Tag: San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes draw 1-1 with Dynamo on the road

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

sjearthquakes.com photo: San Jose Earthquakes Chris Wondolowski who scored in the 59th minute to help force a draw was the game hero on Sunday in Houston

Chris Wondolowski’s second half goal was good enough to force a 1-1 draw for the San Jose Earthquakes on the road against the Houston Dynamo on Sunday night.

Down 1-0 in the 59th minute, Wondolowski found room in front off a cross from Cordell Cato, and he deflected it in to even the match. It was the captain’s 118th career goal and also marked an important milestone — Wondolowski has now scored against all 21 MLS teams he’s played against. His career actually started with the Dynamo before joining the Earthquakes.

“It’s kind of cool,” Wondolowski said on the accomplishment. “It is special. Houston has always had a special place in my heart and I really spent some great years here. It took a little while but it’s a great feeling.”

He almost had two goals on the night, but his chance from close range late in the first half was denied by Dynamo goalie Joe Willis. Instead, it was Houston which struck first in stoppage time, courtesy of Alex. The Brazilian forward zig-zagged his way around the Quakes’ defense and beat David Bingham to put the Dynamo ahead 1-0.

Opportunities were abound for both teams late to take a 2-1 lead, but the goaltenders stood tall. Simon Dawkins’ try from the left of the box was pushed aside by Willis in the 70th minute. Bingham came up huge in the 90th minute, stopping a free-kick attempt from Cristián Maidana that was headed by Andrew Wenger in on goal.

“We had some real good looks in the second half,” Quakes’ head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “Obviously they were taking control in the last little bit and we were kind of running on fumes there but that goal gave us some real good confidence. We had some real good looks to put up 2-1.”

San Jose outshot Houston 15-13, with shots on target even at three apiece, though the Dynamo controlled nearly 60 percent of the possession.

This is the Earthquakes’ ninth tie of the season, and they remain winless on the road at 0-5-6. They are still eighth in the West, and will face New York City FC at Avaya Stadium next on Friday.

Quakes draw with Real Salt Lake on the road

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

By: Eric He

sjearthquakes.com photo by Quakes team president David Kaval:  San Jose Earthquakes in Real Salt Lake on Friday

The San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t hang on to a one-goal lead as their match against Real Salt Lake on Friday night ended in a 1-1 draw.

Chris Wondolowski scored in the ninth minute to give the Quakes an early lead, but Luke Mulholland equalized in the 64th minute. Both teams had chances in the final third of the match to break the tie, thought neither was able to convert.

Real Salt Lake outshot San Jose 14-12 and held the majority of possession. Mulholland’s goal was a thing of beauty, as he converted off a clever lob pass by Javier Morales.

The goal answered Wondolowski’s strike from close range, finding the loose ball off a corner kick and converting past the goalkeeper.

Shea Salinas banged a shot off the crossbar in the 80th minute, as the Quakes’ best chance to re-take the lead came up inches high. Goaltender David Bingham and the Quakes’ defense stood their ground to salvage a draw.

San Jose is still without a road win this year and remains outside the playoff picture in the West at 26 points. Next up, the Quakes take on Houston on the road on July 31.

Earthquakes blanked at home by FC Dallas as winless streak continues

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment
The Earthquakes dropped their first home match all year on Friday against FC Dallas (Kelley L Cox / USA Today Sports)
The Earthquakes dropped their first home match all year on Friday against FC Dallas (Kelley L Cox / USA Today Sports)

By: Eric He

SAN JOSE – The San Jose Earthquakes’ winless streak reached seven matches on Friday night with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of FC Dallas at Avaya Stadium.

The away team scored the match’s lone goal in the 51st minute off the foot of Maximiliano Urruti, who delivered a bicycle-kick strike to put FC Dallas ahead six minutes into the second half.

The Quakes had their chances in the match, outshooting Dallas 12-7, but were unable to capitalize and find the equalizer. A ball put in the net in the 68th minute was waved off due to goaltender interference. Matias Perez Garcia’s long-range shot in the 70th minute skipped all the way through, but went wide.

“When we were down 1-0, our whole focus was to get that equalizer until the final whistle because we thought we were going to get [it],” midfielder Anibal Godoy said, via a translator. “We’ve done it over the last couple of games, especially at home. But it didn’t work out for us.”

A quality chance for Simon Dawkins 12 minutes later from the left was turned aside by FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz. And Perez Garcia’s poor ball handling despite having room at midfield in the 89th minute was all she wrote for the Quakes, who have been shutout in back-to-back matches.

“Right now we’re just not scoring enough goals,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We’re playing from behind. It’s easier said than done to go out there and get the first goal. It’s a frustrating period for us right now. We’re a little bit disappointed in ourselves.”

The first half featured plenty of action but no goals. Urruti, the forward who had the bulk of the opportunities for FC Dallas, nearly put his club ahead in the 19th minute when he broke in alone, but Quakes’ goaltender David Bingham deflected it just enough to glance off the crossbar.

San Jose was inches away as well. A free kick by Godoy in the 32nd minute clanked off the post. Ten minutes later, Shea Salinas received a cross at point-blank range but his attempt was denied by Seitz. A header by Quincy Amarikwa on the ensuing corner kick sailed just high.

