By: Joe Lami
It took until the 95th minute for the Earthquakes to get the equalizer, but once again the team from San Jose finds a way to get the goals when they matter, as they draw Real Salt Lake 3-3 in the first MLS match of the year.
San Jose got on the board first in just the sixth minute, when Chris Wondoloski found his first of the season off a free kick from the foot of Shea Salinas. The free kick from the left side was swung in and found the thigh of the captain for the 1-0 lead.
However, just minutes later Real Salt Lake would find their first of three goals in the first half. It was Salt Lake Captain, Kyle Beckerman finding the net on just the second Salt Lake shot of the game at the 11-minute mark. The left footed kick from outside of the box found just enough of the bottom left post to bounce its’ way in for the 1-1 draw.
Real Salt Lake had much of the possession in the first half, with a 68%-32% advantage and it showed. Salt Lake would take the lead in the 32nd minute as another ball found the bottom left corner of the net, this time it was from the foot of Joao Plata for his first of the season.
The domination for Real Salt Lake would continue, at the 41st minute Alvaro Saborio would force Jon Busch to make a diving save. As the Earthquakes goalkeeper would just get enough of a touch to keep the ball out of the net. However, Busch wouldn’t be able to keep the next opportunity out of his net, as Luke Mulholland would drill a rebound home for Salt Lake’s third goal of the half just before the halftime whistle would blow.
“We challenged ourselves at the half…this group doesn’t need much talking, we’re all experienced, and we know what we needed to do coming out of halftime” said Quakes keeper, Busch.
The first 30 minutes of the second half were very slow, and very defensive. It was starting to look like the Earthquakes were going to run out of time. That was until Victor Bernandez would find the back of the net for his first of the season and the game to make it 3-2 in favor of Salt Lake. The goal came off of a corner kick from Shea Salinas, for his second assist of the game.
“I don’t try to pick out a player, I just try to put it in a dangerous spot, and we hopefully we have someone that’s going to send it home” said Salinas.
Lighting struck twice for the Earthquakes, in the 95th minute Bernandez would find his second of the game. It was a mixed play out in front, and Bernadez was able to get a boot on it to find the target. With the goal in extra time, it is the second time this week that the Earthquakes have found an equalizer in extra time. It is also the 17th time in the past two seasons, where San Jose has put the ball in the net in extra time in the second half.
An eventful week that saw the Earthquakes sign a deal with the city of San Jose to agree on focusing sustainability and green initiatives and two extra time goals to earn draws comes to an end. Now San Jose has to worry about their second leg with Toulca in Mexico on Wednesday, and then travel to Sporting Kansas City for their first road match of MLS play on Saturday.
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