Tag: San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko Ukalovic filling in for Ana Kieu: Let’s check up on the Quakes!

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes with Ana:

1. The Quakes beat the LA Galaxy 3-1 at the Dignity Health Tennis Center last Friday.

2. Vako, Jackson Yueill, and Matias Almeyda made the MLS Team of the Week for Week 19.

3. Quakes loaned Jimmy Ockford to Nashville SC of the USL Championship.

4. In club friendly action, the Quakes tied with Valladolid 1-1 at Avaya Stadium Tuesday night.

5. The Quakes head to BC Place to take on Vancouver Whitecaps FC this Saturday.

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

Earthquakes and Real Valladolid play to 1-1 draw in club friendly at Avaya

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes and Real Valladolid played to a 1-1 draw in a club friendly at Avaya Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Andrew Tarbell, Nick Lima, Francois Affolter, Harold Cummings, Marcos Lopez, Luis Felipe, Kevin Partida, Eric Calvillo, Paul Marie, Shea Salinas, and Danny Hoesen.

Sandro Ramirez opened Real Valladolid’s preseason with a noteworthy free kick for the opening goal of the match in the 35th minute. Just four minutes later, Samu Perez made a nice save when he was the only opposition from Shea Salinas to score.

The Quakes had their chances, just needed to finish. San Jose trailed 1-0 at the end of the first half.

The Quakes made their first substitution in the 46th minute as Guram Kashia entered the match for Harold Cummings.

The Quakes made even more substitutions in the 57th minute as Magnus Eriksson, Chris Wondolowski, Vako, and Jackson Yueill entered the match for Eric Calvillo, Danny Hoesen, Nick Lima, and Kevin Partida.

Turns out, Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda made the right choice in Quakes star Chris Wondolowski. Wondolowski, the MLS’ goal king, scored the game-tying goal to even the score 1-1 in the 60th minute.

The Quakes made a substitution in the 68th minute as Judson entered the match for Luis Felipe.

The Quakes made another substitution in the 81st minute as Siad Haji entered the match for Shea Salinas.

Quakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell made a tremendous save in the 86th minute to fend off a potential go-ahead goal from Nacho. Nacho almost scored inside the box.

San Jose and Real Valladolid played to a 1-1 draw. The Quakes showed sportsmanship and told their foreign opponent “good game” since Real Valladolid is a La Liga team based in Valladolid, Spain.

The Quakes head to BC Place to take on Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, July 20 at 7:00 pm.

Hoesen stuns opponents again, Quakes win 2-1

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Photo credit: @PaloaPalo3

By Pearl Allison Lo

CARSON, Calif. — Danny Hoesen jumped off the bench with his second substitute goal in as many games, as the Earthquakes won the California Clasico series 2-0 versus the Los Angeles Galaxy at Dignity Health Tennis Center Friday night.

Hoesen made his minutes count. After teammate Vako broke through former San Jose goalie David Bingham three minutes earlier, Hoesen made sure that would not be all. At the speed of pinball, Vako started off the play kicking to Hoesen, who came in two minutes earlier, to Bingham and into the net in the 64th minute. Last game, Hoesen scored in the 93rd minute to lead his team to victory. 

With the win, San Jose jumped to fourth place in the Western Conference, three points behind the Galaxy. It was the Earthquakes’ first visit to  Dignity Health Sports Park since it was renamed from StubHub Center. Last matchup between the teams, San Jose also won with three goals.

The Quakes’ 32 shots were a season-high and the most ever in a road game for them.

Magnus Eriksson had a game-high six chances created, 88 touches and 69 total passes, but pointed out, “We need to stay humble, because we know what happened last season, and it was tough…if we start being cocky about our way of playing, I think we can go straight down…stay united as a team and if we do that, we will continue taking victories. We’re nothing without that…”  

It was a tale of two halves for Bingham and the two teams in terms of scoring. Bingham stood tall in the first, despite San Jose outshooting Los Angeles 12-2. He even made a season-high seven saves throughout the game before the Quakes started scoring. 

The scoring in the opening half was based on corners. Both of the Galaxy’s shots came off them. San Jose had 10 corners, two of them sandwiched an attempt by Espinoza in the 19th minute. 