“This game we had a lot of chances,” Salinas said. “We hit the post. We had a bunch of other times where we were in on goal and it just wasn’t falling our way.”

The two teams went into halftime scoreless, but it didn’t take long for FC Dallas to seize control out of the break.

“We knew they were good in the counterattack and lost the ball in the middle of the field in the counterattack and they scored on us,” Salinas said on Urruti’s goal, which was set up on the rush by a long centering feed that was knocked down, deflected off Quakes’ defender Victor Bernardez, and right to Urruti, who timed his bicycle kick perfectly.

San Jose out-possessed FC Dallas, 54.2 percent to 45.8, and had eight corner kicks to FC Dallas’ five. But it wasn’t enough to get on the scoresheet.

“It’s getting that goal,” Kinnear said. “We’re lacking goals right now. To win games we need to score.”

This is the Quakes’ first loss in Avaya Stadium in 2016; the last defeat came in September of last year. It came at a bad time too, with the team looking to break out of a stale stretch of winless matches and stay afloat in the playoff picture. The Quakes remain at 22 points and eighth in the Western Conference; with a win, they would have been tied for fifth.

“We’re missing opportunities here,” Kinnear said. “Other teams have something to say about it, but we’re good enough to take these opportunities presented for us and put pressure on other teams.”

He added: “Things aren’t falling for us right now but that doesn’t mean we give up; we work harder.”

Next up, San Jose takes on Toronto FC a week from Saturday at home.

Earthquakes Force Draw With A Late Score Against D.C

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

By Shawn Whelchel

SAN JOSE, California-The San Jose Earthquakes nearly avoided dropping their second consecutive game after returning home to Avaya Stadium on Saturday night, as some late game heroics saw the retro-clad home team escape with a 1-1 draw against D.C. United.

After 87 frustrating minutes that saw San Jose squander multiple looks at the net, the Quakes finally broke through their string of misfortunes when Adam Jahn made a sprinting strike off of a beautiful cross from Shea Shalinas to notch the Quakes one and only goal.

The goal would be all San Jose needed to avoid consecutive losses after a 3-1 downing in Los Angeles two weeks ago.And while the outcome isn’t ultimately what head coach Dominic Kinnear would have hoped for, it was a welcomed sight at the end of a trying effort.

“I though the effort tonight was great. Ties aren’t the same, they’re a little bit different where if we got scored on late, the feeling would have been sickening. But it does give you a lift when you score late and you can get something.”

The score came from an unlikely hero in Jahn, who played a game-low eight minutes. But Kinnear said that the substitution was intended to take advantage of his height to break the opposing defense.

“I thought with Adam we could get a little more territory…I think at that time it helped to have Adam’s height and his eagerness to get on the other side of crosses. Good for him.”

Despite being the aggressors early and often, the San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t find the back of the net in what turned out to be a frustrating first-half for the home team.

San Jose had multiple looks at the net, including tries from Tommy Thompson, Chris Wondolowski and Quincy Amarikwa, but couldn’t cash in on the stumbling D.C. defense. But despite the aggressive pushes from the Quakes, it was United who struck first, as Patrick Nyarko took advantage of a momentary lapse in the San Jose’s defense to put the first goal on the board with a sprinter header past the outstretched hands of David Bingham at the 34′ minute mark.

San Jose would nearly add an equalizer just moments later off a beautiful feed from a Wondolowski header near the net, but Amarikwa would be caught jumping offsides to negate the goal. Nyarko’s goal energized the previous lackluster D.C squad, leading to another dangerous attempt from Fabian Espindola at the 38′ minute mark before the Earthquakes would retreat to the locker room at the half with a one score deficit.

The frustrations continued to spill over from the first half for San Jose, as the home team frantically sought to appease the loud Avaya crowd with a flurry of shots to open the second frame.

Alberto Quintero played spoiler to his team’s own cause on a three-man rush towards the net for San Jose. Quintero found himself alone on the left wing with two attacking Quakes on the far side of the pitch, but couldn’t chip the ball over Travis Worra for the score. Moments later, Amarikwa would put his second and third shots on the goal, only to be denied in back-to-back attempts. Both Tommy Thompson and Wondolowski would later find themselves in front of the goal, only to send lazy attempts into the chest of Worra in what seemed like a contest where the Quakes couldn’t buy a goal.

But with the time winding down on San Jose’s efforts, a pair of substitutes would breathe new life into San Jose’s lackluster offense. With San Jose seeming desperate for a solution, Shea Salinas would shake his man on the wing to send a cross towards the sprinting Adam Jahn, whose split-legged slide would add the equalizer for the Earthquakes in the 88′ minute.

The Earthquakes would add one last furious attempt to find the back of the net before the whistle would sound on stoppage time, sending D.C home still in search of their first win of the season, while sneaking away with a point of their own.

 

Earthquakes defeat Timbers behind Amarikwa’s incredible goal

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

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.

Published on by swhelchLeave a comment

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

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

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

Published on by Eric HeLeave a comment

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

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

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.”