Tag: San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes defeat Timbers behind Amarikwa’s incredible goal

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By: Eric He

photo credit: squawka.com–San Jose Earthquakes Quincy Amarikwa is congratulated after scoring the Quakes second goal on Sunday at Avaya Stadium

SAN JOSE – Quincy Amarikwa’s wonder goal helped the San Jose Earthquakes prevail 2-1 over the defending-champion Portland Timbers at Avaya Stadium on Sunday evening.

Amarikwa scored in stoppage time of the first half on a perfectly placed chip shot from well outside the box to put the Earthquakes ahead 2-0.

“I made my second touch and looked up and I saw the keeper still struggling to get back to his end line,” Amarikwa said. “I figured if I could put it over his back right shoulder, I’d have the best opportunity to get a goal in that situation. Knowing there was a bunch of puddles on the field, I wasn’t sure if the best course of action would be to dribble, so I had a go and it went in the back of the net.”

Portland, which outshot San Jose 16-8 in the game, put forth a valiant effort in the second half, finally getting on the board in the 89th minute on a goal by Jack McInerney. It was too little, too late, however, as the Earthquakes hung on for the win.

“It’s nice to execute a nice game plan,” said captain Chris Wondolowski. “I thought we knew what we wanted to do.”

The Timbers started off controlling possession and outshot the Earthquakes 10-3 in the first half, but six of those shots were off-target.

Still, they had their fair share of scoring changes, but Lucas Melano banged one off the crossbar five minutes in and a sliding block from Clarence Goodson thwarted Fanendo Adi’s bid on a rush.

Meanwhile, San Jose made its attempts count.

In the 30th minute, Wondolowksi directed in a cross from Anibal Godoy for his second goal in as many games.

Then – in stoppage time – came the goal of the early MLS season. Amarikwa chipped one from 35-feet out on the right flank that eluded the diving Adam Larsen Kwarasey to give San Jose a 2-0 advantage heading into the locker room.

“It gives you chills when you see plays like that no matter what,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said.

When asked about the parallel between his shot and a Stephen Curry long-distance 3-pointer, Amarikwa did not hesitate.

“I’ve been watching Curry shoot from everywhere so I was like, ‘Oh man. If he can do it, I can get lucky one time,’” he said.

Wondolowski noted that it was a well-deserved goal for the scrappy forward.

“His work ethic is contagious,” Wondolowski sad. “He does so much that doesn’t show up in the box score. He doesn’t get as much credit as he should. That’s why I’m so glad he gets a world class goal where people can see how great he is.”

The Earthquakes notch their first win over the Timbers for the first time in five matches and start the season 2-0-0. They head into Saturday’s match against the Galaxy on the road with a head full of steam.

Wondolowski Header Hands Earthquakes A Win On Opening Day.

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By Shawn Whelchel

photo credit: San Jose Mercury News– San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham (1) dives to make a save grabbing the ball away from Shkelzen Gashi (11) of the Colorado Rapids on Sunday

SAN JOSE–Chris Wondolowski’s header was all the San Jose Earthquakes would need to secure a win on opening day of the 2016 MLS season, as a strong defensive effort from David Bingham would keep the Colorado Rapids off the scorecard for a 1-nil victory at Avaya Stadium.

Bingham had an outstanding day guarding the net for San Jose, making five saves on 18 shots from the Rapids, while showing off his hands and athleticism repelling a second-half flurry from the visiting team.

San Jose would secure their lone goal with the help of a new face-and their old reliable captain-as Alberto Quintero would feed a beautiful ball into the cutting Wondolowski for the go-ahead score at the start of the second-half. Despite a second-half outburst from the Rapids which saw them line-up 13 of their 18 total shots on the day, San Jose walked away victors for their 13th consecutive match without a loss against Colorado.

The Quakes got off to a sluggish start on the slippery turf at Avaya on Sunday, doing most of their work on the defensive side as the Rapids looked to be the aggressors early on.

