Tag: San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes shutout Timbers 3-0 for first win of season

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After being trounced five goals to none in their last match by the table-topping Los Angeles Football Club, the San Jose Earthquakes found themselves four games into the regular season without a win. Without doubt it has been a disappointing start to this season and the Quakes hope to make some winning adjustments as they hosted the Portland Timbers at Avaya Stadium Saturday. Both Portland and San Jose entered play without win, providing both teams with an opportunity to get their first three points.

Right out of the gate, San Jose looked like a different team as they found each other for offensive chances early and demonstrated better communication than we’ve seen from them so far this year. The improvement in play had Portland on the back foot early. San Jose was having success moving the ball deep in the wide areas and in the 15th minute Cristian Espinoza put dribbled the ball down the goal line and passed the ball into the goal box where Shea Salinas was waiting for the easy score to put the Quakes up 1-0 early.

Portland responded by being more physical on the ball and San Jose matched their intensity. Between the 26th and 28th minutes, a yellow card was handed out to both teams. The game would remain throughout as 29 total fouls and four total yellow cards were dealt by the referees.

San Jose would continue to be effective in the wide offensive areas. In the 33rd minute, Quakes striker Danny Hoesen slammed the ball into the net after Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella had the ball bounce off his feet.  It was Hoesen’s first start of season and with it came his first goal of the campaign as well. The Quakes weren’t done scoring either. Just a minute later, midfielder Cristian Espinoza made a run after intercepting a pass and slotted the ball low into the near corner right past Attinella.

Portland would have their chances to bulge the net as well. In the 55th minute, Portland was awarded a penalty after a handball in the box. Portland striker Diego Valeri would step up to take it, but Quakes goalie Daniel Vega would be equal to it and keep the Timbers scoreless. San Jose was a few inches away from scoring a fourth goal by hometown favorite Nick Lima, but the goal was called back after a replay review ruled that Espinoza was offsides.

No goals would be scored in the second half and the Quakes would win their first match of the season. Quakes coach Matias Almeyda and the team were all smiles during the postgame activities. Hoesen expressed that it felt great to get the win, but there was still much work to do. Almeyda made some excellent adjustments starting three players–Hoesen, winger Shea Salinas, and defender Florian Jungwirth–for the first time this season. With any luck, the adjustments and success will translate when they are on the road next week, taking on the Houston Dynamo.

Final: San Jose defeated Portland 3-0.

Up Next: San Jose takes on Houston next Saturday at 12 pm PT.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Another week, another loss

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Photo credit: @Jasoninho10

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Quakes got shutout by LAFC 5-0 at Avaya Stadium last Saturday.

2. Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda sat down with MLS and Univision Deportes to talk about his arrival to the U.S.

3. There’s a lot of history behind the Quakes and Portland Timbers’ rivalry.

4. Quakes, NorCal Premier Soccer, and German Football Association (DFB) will host an international soccer coaching showcase at Stanford University from June 28-30.

5. Quakes Homegrown Midfielder Gilbert Fuentes was called to the U.S. U-17 National Team.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each week for SportsRadioService.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Ice meltdown in Vancouver–Sharks can’t answer Canucks’ 3 goals in third period; Quakes’ best game in 0-0 draw against Colorado so far; plus more

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Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 In one that you can call just a big meltdown, the San Jose Sharks started a two-game road trip in Vancouver Tuesday night, had a 2-1 lead and looked like they might actually win this one against the Canucks, but all for not as the Canucks scored three unanswered goals to hand San Jose its ninth loss in 10 games 4-2.

#2 The San Jose Earthquakes are a team that is all shook up. They have not won one a game yet this season and have played six games and their best game was against Colorado in a 0-0 draw. London tells us from he has seen of the Quakes what the problem is?

#3 The San Francisco Giants have shown some improvement on the current road trip taking the first game against the Dodgers on Monday night 4-2, thanks to Brandon Belt’s home run to help pace the win. On Tuesday night, the Giants lost by a run, but it’s been something to look forward to after they struggled in San Diego losing three out four.

#4 The Oakland A’s are getting plenty of pitching they got a 7-0 shutout over the World Champion Red Sox on Monday and then on Tuesday they got a 1-0 shutout with great A’s starting pitcher Mike Fiers and A’s reliever Blake Treinen.