The Quakes fell behind early. The Quakes’ Tommy Thompson just got the ball out of the way in front of the net in the 2nd minute before Uriel Antuna could get to it. However, it resulted in a successful corner by Jonathan dos Santos the same minute. The ball landed right on Rolf Feltscher’s left foot as he kicked the ball in goal for the early lead. 

San Jose’s Cristian Espinoza went flying which earned him a free kick in the 5th minute. On the other end, Thompson earned a yellow card when he grabbed his opponent by his jersey when he went by. 

Vako just missed with the first shot in the 12th minute. That same minute Chris Wondolowski tried too, but it went into the hands of Bingham. 

In the 23rd minute, the teams almost almost repeated the games’ 2nd minute. Antuna was veering into wide open territory but, Guram Kashia pushed the ball away for another corner. This corner did not result in a goal though, but Daniel Vega was forced to reach for the crossbar as he was able to tip the ball away.  

Frustration was evident in the 48th minute after Wondolowski ended up with a chance at an empty net in the 48th minute. 

The Quakes’ finally broke through though in the 61st minute with patience and continued attack. Vako was the scorer with an almost straightaway shot that found the bottom left corner. 

Los Angeles had three shots after, two in the 70th minute (blocked and missed). San Jose had seven before scoring again, six of them on target, including two in the 77th, one in the 78th and two in the 79th. 

The Quakes’ persistence paid off once again in the 85th minute. Bingham was able to block Vako’s initial shot but the rebound went straight to Jackson Yueill, off Bingham’s fingers and into the net. 

Up Next: San Jose’s shots in the first were evened out with four apiece on target, off target and blocked. The Quakes now set their sights on the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday July 20 at 7 pm to close out their road trip.  

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko Ukalovic filling in for Ana Kieu: Hoesen was an unforeseen hero against Real Salt Lake

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Photo credit: sjearthquakes.com

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko:

1. The Quakes lost to Minnesota United 3-1 at Allianz Field last Wednesday.

2. Danny Hoesen lifted the Quakes to a 1-0 shutout over Real Salt Lake at Avaya Stadium last Saturday.

3. US Men’s Soccer lost to Mexico 1-0 in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final at Soldier Field on Sunday.

4. Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski and Reno 1868 FC midfielder Seth Casiple were named to the USL Championship Team of the Week for Week 17.

5. With the Quakes’ newfound success, how much of an impact does Matias Almeyda have on his team?

6. The Quakes head to L.A. to face the Galaxy always a battle when both of these teams meet up they faced each other last in June at Stanford Stadium.

Marko Ukalovic is a Quakes beat writer and catch Ana Kieu on the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes never say tie in 1-0 shutout over Real Salt Lake

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes had looked to bounce back at home with a win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday night. The Quakes celebrated Japantown Neighborhood Night presented by Wells Fargo.

The Quakes’ starting lineup featured Daniel Vega, Marcus Lopez, Florian Jungwirth, Guram Kashia, Tommy Thompson, Judson, Jackson Yueill, Cristian Espinoza, Magnus Eriksson, Vako, and Chris Wondolowski.

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

San Jose was off to a great start, thanks to early chances from the get-go. The Quakes looked positive and were assertive in the possession department. Moreover, Cristian Espinoza’s meg in the 10th minute justified that he was having a home field day.

Judson made a notable kick in the 41st minute. However, the Brazilian midfielder’s kick was blocked by Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

San Jose and Real Salt Lake played to a scoreless tie at the end of the first half. Shots were even at six apiece. Moreover, the Quakes dominated in possession, passes, and pass accuracy.

Florian Jungwirth blocked a shot in the 52nd minute. Also, Daniel Vega came in clutch with a few noteworthy saves of his own, like the one in the 54th minute.

San Jose’s first substitution occurred in the 66th minute. Shea Salinas entered the match for Marcus Lopez.

San Jose’s second substitution occurred in the 71st minute. Paul Marie entered the match for Tommy Thompson.

San Jose’s third and final substitution occurred in the 74th minute. Danny Hoesen entered the match for Judson.

San Jose put up offensive signals in the final minutes of the match by knocking on the door in the 80th minute, having Vako take down a Real Salt Lake defender in the 85th minute, and most importantly, Danny Hoesen scoring the game-winning goal in the 93rd minute. The Quakes won 1-0.

Fans in attendance also won with a free Jumbo Jack with a large drink purchase at Jack in the Box. Jack in the Box offers some of the most unhealthy items among fast food restaurants, but hey, you can’t turn down free food. Plus it’s pretty cool to see Jack in a Quakes uniform and juggling a soccer ball with his knees.