Bingham received no grace period to start the season, being thrust into action to stop multiple Rapids’ attempts throughout the half. Kevin Doyle and Dillon Powers-who accounted for three of the Rapids five first-half shots- sent a trio of dangerous balls towards San Jose’s net. San Jose’s offensive attack couldn’t offer Bingham an extended spell either, as Colorado dominated the time of possession at 57.1 percent throughout the first 45-minutes of play as well, keeping the 26-year old Bay Area native on his toes.

While Bingham was busy showcasing his good hands, Colorado goaltender Zac MacMath had a relatively easy going early on. Quincy Amarikwa broke free on a dangerous run towards the goal near the 33′ minute mark, but was thwarted by a well-timed tackle by Rapids defender Jarred Watts near the goal. San Jose would loft up a few lazy shots throughout the frame, but failed to seriously threaten in a lackluster opening half.

But the revamped Earthquakes would shake off the season-opening cobwebs to start the second half, earning their inaugural 2016 goal off the head of the man who put through 16 for the team last year.

Just seconds after the sound of the whistle, newcomer Quintero- who was loaned to the team from Lobos BUAP in February-would feed the cutting Wondolowski a well-placed ball that would find the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.

San Jose would continue to keep their newfound intensity up, with both Wondolowski and Tommy Thompson nearly missing a second goal for their club. But with time running out, Colorado launched a furious attempt to find an equalizer against Bingham.

Marco Pappa nearly connected with the back of the net on two attempts, including a free-kick attempt and a dangerous header attempt at the 88′ mark that just scraped the left-side of the goal post before heading out of bounds. Dominique Badji would also threaten the Earthquakes lead with a dangerous sprint up the middle of the pitch for an uncontested try that sailed into the second deck. Badji would represent the Rapids last attempt before game’s end as well, with Victor Bernardez showing some defensive prowess to stop the midfielder’s attempt before Bingham would make his fifth and final save.

The win represents the second-straight opening day victory for the Earthquakes at Avaya, and sets them off on the right foot for the 2016 MLS season. San Jose has a week off before facing the Portland Timbers on March 13 at 4:00 p.m.

Earthquakes Vault into Playoff Position in Draw with Whitecaps

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By: Eric He

With just three games left in the season, the San Jose Earthquakes needed every possible point. They got just one Saturday night in a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps at Avaya Stadium, but it was pivotal one.

An equalizer by Chris Wondolowski in the 62nd minute salvaged a draw for the Earthquakes and moved them into a tie with the Portland Timbers for the sixth and final playoff position in the West. Both the Earthquakes and Timbers have 44 points, but the Earthquakes — for now — own the tiebreak with a better goal differential. Portland, however, has one more game remaining than San Jose.

The Whitecaps, who are second in the conference with 49 points, struck first on a goal in the 38th minute by Christian Techera, who picked up a loose ball in front, cut it back past two Earthquakes defenders and lofted it over the head of David Bingham.

But when they needed him most, the Earthquakes’ best player delivered. It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but Wondolowski followed up on a juicy rebounded created off a drive and shot by Cordell Cato, evening the game at 1-1.

It nearly ended in disaster for San Jose, as an errant free kick by Anibal Godoy in the 93rd minute created a two-on-none breakaway for Vancouver. But David Bingham bravely dove and cut off the Whitecaps’ Kekutah Manneh, preserving the game and perhaps the Earthquakes’ playoff hopes.

San Jose has some time off before its next match against Sporting KC on Oct. 16.

Earthquakes draw for second consecutive match

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By: Eric He

The San Jose Earthquakes have been stuck in quicksand the last two matches, earning consecutive draws, the latest one being a 1-1 tie with the Montreal Impact at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday night.

Despite the Impact playing down a man for about half the game after Ambroise Oyongo tripped up Matias Perez Garcia and earned a red card, the Earthquakes failed to net more than the one goal and missed an opportunity to gain some much-needed ground in the Western Conference playoff race.

It was all good early when Chris Wondolowski struck 35 minutes into the match. Impact goalkeeper Eric Kronberg’s toss resulted in a turnover and wound up in the back of the net after a right-footed strike by Wondolowski.

