SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes fell in their season opener 1-0 against Real Salt Lake on a rain-drenched field Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium. Kyle Beckerman scored the game winner in the 63rd minute, blasting a shot from 25 yards out off the left post and in.
The Earthquakes made a fervent push to find an equalizer and had several chances to score, but ultimately fell short. Recent Tottenham Hotspur loan acquisition Simon Dawkins made his San Jose debut and nearly created a goal after darting up the middle and sliding a pass that found Chris Wondolowski in the area. The 2010 Budweiser Golden Boot winner pounded a shot on goal, but Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando got a hand to the shot while diving to his right.
San Jose will hit the road for its next match, traveling to play FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday, March 26 at 6 p.m. PT.
San Jose Earthquakes (0-1-0) at Real Salt Lake (1-0-0)
March 19, 2011 -- Buck Shaw Stadium
Attendance: 10,525
Scoring Summary: RSL--Beckerman 1 (Morales 1, Beltran 1) 63
REAL SALT LAKE -- Nick Rimando, Chris Wingert, Chris Schuler, Nat Borchers, Tony Beltran, Ned Grabavoy (Jean Alexandre 77), Javier Morales, Kyle Beckerman, Will Johnson, Fabian Espindola (Arturo Alvarez 65), Alvaro Saborio (Paulo Araujo Jr. 84).
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (4 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (4 tied with 1); FOULS: 10 (3 tied with 2);OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Rimando 10; CAUTIONS: Espindola 60; EJECTIONS: None.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES -- Jon Busch, Chris Leitch, Brandon McDonald, Jason Hernandez, Ramiro Corrales (Simon Dawkins 66), Joey Gjertsen (Ellis McLoughlin 71), Khari Stephenson (Anthony Ampaipitakwong 81), Sam Cronin, Bobby Convey, Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski.
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Wondolowski 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Wondolowski 2); FOULS: 7 (Stephenson 3); OFFSIDE: 1; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: Busch 3; CAUTIONS: Cronin 6, Leitch 37, Stephenson 46; EJECTIONS: None.
QUOTES
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On the result:
“With the chances we had, we have to score at least one goal. I thought we dominated play most of the game. We felt on top of the game. I was very happy with the performance, but obviously not the result.”
On the debuts of Dawkins, McLoughlin and Ampaipitakwong:
"They did great. I thought Ellis made some quality runs. Simon is a lad we picked up from Tottenham Hotspur and looked good. He searched for the ball and ran with it. He's a clever player, and Ampai came on and did fine too. Our depth looks good."
EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
Thoughts on game:
“I take the blame for this loss. I had three perfect balls just sitting there and I missed them all. It’s frustrating. It’s one of those situations where I needed to do better on. I think the team played well. We pressed at times. It was a tough loss. It’s going to haunt me for a while. It was just one of those games where it didn’t go your way."
On weather elements:
“I think the weather conditions played a role in the game. The weather was bad and it made the ball really slick, especially the wind. It was pretty hard to get the ball down play. It was unpredictable."
EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SIMON DAWKINS
On Earthquakes debut:
“It went well. When I was on the bench, I was looking for opportunities where we could expose the ball. I figured if I ran with the ball at midfield, I could create some chances. And that’s what I did. We had a few more chances, but just couldn’t take them. It was a little disappointing."
EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER ANTHONY AMPAIPITAKWONG
On MLS debut:
“I had butterflies. I was so thrilled to be on the field, especially in a situation where I was put on to try to help the team get back in the game. We just couldn’t finish our chances. We have to put that behind us now and look forward to Dallas."