The Quakes head to Dignity Health Tennis Center to take on the LA Galaxy on Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 pm.

Minnesota United ends Earthquakes’ unbeaten streak with 3-1 win

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Photo credit: @MNUFC

By Pearl Allison Lo

The San Jose Earthquakes’ six-game streak was serious, but Minnesota United FC–also known as the Loons–showed their game before was not a fluke, halting the Earthquakes with a 3-1 win at Allianz Field Wednesday.

With just a point separating them in the standings, Minnesota leapfrogged San Jose after the result. The last time the two teams met it was during the infancy of the 2019 season. Minnesota won 3-0 and it was the Quakes’ second straight loss and first shutout of the season and would be followed by three more losses.

Minnesota whooped FC Cincinnati their last game 7-1, and even though FC Cincinnati was in last place, they proved their play with their performance versus rising San Jose. In both this and their last game, Minnesota’s possession percentage hovered in the 30s.

Goalie Vito Mannone excelled for his team, making a MLS career-high seven saves, especially in the second half, as the Quakes attempted to come from behind. San Jose had 27 to Minnesota’s 13 shots and 10 shots blocked.

Michael Boxall had the game-winner in the 52nd minute. An inadvertent kick forward by San Jose helped and before goalie Daniel Vega could get to the ball, Boxall capitalized to put Minnesota back up.

The Quakes fell behind for just the second time in 12 games, early in the 5th minute. Darwin Quintero was aided by Ethan Finlay and Miguel Ibarra.

Things got heated in the end of the first half. San Jose’s Vako bled, both teams jawed at each other and the Quakes’ Tommy Thompson got knocked down. Thompson ended up scoring his second goal in as many games with either his hip or stomach in the 47th minute in stoppage time as a result.

As Thompson put it, “We have a couple different set pieces that we work on; Magnus [Eriksson] and Cristian [Espinoza] can both whip a great ball in. We get a lot of guys in the box for a reason and I’m glad it payed off on that play.”

San Jose ended up with 65% possession throughout the game. Minnesota received four of five yellow cards in the second half. The Quakes’ Magnus Eriksson had a game-high six shots.

Eriksson replied, “Nothing to be ashamed of. We controlled the whole second half and we are proud of the way we executed this game…”

Teammate Shea Salinas made his presence known after entering in the 66th minute. He had two assists on shots Mannone was forced to save, to Danny Hoesen in the 68th minute and Eriksson in the 71st minute.

Thompson’s shot in the 88th minute went over the bar.

Minnesota wasn’t done yet though. Former Quake Ike Opara had the primary assist as he won the ball against Minnesotan Jackson Yueill and sent it to Kevin Molino from the midfield Molino who entered in the 83rd minute, scored in the 92nd minute and got a yellow card the minute after. Molino also had the last goal of the last match, which came in the 87th minute and he was the only repeat scorer for Minnesota between their last two games.

San Jose still had life when Cristian Espinoza was pulled down, but his subsequent attempt was saved as well.

Up Next: The Quakes will have an even quicker turnaround for their next game, as they return home for one game to host Real Salt Lake Saturday at 7:30 pm.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Cousins may leave Golden State, but can he fit in with Lakers?; US Women’s Soccer team could win it all this Sunday; plus more

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Photo credit: @LakeShowWorld

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Critics says that there is no market for DeMarcus Cousins. What would you say the reason are as someone who covered him while he was at Golden State? Too many injuries, didn’t fulfill what the Warriors expected out him, too much baggage.

#2 Would the Lakers consider picking up Cousins? Cousins is reportedly watching if Kawhi Leonard decides to sign with the Lakers and if so would Cousins want to join Leonard in the Southland?

#3 You were there, how impressive were the Earthquakes when they shutout the LA Galaxy 3-0 at Stanford Stadium last Saturday?

#4 Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda said the game was a spectacle and the team is on the right path and has improved.

#5 The US Women’s team got a 2-1 win over England to advance to the Finals, which will be played on Sunday. Talk about how nervous you are for this upcoming match that could win it all.

London Marq does Headline Sports for http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes blowout Galaxy in Cali Clasico; Quakes to take on Minnesota United; plus more

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes blowout the LA Galaxy 3-0 in the Cali Clasico for their second straight win.

