.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes to wrap up homestand and hit the road

Photo credit: sjearthquakes.com

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes defeated the Colorado Rapids 3-1 on July 27th.

2. The Quakes wrap up a two-game homestand vs. Columbus Crew SC on August 3rd.

3. The Quakes hit the road for a three-game trip against Colorado Rapids on August 10th, Sporting KC on August 17th, and LAFC on August 21st.

4. The Quakes acquired Argentine striker Andre Rios on July 30th.

5. Nashville SC extended their loan for Quakes defender Jimmy Ockford on July 31st.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Quakes’ Win Streak Continues along with Miracle Season

sfgate.com: Chirs Wondolowski is lofted by his teammates after the game celebrating breaking the MLS All-time goal scoring record of Landon Donovan. (ISI Photos)

SAN JOSE, CA – Anyone who doesn’t believe in fairytales clearly hasn’t been paying attention to the San Jose Earthquakes this season in Major League Soccer. After winning a lackluster four games in 2018 and finishing dead last in the league, the 2019 season has been much more fruitful. With only 12 games left in the season, the Quakes have ripped off four wins in a row and sit just two table point out of second place and are all but locked into a playoff berth.

What’s more impressive is that this season hasn’t been a cakewalk. After acquiring new manager Matias Almeyda in the offseason, San Jose opened the season with four soul-crushing losses. After which left fans wondering if they were in for a repeat of last year. Almeyda, however, has proven that he is the man for the job and turned the Quakes into a true Cinderalla team in MLS. Behind the play of Chris Wondolowski and Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili, the quakes hope to contend for a title.

Wondolowski, who is regarded as the Quakes best played has stepped up this season to put is his team in position to win numerous games this season. Through this point in the season, he has scored a team-leading nine goals. Those nine goals have also bolstered a hall of fame career. On May 18 he scored his 146th MLS goal and became the All-Time Leading Scorer in Major League Soccer, passing his former U.S. Soccer teammate Landon Donovan. Since then he hasn’t stopped scoring and the current record currently sits at 153.

Vako has been pure magic on the pitch with his mesmerizing dribbling. On Saturday evening against the Colorado Rapids, Vako scored his sixth goal of the season after a crossover dribble move so good, he may be getting contract offers from the Golden State Warriors. The Quakes would go on to win the game 3-1 and Vako was a key factor in the match with fans cheering his name long after the game was over.

The San Jose Earthquakes are the definition of a Cinderella team. The team went from being dead last in the standings to a true and legitimate MLS Cup contender. The season is far from over and the playoffs will be a whole new challenge for San Jose. Can this team got from worst to first and win it all? Only time will tell.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Giants play their 4th extra inning game in 6 games; A’s come back on Astros for 1-run win; plus more

Photo credit: @SFGiants

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 If you like extra innings, the San Francisco Giants have played four extra inning games in their last six. On Tuesday night, the Giants were down by two runs, but came back to tie the game and force extra innings against the NL Central first place Cubs. This team has a lot of fight in them.

#2 The Houston Astros, one of baseball’s toughest nemesis, a team that has given the Oakland A’s fits all season long. The A’s battled with the Astros to an 11-inning duel. The Astros opened up the game with two runs and the A’s came right back with three runs in the top of the ninth and the Astros came right back and tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. The A’s got the game-winner in extra innings in the top of the 11th to break the deadlock for the 4-3 win to even the series at Minute Maid Field on Tuesday night.

#3 Hard work pays off the Oakland Raiders. Antonio Brown is reportedly working his hardest where some coaches say his work ethic is as hard as former Raider Jerry Rice. He was seen tossing a brick from hand to hand while moving side to side during drills.

#4 San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been rehabbing well since tearing his ACL last season in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Garoppolo said he was able to do pretty much everything and it was a rigorous process to come back.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes continue to plow on through. They have gone undefeated in their last four games, which included a friendly, and defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1 in their most recent game last Saturday. They’ll host the Colorado Rapids (5-5-11). The Rapids have struggled of late, they have not won a game in four tries, including a friendly against the Arsenal.

London Marq does Headline Sports each Wednesday and is a beat writer for the San Jose Earthquakes at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes are on a roll, but can they keep up?

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes beat Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-1 last Saturday.

2. The Quakes acquired Targeted Allocation Money in a trade with Columbus Crew SC last Thursday.

3. The Quakes return home to Avaya Stadium to host the Colorado Rapids this Saturday.

4. Was the ability to believe the key to the Quakes’ recent success?

5. Once again, Vako was named to the MLS Team of the Week.

Ana Kieu does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com