#5 The Sacramento Kings just couldn’t do anything with James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night in Golden One Center. Harden put away 36 points and he was again a scoring machine in a 130-105 win.

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast for http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes shut out by LAFC 5-0

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Marq

SAN JOSE–Major League Soccer’s best, currently in the form of the glamorous Los Angeles Football Club, travels north to battle the bottom ranked San Jose Earthquakes. Though San Jose bested LAFC in the preseason, it has been a tale of two different clubs since the season began. LAFC has a league-best 10 points entering play with 10 goals to their cause versus an Earthquakes team that has yet to earn a point through their first three matches. San Jose, who have only managed two goals on the season, looked to create a rivalry with their southern neighbors under the guidance of head coach Matias Almeyda.

The first half saw the Earthquakes struggle to find any cohesion as LAFC applied constant pressure in every sector of the pitch. The fullbacks struggled to advance the ball into the midfield, and it would be a problem for San Jose from the earliest moments of the game. In the eighth minute, LA forward Carlos Vela would steal the ball from a defender and knock it into the area of the Quakes goalie Mario Vega. Vega attempted to clear the ball out of the box and whiffed, leaving the crowd stunned and the goal wide open. Vela would score the first goal of the match.

Mario Vega’s whiff was only the beginning of his very long day. Though he made several saves and blocks, Vega found himself one-on-one with the opposing strikers and back line offered little resistance. Carlos Vela would go on to score twice more, including a beautiful arcing shot from outside the box into the far corner in the 66th minute to complete his first MLS hat trick. LAFC also had goals from Steven Beitashour and Diego Rossi in the 26th and 68th minutes, respectively.

For Almeyda and the Quakes, it’s back to the drawing board. Frustrations mounted in the second half as the match became more physical. There were some questionable fouls made by the referees, who at different points in the match had lengthy conversations with Coach Almeyda and Quake midfielder Tommy Thompson. At one point, Thompson became so frustrated after a whistle blew for a foul against him, that he picked the ball up threw it across the pitch. Frustrations aside, the Quakes seem stagnant and unsure of themselves. They still seem to lack a sense of group cohesion that successful teams possess and until they find it, they will continue to struggle.

FINAL: LAFC defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 5-0.

UP NEXT: The next match for the Quakes will take place at Avaya Stadium on Saturday, April 6th versus the Portland Timbers.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Quakes have been getting some work done

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu:

1. The Earthquakes lost to the Monterrey Rayados 2-1 in a friendly at Avaya Stadium last Saturday.

2. Do you feel that the Quakes’ lineup changes affected the outcome of their friendly vs. Monterrey?

3. JT Marcinkowski and Jackson Yueill made the Quakes proud Sunday.

4. Richard Mulrooney and Dave Obenour were inducted into the Quakes Hall of Fame Monday.

5. The Quakes caught a lot of flak on Twitter for their recent tweet asking fans to join them in defending their home.

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each Friday for SportsRadioService.com

Monterrey takes down Earthquakes 2-1 in friendly

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes have yet to find their identity under new head coach Matias Almeyda. Things weren’t any better against the Monterrey Rayados. The Mexican League club jumped out to an early lead and then held on for a 2-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Avaya Stadium in an international friendly match.

The Rayados drew first blood just six minutes into the game. A defensive breakdown by Jimmy Ockford led to a break where Rogelio Funes Mori ended up one-on-one with Quakes goalie Andrew Tarbell and the Argentinian forward chipped the ball past him for a 1-0 Monterrey lead.

Monterrey kept the pressure on as Funes Mori sent in a shot over defender Florian Jungwirth, only to have Tarbell make a terrific save by batting the ball over the net.

Monterrey doubled their lead in the 24th minute. Once again, a lack of coverage left open Maximiliano Meza, who received the ball from 10 yards out, stumbled, regained possession and kicked the ball into the upper left corner for a 2-0 Rayados lead.

The closest the Quakes came to getting on the scoreboard in the first half came at the 35th minute when captain Chris Wondolowski’s header attempt from a centering cross pass was knocked away to the right by Rayados goalie Marcelo Barovero.