The red card for the Impact’s Oyongo came in the 49th minute, but the Impact managed to equalize despite being down a man.

With his left foot, Kyle Bekker netted his first goal of the season in the 64th minute, sending a curling shot that evaded Earthquakes keeper David Bingham, who probably came too far out of the box. On a bounce, the ball skipped into the goal to even the score.

Despite late pressure from the Earthquakes, who outshot the Impact 16-8, had 11 shots on target, and out possessed the Impact 63.8 percent to 36.2 percent, the game ended in a disappointing draw.

San Jose has 40 points, one back of Portland in the West for the sixth and final playoff spot with five matches to play. Up next will be a matchup against NYCFC on Saturday in New York City.

Quakes denied badly-needed victory by Sounders

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

Riding a hot streak of five wins in six matches, the San Jose Earthquakes were denied of a victory on Saturday night that would have vaulted them back into the playoff picture.

Instead, with a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders at Avaya Stadium, the Earthquakes settled for a point and remain two points back of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Two second half goals provided the scoring for the match — Fatai Alashe in the 70th minute for San Jose and Obafemi Martins in the 82nd minute for Seattle.

Alashe scored on a header off a free kick from the right of the box by Matias Perez Garcia. Perez Garcia’s chip found Alashe, who headed it past Stefan Frei to give the Earthquakes a temporary lead.

But Martins answered, netting home a rebound after a terrific save by David Bingham off a header by Zach Scott. Martins spoiled Bingham’s effort and evened the score at 1-1.

It would remain that way through stoppage time in a disappointing outing for an Earthquakes team hoping for a pivotal victory.

The Earthquakes held a 10-7 lead in the shot totals and possession was fairly even. San Jose also was awarded more corner kicks (7-2), but weren’t able to capitalize.

Next up for San Jose will be the Montreal Impact on Sept. 16 at Avaya Stadium.

 

In Battle of the Streaks Quakes Beat LA

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. –  If the San Jose Earthquakes expected to continue their three-game win streak, let alone the run of 270-plus minutes without yielding a goal, to continue Friday night at Avaya Stadium they’d need their A-game. Facing in-state rivals the Los Angeles Galaxy in the third and deciding leg of the California Clasico between the first two California-based MLS Sides, the Quakes needed to find a way to slow one of the MLS’ most potent offenses and red-hot sides down.

“That’s life in MLS,” said Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear. “It’s a league of streaks.”

San Jose did just that, extending its own streak to four-straight triumphs, topping the Western Conference leaders 1-0 to move ahead of Settle into the fifth spot in the table.

“I’m really happy with this group,” said Kinnear. “The last three weeks we’ve been good. We’ve followed those performances up with a good level of consistency. That’s the reason why we’re winning games.”

Shea Salinas scored and David Bingham made 4 saves to pick up a quartet of clean sheets in as many games. The Quakes earned the crown as Clasico victors, beating LA 3-1 at Stanford Stadium June 27th before being thrashed in Carson 5-2 on July 17th.

The Galaxy entered Friday’s match having scored a league-leading 49 goals over 27 games backed by imports like Steven Gerrard and MLS mainstay Robbie Keane. Despite coming into play with the 2nd most saves in the MLS (86) and ranking third in shutouts (9), Bingham and San Jose had their hands full keeping an LA squad off the board and out of the win column for a fifth-straight match.

“If anybody has been awake,” said Kinnear. “If anyone has been alive in the last five years in soccer, you know those players already. You want to show them you belong, that you’re a good player. If you step on the field and you’re just looking at the names, you’re going to be in for a long night. They’re not good players, they’re great players.”

The road-weary Quakes now find themselves with the upper hand in the closing weeks of the MLS season. They finish up the season with 6 of 8 matches at home as they look to lock up a playoff spot for the first time since 2012 when San Jose won the Supporters Shield with a league-best 19 wins.

