Tag: San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes left frustrated in 1-1 draw with Minnesota United

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Chris Wondolowski of the San Jose Earthquakes gets a hug from his father after making his 400th career appearance as a substitute during the 85th minute against the Minnesota FC on Tue Aug 17, 2021 (photo from @SJEarthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—It’s usually not a good thing when an official makes himself a part of a match.

The San Jose Earthquakes found that out the hard way in a 1-1 draw with Minnesota United on Tuesday evening at Pay Pal Park.

Referee Victor Rivas, in his first full season as a referee in MLS, left the home team frustrated at the end of match with numerous non-calls against Minnesota that appeared to be fouls.

The worse non-call came in the 80th minute when Cade Cowell, a substitute in the 54th minute, came streaking in on a one-on-two break and DJ Taylor appeared to have drug him down. Rivas ruled to play on, much to the chagrin of Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda and the 10,353 fans in attendance.

“The truth is I’m really upset,” said an animated Almeyda. “I’ve been speaking out about these misses (calls) for a while. It’s not a justification. We’ve lost matches to our mistakes. If there is a DP on the other team and they protect them. (I want them to) protect my youngsters (too). Have the fouls be the same and have them call it the same way (on both sides). My complaint is to have it (the match) called even. And when we protest, we get sent off!”

San Jose, with the tie, extended its unbeaten streak to nine games. Minnesota United are 3-1-3 in its past seven matches.

San Jose (5-7-8-23 points) drew first blood in the 12th minute. A service from across the pitch left to right from Marcos Lopez found Cristian Espinoza along the right wing. Espinoza dribbled inside and fired a shot from just beyond the box that deflected off the leg of fullback Bakaye Dibassy into the back of the net for an own goal.

The tide turned in the 21st minute when defenseman Nathan slid hard into Dibassy with his cleats up that injured the Minnesota defenseman. Referee Victor Rivas initially issued a yellow card. After a VAR review, the infraction was changed to a red card and an automatic ejection. Nathan will be suspended for the next match against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Minnesota United (7-6-6-27 points) made San Jose pay immediately. In the 22nd minute, Ethan Finlay centered a ball over to Adrien Hunou inside the box. Hunou made a back pass over to Wil Trapp open from 15 yards out. Trapp fired a shot into the lower right corner that beat Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

Both teams had scoring chances in the final minutes of stoppage time in the first half.

Hassani Dotson’s right footed shot from the right side of the box was knocked away by Marcinkowski in the third minute of stoppage time.

Jeremy Ebobisse set up Espinoza in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but Espinoza’s right footed shot headed for the top left corner was stoned away by Miller.

Despite being down a man for the rest of the game, San Jose didn’t sit back and defend just to have a tie. They countered attacked in the second half when Cowell, Carlos Fierro and Paul Marie came into the match as subs in the second half.

The Quakes had a chance one minute into stoppage time in the second half to score the game winning goal when Jackson Yueill had a free kick from just beyond the box. However, his right footed attempt sailed high and wide right of the net.

Marcinkowski finished the match making two saves on the four shot attempts by Minnesota United. Miller made one save on three shots on net.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with three corner kicks. Minnesota United had seven.

Chris Wondolowski made his 400th MLS appearance as a substitute in the 85th minute.

The Earthquakes nine game unbeaten streak is the longest of the season and is the longest unbeaten streak since August-November 2012, going 10 in a row without a loss (including playoffs).

Minnesota United’s 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy on Saturday was its second loss in the last 14 matches (W7 D6). The Loons are tied with Nashville and New England for the fewest losses in MLS in that time (since May 12).

UP NEXT-San Jose travels out to Los Angeles to take on the Galaxy in the third installment of the California Classico on Friday 8/20 at 7:30pm at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Earthquakes extend unbeaten streak in scoreless draw with Whitecaps

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Vancouver Whitecaps defender Javain Brown and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas (6) get tangled up in first half action at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri Aug 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Earthquakes are going to wonder what could have been.

Missed opportunities were the theme of the night as San Jose ended up with a 0-0 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday evening at Pal Pay Park.

San Jose extended the league’s longest unbeaten streak to eight games. Vancouver extended its own unbeaten streak to six games with its fifth consecutive draw.

The first half featured 11 combined total shots with San Jose winning the edge 7-4 over Vancouver. The Quakes also had a slight edge in possession in the first 45 minutes, 51.2%-48.8%.

San Jose (5-7-7-22 points) had its best chance of the first half in the 31st minute. Jeremey Ebobisse, who made his first start for head coach Matias Almeyda, received a cross from Luciano Abecasis and his sliding shot from a tough angle was knocked over the net by Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crépeau.