Monterrey had two quality chances to extend their lead in the first five minutes into the second half. First, in the 48th minute, Funes Mori’s shot from 12 yards out just sailed wide of the net. Then, two minutes later, Dorlan Pabon’s shot from 25 yards out was knocked away by Tarbell.

San Jose had a golden attempt to cut the lead in half at the 56th minute when Magnus Eriksson centered a perfect crossing pass over to Wondolowski, whose point-blank header was knocked over the net by back up goalie Luis Cardenas, who came in as a substitution for Barovero to start the second half.

The Quakes finally got on the scoreboard in the 61st minute. Tommy Thompson dribbled the ball near the end line then sent crossed the ball right into the middle of the box, where 15-year old Cade Cowell, who made his debut for San Jose, one-timed the ball into the right corner of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1 for his first professional career goal. Both players came in as substitutes in the second half.

San Jose gained momentum off of Cowell’s goal as they spent the next 15 minutes playing inside Monterrey’s zone creating chances that were deflected away by Rayado defenders.

The Quakes had a chance for the equalizer late in the match when they earned a free kick just outside the D-box in the 84th minute. Jungwirth’s shot was stoned away by a diving Edson Resendez, who came on a substitution for Cardenas, as well as Thompson’s rebound attempt from the right corner end line.

GAME NOTES: Paul Marie received a yellow card in the 49th minute on a tackle from behind.

UP NEXT: The Quakes return back to MLS action as they host LAFC on Saturday 3/30 at 12:30 pm at Avaya Stadium.

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana Kieu: Have the Quakes really improved?

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Photo credit: @MLS

On the San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Ana:

1. The Earthquakes dropped back-to-back matches at home to start this season. What went wrong?

2. The Quakes fell to the N.Y. Red Bulls 4-1 last Saturday. Was this a matter of the Quakes’ offense falling apart or the Red Bulls’ offense overwhelming?

3. The Quakes will be back home on March 30th vs. LAFC. What do the Quakes need to do in order to beat LA?

4. What’s your prediction on the Quakes’ upcoming 2-game homestand vs. LAFC and Portland Timbers?

5. The Quakes have a road match against the Houston Dynamo on April 13th. What are your 3 keys to the match?

Ana does the San Jose Earthquakes podcast each week for SportsRadioService.com

No love in the East Coast: Earthquakes fall to Red Bulls 4-1

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: Ana Kieu

The San Jose Earthquakes thought 2019 would be a better year under first-year head coach Matias Almeyda, but it turned out to be a high hope, as the team dropped back-to-back home matches–a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Impact on March 2nd and a 3-0 shutout to the Minnesota United FC on March 9th–to start the season.

San Jose, however, decided to try their luck in Harrison, N.J. against the New York Red Bulls, who won their third Supporters’ Shield in 2018 after winning their final five games as well as qualifying for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League. New York’s current head coach Chris Armas replaced Jesse Marsch, who left the coaching gig after three and a half seasons.

It was gameday in the East Coast and the Quakes fanbase caught the livestream on Twitter at 12:30 pm PT. Though, the diehard Quakes fans saved their seats in section 220 in the Red Bull Arena.

Moreover, the Wondo watch was in full effect as Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski entered the match with 144 goals. Wondo’s goal was to score his 145th goal to tie Landon Donovan’s 145 career regular season goals.

Unfortunately, Wondo never scored his 145th goal, but at least the Earthquakes avoided a shutout, thanks to Cristian Espinoza’s first goal as a Quakes forward. Espinoza was loaned to the Quakes on a season-long loan by Villareal CF on January 2nd. San Jose took an early 1-0 lead at the fifth minute.

But the mere 1-0 halftime lead was as far as the Quakes could go. The Red Bulls scored three unanswered goals in the second half. So it wasn’t much of a greeting when the Quakes’ Twitter announced to the Twitterverse that they were back for the second half.

It all started with a shot and Alex Muyl kicked in a shot past Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega to tie the match 1-1 at the 51st minute. After that, Magnus Eriksson was just inches away from his second goal of the season and San Jose was unable to score a go-ahead goal at the 55th minute.