A dogged effort by midfielder Shea Salinas put the Quakes on top 1-0 in the 19th minute. Forward Quincy Amarikwa headed a shot onto Galaxy keep Donovan Ricketts, but the MLS vet got his gloves on the bid. Amarikwa’s header proved too strong for a clean grab, instead popping the ball into the air. Salinas capitalized, hitting the goal box on a dead sprint, to head the loose ball into the top right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.

“Marvell made a great cross and Quincy fought it,” said Salinas of his goal. “Ricketts made a great save. God just put me in the right place and I was able to put it in the back of the net.”

“He just looks confident,” said Kinnear of Salinas and his two-game goal streak. “I think he feels that, no matter who the defender is playing against him, he feels he can beat them.”

“The Quakes started the second half holding most of the momentum, but found themselves further in control after the officials sent Leonardo off with a red card. The Galaxy defender hauled Amarikwa down from behind in the 47th minute to put his team down a man for almost half the contest. LA handcuffed itself in the 74th minute Dave Romney was given a yellow card as well. While the Quakes didn’t score with the man-advantage, they ran the Galaxy ragged with the edge.

After building the streak by breaking Eastern Conference Leaders D.C. United and Sporting Kansas City, third best in the West, the Quakes can make it 5 against the scuffling Philadelphia Union next Saturday. The Union currently sits one win ahead of Chicago as the leg of the Eastern Conference table.

“Teams can come here and beat anyone on any given day,” said Bingham. “We have to continue to play well.”

Goodson Returns, Nets Game-winner for Quakes

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – On a night when the City of San Jose’s Department of Environmental Services sponsored the match with blurbs regarding littering and pollution, it was the San Jose Earthquakes who properly disposed of the unwanted Friday. In blanking the visiting Colorado Rapids 1-0 at Avaya Stadium, the Quakes (8-10-5) tossed away a six-game unbeaten stretch to pick up their first win since June 20th.

Clarence Goodson, returning from injury, netted the game-winner in the 53rd minute and goalkeeper David Bingham collected the clean sheet to keep San Jose out of the bottom leg of the Western Conference table and pull within three points of Seattle for the final playoff spot. Colorado (5-9-9) meanwhile, falls five points back of San Jose in last place in the conference.

“I’m really happy with the effort,” said Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear. “The guys were good. A real good goal, a lot of second efforts on that part of it. It would have been nice to have gotten a second to kind of ease the pressure on us a little bit, but any time you shut out a team it gives you a chance to win and one goal was enough for us tonight.”

The contest wasn’t without its drawbacks. Defender Jordan Stewart played an integral part in withstanding an early Rapids onslaught, but exited the contest in the 27th minute with an Achilles injury. While the severity of the injury is unknown, it appears he’ll be absent from the San Jose roster for a sizeable period of time.

“He’s a great soccer player and an even greater person,” said Wondolowski. “True professional in every sense of the word. I’m definitely going to miss him, he’s a good friend. He’s been playing great this whole season. Shaun Francis did a great job stepping in there.”

Another Quake was hampered by injury, but isn’t expected to miss any time. Matias Perez Garcia was limited to 50 minutes with a hamstring ailment before being replaced by recent acquisition Marc Pelosi.

“You could tell it was kind of hindering him a little bit,” said Kinnear. “We tried to hopefully get him going a little bit at halftime, and it just wasn’t happening.”

Goodson looked like he put behind his left leg injury in a fantastic effort that included stalwart defense and the winning score. Chris Wondolowski, playing closer to midfield in a new alignment for Kinnear, managed to place the ball at Quincy Amarikwa’s left foot. Amarikwa lofted it to the right post where Goodson could cash it in for the 1-0 lead.

“I’m not going to miss too many of those,” said Goodson on Amarikwa’s perfect feed. “He said get back there so I got back there. That’s such a good ball. It was a slam dunk.”

While Goodson was making his first MLS appearance since July 26, another player for San Jose was making his MLS debut. Midfielder Anibal Godoy made his debut after touching down in the United States just 24 hours earlier.

“He was brilliant tonight,” said Wondolowski. “He covered some serious ground tonight.”