Vancouver (3-7-8-17 points) had their chance in the 27th minute when Déiber Caicedo serviced a ball in the middle to Ranko Veselinovic, whose header was stopped by Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

In the second half San Jose controlled the play and had numerous scoring chances when they had the ball deep inside the box. However, most of those scoring chances ended in a turnover with mistimed passes and a few instances of hesitation by the Quakes.

Almedya looked for a spark from his offense in the 59th minute when he substituted in All-Star Cade Cowell and Marcos Lopez.

“I think the two outside players put in a huge effort,” said Almeyda. “The idea was to put in Cade (Cowell) and (Carlos) Fierro to get more energy and to win out wide. We wanted to win the game. There was a clear message regarding the subs.”

San Jose had its best chance of the match in the 62nd minute. Oswaldo Alanís found Ebobisse open on the right wing from just outside the box. Ebobisse made a move to the inside before firing a shot that Crépeau got a piece of with his left hand and the ball caromed off the right post.

“We took the risk (on being more aggressive on the attack) that could have hurt us on a counter (attack). But we ended up playing with almost all of the forwards that we have. We weren’t able to win but we still added points,” Almeyda said.

Both Marcinkowski and Crépeau finished the match with three for three on their save attempts. Marcinkowski has three shutouts this season and seven for his career.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. Vancouver had just two.

San Joes is 8-10-10 against Vancouver, including a 5-1-7 record at home and a 4-1-3 record at PayPal Park, in the overall series.
The Quakes have now allowed one or fewer goals in seven consecutive matches.

Forward Andy Rios made his 50th MLS appearance, entering the match in the 77th minute.

UP NEXT: The Quakes conclude its three-game homestand when they host Minnesota Unites on Tuesday 8/17 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Earthquakes take down LAFC 2-1

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San Jose Earthquakes get by LAFC at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sun Aug 8, 2021 the Quakes improve their record to 5-6-7 tenth place in the MLS Western Conference (@LAFC image)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Jose Earthquakes welcomed their newest addition to their team with a 2-1 win over LAFC on Sunday afternoon at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose traded for Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse this past Thursday in exchange for $667k of General Allocation Money (GAM) in 2022 and $500k of GAM in 2023. The also rewarded Ebobisse with a new contract through the 2024 MLS season.

San Jose won at home for the first time since May 1st. They are now unbeaten in seven straight matches (2-0-5) to give them 21 points and tied for eight place in the Western Conference. LAFC have lost two matches in a row and are winless in its last five.

The Quakes were looking for more scoring punch and head coach Matias Almeyda has another weapon added to his arsenal. Ebobissse has scored 26 goals to go along with his eight assists, including five game-winning goals and two game-winning assists, across 88 appearances (54 starts). He has scored 23 goals in 65 appearances since the start of the 2019 season, tied for 11th most in MLS during that time.

Ebobisse’s teammates were able to score two goals in the first 28 minutes of the first half.

San Jose (5-7-6) drew first blood in the 11th minute. Off a set piece, Cristian Espinoza serviced a ball into the box where fullback Nathan lifted his foot high enough to get a piece of the ball that went past LAFC goalie Tomás Romero for his second goal of the season.

Nathan’s goal came two minutes after Cade Cowell set up Jackson Yueill who shot the ball off the crossbar.

The Quakes doubled its lead in the 28th minute when Espinoza intercepted a headed ball down the right wing and cut back into the middle, making Tristan Blackmon slide past him, before finding a wide open Chofis who buried the ball into the lower left corner for his team leading fifth goal of the season.

“I think it’s fundamental that we continue to keep the order that we’ve had in these last few matches. The last three or four matches were against really good teams, the best in the league in my opinion. We’ve done well. We’ve been able to take the victory in two of them, so I think it’s about keeping order and continue to be a team that gets better physically,” Espinoza said.

Ebobisse made his Quakes debut in the 36th minute when he substituted in for Luciano Abecasis to a standing ovation from the Earthquakes faithful.

“I think he Is a player that will give San Jose a lot,” said Almeyda on Ebobisse’s debut. “Whenever a player wins on their debut, that is important. He and his teammates gave their maximum effort.”

Three minutes later, LAFC (6-7-5) cut the lead in half thanks to an own goal by Jackson Yueill. Carlos Vela sent in a free kick from 35 yards out into the middle of the box and unfortunately for San Jose, the ball deflected off of Yueill’s head and into the back of the net.

Latiff Blessing had a great opportunity to score the equalizer in the 65th minute when he cut back on his right foot inside the box and outdeked two San Jose defenders. However, his point blank shot was stopped by Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

Ebobisse said it has been a nice, easy transition since coming to San Jose.

