Don't call it a rivalry, but the New York Red Bulls will certainly be out to exact a measure of revenge when the San Jose Earthquakes take the pitch on Saturday at Red Bull Arena (4:30 p.m. PT / MLS Direct Kick).
The Earthquakes trailed 1-0 in the aggregate heading into the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal, setting the stage for one of the most dramatic comebacks in club history. November 4, 2010, a day that will forever live in the hearts of San Jose fans.
Every expert in America had the Red Bulls penned through to the Conference Championship. Folks at Red Bull Arena expected a coronation rather than a tragedy, but Bobby Convey quickly set the tone with a goal in the 6th minute.
The aggregate would remain level over the next 70 minutes with both teams pushing forward to find a go-ahead goal. Finally, in the 76th minute, Convey broke the stalemate after turning highly touted rookie center back Tim Ream at the edge of the area and beating goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul with a scorching left-footer.
Despite the setback, New York refused to accept its fate and found an equalizer of its own moments later. Teen phenom Juan Agudelo provided some fancy footwork to find space before looping a crafty cross to the far post to a wide-open Juan Pablo Ángel.
Whatever momentum New York picked up was doused three minutes later. With ESPN's JP Dellacamera on the call, Convey picked out Chris Wondolowski on a run into the area to seal San Jose's win.
Where were you when Convey, Wondo and the Earthquakes won on Nov. 4, 2010? We asked players, Quakes President David Kaval and a group of fans to recount their experience. Read what they had to say:
David Kaval, Earthquakes President who was at the match in New York:
The most memorable part of the epic Red Bull match last year was the agony of waiting for the match to end after Wondo scored the go ahead goal. You are in hostile territory with tens of thousands of rabid Red Bull fans cheering their team on and we were desperately trying to fend off attack after attack after attack. I was so nervous, but when we finally got through the extra time and the match was ours it was pure joy! (Watch: Celebration in New York)
Bobby Convey, Earthquakes starting midfielder:
It was a great experience for the team and for the club, in general. It was probably one of the best games that I’ve been a part of in MLS, and probably the best game I’ve played here with San Jose. We did well as a team, and I was able to step up and help push the team forward. It was an all-around good soccer game. The environment was loud and it was a playoff game, so it was great. Scoring the first goal so early was fantastic. It really gave everyone confidence. The next goal was coming. When the second one went in, we looked at each other and said, “Hey, we can win this round.” (Watch: Goal 1; Watch: Goal 2; Watch: Game-winning assist)
Sam Cronin, Earthquakes starting midfielder:
It was probably the most emotional and action-packed game I’ve played in my professional career. It’s important to realize that those types of games and atmospheres don’t come around every year, so that taste was great. It was a huge win for the organization after not having made the playoffs the first couple of years. To get that on the resume here for San Jose and to fight for a conference championship was big, and we’d like to make that the standard here.
Jon Busch, Earthquakes starting goalkeeper:
It’s funny because I still see that picture all the time when as soon as the final whistle blew, Wondo turned around and started running at me, and there’s this look of astonishment on my face. I couldn’t believe that stoppage time had gone by so quickly. I thought there was more time on the clock. And I think that’s what that look says, like “Holy C—p, we just did it! We actually pulled this off!” I think we were a bit stunned, but when we realized what we’d done, it was fantastic. It was a big step forward for the organization. The first two years had been tough, and it was the first step towards re-establishing ourselves and saying, “The San Jose Earthquakes are here again.”
Jose Vega, Training Grounds Regular who was watching the match with family and friends from his home:
I was having a BBQ that day with my family, as I usually do for away games. There were seven or eight of us there, and I was recording the game on DVR, as well. We were all decked out in Quakes gear, enjoying the extra hype of it being a playoff and nationally televised game. The Convey goal right off the bat made us think, “This is it! Game on!” It turned the anxiety and biting of the nails into a bit more relaxation, and boosted our confidence. With the second Convey goal we thought we had it. New York didn’t look like the team we thought they were going to be. Then Ángel scored off that great pass from Agudelo and we felt that, in the worst case scenario, we’d go into overtime and win it there. We weren’t worried at all. Wondolowski’s goal to close it out was perfect. The cross from Convey was gorgeous and the header was unreal. You couldn’t even write this stuff. It was Wondo to the rescue! We kept rewinding and re-watching the goal. Every time it felt like we were watching him score again for the first time. It was amazing, and definitely the high point of the season!
Michael Gonos, Quakes Top Commenter who was watching the match from Danny Coyle's in San Francisco:
I was watching the match at Danny Coyle's in San Francisco, trading barbs with some New Yorkers in the pub. When Convey scored that first goal, I saw him get that funny, almost surprised look on his face, like he's laughing and saying, "Oh my, look what happened! That wasn't in the script, was it?" I started belting out "Heart of an Ultra" and the Empire folks sat with stunned looks on their faces. 'Twas a beautiful moment. When the match was over, I patted one of the New Yorkers on the back, and told him, "Look at it this way: At least it's not LA." And he said, "Yeah, actually that does make me feel better."