Godoy landed in Los Angeles Thursday night from his native Panama, spent the night in SoCal before flying up to the Bay Area on the morning of the match. There was no hesitation for Kinnear to insert the International into the line-up and allow him to play a full 90 minutes.

“At this time in the season when you bring in a player like him,” said Kinnear.  “Or you bring in somebody new that you think can help the team, he’s not here to blend in and to work his way into the game.

Godoy, contrary to the expected, said he felt very comfortable in his maiden match with the Quakes, in large part due to the cohesion of the group.

“I felt like I had played with this team for 15 games,” said Godoy after the match through a translator. Godoy was familiar with some Quakes players previously and noted that their team communication made it easy to jump in.

On paper it still is only one match for Godoy, but he’ll get another chance to work on team chemistry on Wednesday when the Quakes head to Kansas City followed by a Saturday match in D.C. From there, Godoy and his Quakes mates will return home for a four-game homestand amidst their playoff push.

“This group of guys knows if we can stay hungry and stay united, we can win some matches,” said Godoy. “Today we demonstrated that we are a solid squad and if we continue to play like this we will reach our goal.”

Earthquakes snap losing streak with scoreless draw against Timbers

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Aug 2, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski (8, right) kicks the ball against Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell (24, left) during the first half at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 2, 2015; San Jose, CA, USA; San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski (8, right) kicks the ball against Portland Timbers defender Liam Ridgewell (24, left) during the first half at Avaya Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

By: Eric He

SAN JOSE — While it wasn’t three points, the San Jose Earthquakes snapped their four-game MLS losing streak with a 0-0 draw with the Portland Timbers at Avaya Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

The scoreless contest did not lack excitement, featuring plenty of chances and a penalty kick that went awry, but nonetheless both teams will leave with a point in hand.

“A point is better than the last month,” said Quakes head coach Dominic Kinnear. “So we’re happy about that. We definitely had some chances. Obviously you’d love to have the win. I thought overall our game was better today. That should be the standard we set for the rest of the season.”

Portland opened the second half with a dangerous scoring opportunity as Fanendo Adi banged one off the left goalpost.

San Jose followed with some chances of its own. Matias-Perez Garcia created several corner kicks and crosses. A header by Victor Bernandez on a cross by Marvell Wynne sailed just wide, and a right footed bullet by Shaun Francis in the 63rd minute narrowly missed the net.

“We possessed the ball fairly well,” noted Chris Wondolowski. “We created opportunities, but we didn’t really make the keeper work. There were too many chances that we hit off target and we need to be a little more clinical in the final third.”

Added Kinnear: “At times we had good build-up play but let ourselves off the hook by rushing the shot or making the wrong decision. I thought we had our chance to be due for a goal today.”

The Quakes wound up with 55.7 percent of the possession on Sunday afternoon.

Not even a penalty kick could break the tie. Timbers’ midfielder Diego Valeri was tripped up by Francis in the box, but his penalty hit off the crossbar as the Quakes dodged a bullet.

“Luckily, it went my way,” Quakes goaltender David Bingham said. “If it was a hair lower I felt like I would’ve covered it.”

The first half was scoreless, although the Quakes held the majority of the possession and pressure.

Their best chance came early on in the seventh minute. Wondolowski had a point-blank opportunity with no one between him and Timbers goaltender Adam Kwarasey after a nice entry feed from Shea Salinas, but Wondolowski was denied at the doorstep.

The Quakes’ superstar blamed himself for not finishing it off.

“What a great ball by Shea,” Wondolowksi remarked. “Found me perfectly. My touch just got stuck under me. I tried poking it and the keeper made a good kick save. My first touch let me down.”

The 34th minute saw Salinas try to score one himself, lofting a ball on goal that went over the outstretched arms of Kwarasey but wide of the net.

Despite outshooting the Timbers 7-5 in the first half and controlling over half of the possession, the teams entered the locker room tied at halftime.