“It was a really warm welcome from everyone, starting with the fans and getting into the locker room with players, coaches. Everyone in the team environment has been super open and have been trying to make it as easy as possible for me to feel settled in. Once we get onto the field, we all speak the same language, the language of the sport and we start to see different connections popping up. It’s just really exciting and refreshing to be in this environment. There’s more for me to give from a personality standpoint and then from a footballing standpoint. The first couple of days, with the hectic nature of packing up, taking a flight and getting acquainted with a new system, meeting everyone and getting to know different names and different tendencies, I think it’s been a relatively smooth transition,” Ebobisse said.

LAFC did not generate any scoring chances in the last nine minutes of stoppage time.

Marcinkowski finished the match with six saves on six shots on target to earn the victory. Romero made two saves on four shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had six corner kicks. LAFC had three.

The Quakes extended their winning streak against LAFC to three. San Jose is now 3-5-0 all-time vs. LAFC, including a 2-2-0 record at home.

Chofis’ goal marked the first game-winning goal of his MLS career.

Espinoza tallied assists on Nathan and Chofis’ goals, marking his fifth and sixth assists of the season and 27th and 28th of his MLS career. It marks the first time an Earthquakes player tallied two or more assists in a single match since April 24, 2021 (Cade Cowell; two vs. D.C. United). Espinoza has now tallied six assists, including two game-winning assists, in six regular season appearances vs. LAFC.

Yueill made his 100th MLS appearance, starting and played the full 90 minutes.

UP NEXT: San Jose continue its three-game homestand on Friday 8/13 as they host the Vancouver Whitecaps at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Earthquakes duel to a 1-1 draw with Timbers

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The Portland Timbers Diego Chara (21) gets away from a San Jose Earthquakes defender at Providence Park in Portland on Wed Aug 4, 2021 (photo from oregonlive.com)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Earthquakes battled to a 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers on Wednesday evening at Providence Park.

San Jose has a six-game point streak (1-0-5) and have 18 points in the Western Conference. Portland snapped its two-game losing streak and sit in eighth place in the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Quakes.

San Jose (4-7-6) drew first blood in midway through the first half. Cristian Espinoza received a long ball along the right side. He serviced the ball into the middle of the box where Timbers goalie Steve Clark made a diving attempt but wasn’t able to corral the ball and the rebound leaked out to the left where Chofis buried the ball into an open net for his fourth goal of the season, tying him with Cade Cowell for the team lead, in the 24th minute.

Portland 6-8-2) scored the equalizer in the final minute of stoppage in the first half. A corner kick floated into the box where Bill Tuiloma headed towards the right corner and Felipe Mora was able to deflect it into the net past Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski for his team leading fifth goal of the season.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda made his first substitute change right after halftime and brought in midfielder Jackson Yueill, who played in his first Quakes action since July 3rd when he left to join the US Men’s National Team for the Gold Cup.

“It’s been a while,” said Yueill. “It’s nice to be back with the team and with the group and it’s nice to be playing again with everyone. When I came in, [Matias] told me to do what I normally do, get comfortable again, get familiar with the team again and try to bring some energy and calmness to the game. Just go out there and play and get reacquainted with everyone. It’s fun to be back with everyone and I think the tie on the road is a good point.”

Almeyda put in three fresh legs in the final 10 minutes of the match with the intention of trying to score the go ahead goal when he inserted Chris Wondolowski. Andy Rios and Carlos Fierro.

San Jose had their best chances in stoppage time thanks to the second yellow card issued to Diego Chara in the third minute of stoppage time which resulted in a red card and automatic ejection. Chara stepped on the foot of Yueill when tried challenging for the ball near the D-line.

In the final minute, Fierro sent in a cross over to Yueill, whose shot was stoned away by Clark. The Quakes last chance came on a corner kick in the final seconds of the game but they weren’t able to convert having to settle for one point on the night instead of three.

“It makes me very happy for the players and for the whole team. Our intention is for everyone to run and play. That goal reflects our intentions. We want every player at San Jose to identify with the style. Those goals are always a prize. I think we’ve had similar instances in which we controlled the match but were just missing the finish that could have potentially won us the match tonight,” Almeyda said.

Marcinkowski finished the evening with three saves on four shot. Clark made seven saves on eight shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had four corner kicks. Portland had six.

Chara, with the red card, will be suspended for the next Timbers game.

San Jose is unbeaten in five consecutive road matches (1-0-4). It marks the team’s longest unbeaten run as visitors since the final four road matches of the 2012 season (3-0-1).

The Quakes earned their first point at Providence Park since Sept. 7, 2014, snapping an eight-game losing streak at the venue.

The Quakes are now 5-14-9 all-time vs. Portland, including a 0-10-4 record on the road.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes return to San Jose to host LAFC on Saturday 8/8 at 4:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

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.