2. The Quakes take on the Minnesota United at Allianz Field Wednesday.

3. After that, San Jose will return to Avaya Stadium to host Real Salt Lake Saturday night.

4. Vako, Tommy Thompson and Matias Almeyda were all part of the MLS Team of the Week for Week 17.

5. Vako was named MLS Player of the Week for Week 17.

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

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes shutout Dynamo 2-0, Quakes prep for Cali Clasico; plus more

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes shutout the Houston Dynamo 2-0 at Avaya Stadium Wednesday to earn three points.

2. With the win, San Jose soared in the current MLS Western Conference standings.

3. The Quakes recently signed Mexican winger Carlos Fierro pending his P-1 visa.

4. The Quakes prepare for the Cali Clasico against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium on Saturday, June 29.

5. The US men’s soccer team shutout Panama 1-0 in the Group D decider Wednesday.

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

Vako’s brace powers Earthquakes over Dynamo 2-0

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — In a game that was dominated from start to finish, led by Georgian striker Vako, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Houston Dynamo with a convincing 2-0 win on Wednesday evening at Avaya Stadium.

Vako put on a clinic out on the pitch for San Jose, whose unbeaten streak was extended to five games (4-0-1), scoring twice and had opportunities to score more than two as Houston had no answer in trying to stop him.

San Jose continued their transformation since starting the season 0-4 and have jumped to sixth place in the Western Conference that even has surprised head coach Matias Almeyda.

“I knew it was going to take a while,” said Almeyda. “I even thought it would take a little bit longer. The start was completely negative. But it’s day to day and we have to keep insisting on improving. This is one of the team’s that has the lowest payroll in the league and watching them compete at this level makes me proud.”

The Quakes (6-6-4) drew first blood halfway through the first half. Magnus Eriksson centered a pass that split two Dynamo defenders from along the right side of the goal-line to an unmarked Vako, who one-timed a chip shot past Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis for his first goal of the game and second goal of the season in the 22nd minute.

The Quakes controlled the tempo and play in the first half as they kept the Dynamo on their heels with the majority of the possession (61%-39%) being played in the Houston’s defensive zone in the opening 45 minutes.

“Really growing that belief,” said Wondo. “It’s a funny thing, confidence. We’ve bought into Matias’ game plan and when you execute it in the right way it’s very effective. It’s a lot of fun.”

In the second half, San Jose kept the pedal to the metal as they dominated play and were constantly in Houston’s end of the pitch getting six quality scoring chances in the first 20 minutes.

When Vako wasn’t scoring, he was setting up his teammates, including captain Chris Wondolowski. Vako centered a pass over to a wide-open Wondo, who was robbed from six yards out by Willis’ great two-handed save to keep the ball out of the net.

“It would’ve been very easy for him to just throw in town,” said Wondo regarding the play of Vako, who had struggled earlier on in the season. “But he’s (done) the opposite. As you saw tonight, he’s a very great player.”

Jackson Yueill led a three-on-one attack after stripping the ball off a Houston defender from 30 yards out, but his shot sailed wide of the mark in the 69th minute.

Houston (7-5-3) could not muster much of a counter attack against San Jose. An errant pass here, a turnover there was the story of the night for the fifth place Dynamo. Their poor offensive play was the catalyst for the quick counters by the Quakes that led to their numerous scoring chances.

San Jose doubled their lead in the 75th minute when Vako scored his second tally of the evening and third goal of the season when collected a rebound inside the box, dribbled five yard into the middle and rifled a shot past Willis to put the home team comfortably ahead.

“I’m just trying to stay focus and keep going,” said Vako. “I’m just happy I had some chances and I used it.”

GAME NOTES: Quakes defender Anibal Godoy underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove scar tissue from his abdomen that was impairing his bilateral nerves. He is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.

Quakes forward Danny Hoesen missed the game with an upper thigh injury.

Defenders Nick Lima (USA) and Harold Cummings (Panama) were away on international duty for their respective countries participating in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Houston’s Ronaldo Pena received a yellow card in the 17th minute for displaying unsportsmanlike conduct. AJ Delagarza Jr. also received a yellow card in the 57th minute on a low tackle attempt.

San Jose leads the overall series 7-4-2.

UP NEXT: The Quakes host the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, June 29 in the annual California Clasico at Stanford Stadium at 6:30 pm.