Adam Jahn got a just reward for all his hard work in the Earthquakes’ highly satisfying 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo Tuesday night at BBVA Compass Stadium.
With the focus centered on coach Dominic Kinnear’s return to Dynamo-land, Jahn made sure Kinnear’s touchy-feely experience would come with three points.
In the 54th minute, the former Stanford alum seized on a quick delivery off a free kick from Matias Perez Garcia and headed the ball into the net. Shea Salinas quickly set the ball, and Garcia caught the stunned Dynamo defense flatfooted.
“Props to Adam,” goalkeeper David Bingham said. “He ran probably more than anybody on this field and he deserves all the credit for the game-winning goal.”
It marked the first MLS goal for Jahn since May 8, 2013 against Toronto FC.
“It’s a numbers game,” said Jahn, who scored seven times in the preseason. “You keep knocking on the door and eventually we’ll get one on in. Matty played a great ball in.”
Jahn called Tuesday’s victory “massive” for the team. He downplayed his own heroics.
“Personally, it’s great for me, but like I said, it’s all about the team,” Jahn said. “We got the win and that's the most important thing."
Jahn's goal happened so suddenly that Kinnear, like the Dynamo’s defense, missed it.
“I didn’t see it,” Kinnear said. “I was actually talking to the referee about something and then the bench … I heard celebrating. I actually didn't see the play, but it’s something to talk about. Something to get our big guys up forward and if there's a chance we can get something on it, it’s going to be a benefit to us, so it was the difference in the game.”
In the 58th minute, Bingham preserved the win by springing to his left to deny Giles Barnes’ penalty-kick attempt, knocking the ball wide. The ball was placed on the spot after Bingham was called for taking down Boniek Garcia in the six-yard box.
The huge stop by Bingham on the PK appeared to wake up the Quakes defense, spurring the team to a solid final 32 minutes.
One minute into the second half, Bingham also denied Ricardo Clark, whose shot from distance was redirected toward the far post. Bingham lunged to his right and punched the ball out of play.
The match also marked the triumphant return of left back Jordan Stewart, who logged 90 hard minutes in his season debut as the Quakes worked their second shutout in the past four games.
A native of Birmingham, England, Stewart was a workhorse last season, starting 29 games, playing 2,593 minutes and helping the club secure nine shutouts.
To the delight of Kinnear, all of the storylines on the field took some of the attention away from the return of the former Dynamo coach.
"I think we are happy for him,” Bingham said. “He wants to win every game, regardless of where he is. It may be a little more special to come here and put on a good performance, and we were able to get three points.”
But Kinnear, who guided Houston to two MLS Cup championships during a nine-year run, admittedly felt a bit odd being the visiting coach at BBVA Compass Stadium.
“Going past the locker room and coming this way, I had never really been in this locker room before, so I never knew where the coach’s office was,” he said. “So it was definitely strange. But I did get a nice welcome by all the people here that made it a bit easier.”
The Quakes (4-4-1, 13 points) are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Western Conference and have pocketed four points in their current stretch of three road games in eight days, including a 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake on May 1. They will try to pad the total in Colorado on Friday.