The Quakes made their first substitution of the match, swapping Nick Lima for Marcos Lopez at the 62nd minute. That, however, didn’t help San Jose’s cause because Muyl scored his second goal of the match for a 2-1 Red Bulls lead at the 71st minute.

Muyl’s go-ahead goal was the reason why the Quakes made their second substitution of the match, swapping Judson for Danny Hoesen. Moreover, San Jose made their third and final substitution of the match, swapping Vako for Jackson Yueill at the 78th minute. But neither helped as the Red Bulls scored not only one, but two late goals to call it a day. Bradley Wright-Phillips made it 3-1 Red Bulls at the 85th minute and Daniel Royer wrapped up the scoring with a down-to-the-wire goal to extend the Red Bulls’ lead to 4-1 at the 89th minute. The Quakes fell to the Red Bulls 4-1 in N.J.

The Quakes have a much-needed week off before they host LAFC on March 30th at 12:30 pm PT.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Improved Kings need wins in Philly and Boston

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photo from nbcsports.com file: The Sacramento Kings and D3’Aaron Fox head to Boston and Philadelphia for games Thursday and Friday nights.

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The Sacramento Kings dropped a tough game to the Washington Wizards 121-115. The Kings made it close losing by six.

#2 The Kings head to Philadelphia and Boston this Thursday and Friday. Can the Kings pick up some key wins after losing to Washington in their bid to try and make the postseason?

#3 De’Aaron Fox led the Kings in scoring. Talk about what he means for the club this season.

#4 In MLS action, the San Jose Earthquakes are headed to New York to face the NY Red Bulls. The Quakes are coming off two losses to the Montreal Impact and the Minnesota United FC. The later game was rough as they lost in a 3-0 shutout.

#5 After watching the 3-0 shutout, was this reminiscent of last year’s Quakes team or maybe more concerning than last year’s team?

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com each Wednesday

Earthquakes blanked by Minnesota United 3-0

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Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — 2018 was a dark year for the San Jose Earthquakes, who finished the campaign with only 4 wins. One bright spot for the Quakes was the season series they won against Minnesota United. The United has traveled to San Jose twice before and lost both games. San Jose looked to continue that trend as Minnesota returned to Avaya Stadium. San Jose opened the 2019 season with a 2-1 loss to Montreal. They wanted to avoid making it a habit.

The Earthquakes opened the first half under pressure. Minnesota was able to maneuver the ball into the scoring third of the field. United had a total of 8 shots, most of which threatened the Earthquakes goalkeeper, Daniel Vega. Vega, who was under constant duress during the first half, faced a barrage of shot attempts for a near 10-minute stretch. He was equal to it. From the 27th minute through the 36th, Vega defended 5 shots on target, 2 of reach he blocked. San Jose in contrast, only had 4 shots on goal for the half.

The second half opened with scoring early as Minnesota United drew a penalty in the 49th minute. MLS All-Star and Colombia national Darwin Quintero slotted it into the corner. Just short of 3 minutes later, Minnesota would find the back of the net with a goal from the former NASL MVP Miguel Ibarra. Just like that, 6 minutes removed from being tied at half time, the Quakes were playing to salvage a tie.

San Jose had no cohesive rhythm throughout that match, despite passing the ball often and with 83% accuracy. They lost more than 50% of their one on one and were on edge the entire time. After the match San Jose coach Matias Almeyda explained that the offensive game plan wasn’t executed as planned. As a result, the team spent more time crossing the ball from wide areas than they wanted. While the ball found its way into the offensive third with regularity in the second half, San Jose couldn’t manage to get a good touch on the ball to capitalize.

A late San Jose own goal by defender Harold Cummings in the 75th minute effectively ended the game. Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski had a chance to put the team on the board late when the ball came to him a few feet from the goal, but whiffed. It was the summation of the night San Jose had. It’s only two games into the season, so there’s no need to panic yet. Coach Almeyda is looking to take this season one game at a time. The goal right now it to get his team in a winning mindset for next Saturday’s tilt with the New York City Red Bulls.

FINAL: Minnesota defeated San Jose 3-0.

UP NEXT: San Jose heads to the Empire State to face the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, March 16 at 12:30 pm PT.