“It’s disappointing,” said Bingham. “We let them off the hook tonight. I felt like we were the better team throughout the night. Credit to them; they didn’t give up throughout the game, so they did well. If we could’ve been a little sharper here and there we should’ve gotten three points.”

Couldn’t wait for August 

It was a rough July for the Quakes, who dropped all seven of their matches — four MLS, two international friendlies, and a U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 match against the Galaxy. Their four-game losing streak was the longest in MLS this season.

Most recently, San Jose dropped a 3-1 decision up at BC Place in Vancouver to the Whitecaps.

“Right now, we are playing well, but the results are going against us,” said Kinnear after the loss on July 21. “We have to go back to basic stuff and just talk about it, look at our mistakes and go back to working hard.”

More Quotables

“No one likes losing games. We need to win games if we want to get in the playoffs, especially in-conference games.”

– Midfielder Jordan Stewart

“We’ve got to stop tying games. We still have a belief we can make the playoffs. You have to put your chances away and that changes the whole dynamic of the game, especially mine in the beginning.”

– Wondolowski

“Passing the ball to the correct team was very helpful. Finding Matias [Perez Garcia’s] feet a little more. We moved the ball better…we got isolated one-on-one. Shea [Salinas] was very effective in the first half. At times we were running the ball a little too much, but I thought defensively we were better. Our commitment to defending was better and overall our attitude was better.”

– Kinnear on adjustments

“Keep encouraging them [to shoot]. Sometimes you’ve got to go where it hurts. An ugly goal can maybe open the floodgates a little bit. Sometimes it needs to be a perfect chance and sometimes it needs to be a bounce of luck. I’m not really caring too much how it goes in or who it goes in from.”

– Kinnear on how he can improve offensive production

Notes

Entering Sunday afternoon, recently acquired forward Quincy Amarikwa had scored three goals in his last two matches. … The Quakes sit at ninth in the West with 26 points, six back of a playoff spot. … When the Quakes and Timbers last played on July 5th, the Timbers scratched out a 1-0 win with a stoppage time goal over the shorthanded Quakes. … The Quakes’ next game is on the road on Aug. 8 against the Dynamo in Houston.

Quakes Fall to Club America 2-1 in Unfriendly Friendly

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tuesday night’s friendly at Avaya Stadium turned not-so-friendly between the San Jose Earthquakes and Club America in the opening contest of the 2015 Guinness International Champions Cup. In a heated contest that saw a combined 8 yellows and 3 red cards issued, the Quakes fell to their Central American foes 2-1 behind a pair of goals in the final 30 minutes.

“With America, there’s no such thing as friendlies,” said Club America assistant coach Carlos Turrubiates through a translator. “Today was an example of two teams with the will to win. I don’t think there were bad intentions from either of these teams. It was the desire to win and play with the ball.”

The crowd was largely partisan towards the visiting club, with cheering sections donning Las Aguilas’ cream and blue scattered throughout Avaya. Fireworks were lit in celebration of each goal while drums banged throughout the contest. It was a home away from home for the most successful team in Liga MX history.

“These are people are working, fighting,” said Turrubiates of Las Aguilas supporters. They’re working to spend their money. That’s another reason to take this game seriously.”

“Whether it’s one fan, two fans or more, it makes us play harder,” added Turrubiates.

The Quakes capitalized first in the 23rd minute despite being on the wrong end of the run of play for most of the first half. Matias Perez Garcia flicked a corner kick into the penalty box that Quincy Amarikwa pounced on. His header attempt was deflected by Las Aguilas keeper Hugo Gonzalez but popped to the advancing Clarence Goodson. Goodson gave the ball a nod right into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

“It would have been nice to win,” said Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear. “We put ourselves in a good position up 1-0, possibly more. In the end we didn’t.”

With a showdown with the Los Angeles Galaxy and a debuting Steven Gerrard looming on Friday, Kinnear opted to make mass substitutions to a team already absent its leading scorer with Chris Wondolowski on international duty. 8 of the 10 Quakes remaining on the pitch were subbed out for fresh legs, many of whom were getting their first taste of play against an international foe.

“We do have a game on Friday,” said Kinnear. “It does make us worry about the health of our squad. So it gives some players who haven’t been in international play a taste of what it’s like. It was a hostile environment, the game was very competitive.”

Following the player turnover, America’s fast-paced offense took over. Las Aguilas launched another five shots on goal in the second half after a nine-goal barrage, beating Quakes netminder Bryan Meredith for the first time in the 76th minute. Andres Andrade launched a shot from the semicircle that slid to Meredith’s right into the back of the net.

In the 83rd minute, America’s Francisco Rivera scored a near-identical goal, firing the ball into the back of the net from the half-circle to Meredith’s right again to cap the Aguilas comeback.

The hostilities came to a head in the 15th minute when Clarence Goodson horsecollared Dario Benedetto to the pitch. Both teams gathered in a mob, but after a heated exchange cooler heads prevailed.

“The challenge led to some pushing and shoving,” said Kinnear of the collision between Goodson and Benedetto. “It didn’t stop. That was the point that led to the intensity rising.”

Three more yellows would be issued in a physical half before a blowup in stoppage time between both teams.

Just seconds away from completing the first 45 minutes, San Jose’s Sanna Nyassi was taken down on a slidetackle. While on the pitch, America’s Paolo Goltz stood over the downed midfielder. Nyassi took a few swipes at Goltz with his cleats before igniting another shoving match. The two were issued red cards, forcing both teams to play down a man for the remainder of play.

The two teams played a more civil second half, though four yellow cards were issued. The only red card coming to Kinnear in the 85th minute.

“I was going to get sent to the locker room by the referee so I beat him to the punch,” said a laughing Kinnear of his premature departure before officially being shown the red.

With the dust-ups completed, the game drew to a close. The Quakes ICC experience is far from over. They’ll welcome Premier League standard Manchester United to Avaya next Tuesday for another high-profile match-up.

“Against Manchester United the odds are probably against us,” said Kinnear. “But it’s an honor to be involved in this tournament. It’s prestigious. We’re thrilled to be a part of it.”

Late goal ruins Quakes’ bid for draw in Portland

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By: Eric He

Just minutes away from escaping Portland in a scoreless draw, the shorthanded San Jose Earthquakes were felled by a stoppage time goal by Jack Jewsbury in a 1-0 defeat to the Timbers.

Off a free kick by Diego Valeri from the left of the box, Jewsbury knocked redirected the deflected ball into the net, a fortuitous bounce that cost the Earthquakes a point.

It seemed like luck would favor San Jose in this game. In the 87th minute, Timbers forward Gaston Fernandez headed a cross by defenseman Alvas Powell past David Bingham, but was whistled down for a narrow offside.

The Earthquakes themselves were a victim of the referee’s decisions. Tommy Thompson was knocked down in the area in the 83rd minute after a fantastic run, but the penalty didn’t come.

Instead, San Jose, which fought and clawed enough to deserve a draw, will head home with nothing.

The Earthquakes were playing shorthanded without Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato (Gold Cup), Sanna Nyassi (suspension) and Matias Perez Garcia (undisclosed injury), so a draw would have been more than ideal.

A couple of controversial calls went against both teams in the first half.

In the 24th minute, a header by Quakes forward Mark Sherrod off a corner kick was deflected away off the goal line by Powell, but it appeared to be a handball that wasn’t called.

In the 40th minute, Timbers midfielder Valeri burst in and shot one past Bingham, but it was called back due to an offsides that the referee on the sideline missed.

The Timbers sustained pressure for the majority of the first half, generating chances and controlling pressure. But Bingham stood tall in net and the shorthanded Quakes were able to withstand the onslaught.

Notes

The Earthquakes were outshot 23-7, including 7-2 in shots on target. …They have never beaten the Timbers in the MLS era. … The game’s start time was delayed six hours from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM PST because of an unbearable heat wave in Portland. … The Earthquakes remain on the outside looking in on the playoff picture with 25 points. … Their next game will be on Friday at home against Houston.