Chris Wondolowski and Shea Salinas scored the goals, but the Earthquakes’ 2-0 win over the Columbus Crew Saturday night was mostly about a collective effort from the home side.
The Earthquakes played with passion and conviction for 90 minutes, and Wondo, the best thing going in MLS over the past half decade, got the 99th goal in his career.
Moreover, Avaya Stadium sure looked like a fortress with about 18,000 fans and 11 highly motivated players on the field all standing guard.
“We want it to be a fortress, and we wanted to protect our home,” Wondolowski said. “It’s a special place, and we don’t want teams coming in here to get points. That’s always our goal.”
Coach Dominic Kinnear’s side is 3-1 at Avaya Stadium, 2-0-2 over the past four games, and in fourth place in the Western Conference.
“A lot of what is working comes down to our desire,” Wondolowski said. “All of our guys are hunting down the ball and winning it. We are getting good positioning where we can then go and attack. It's something that works for us and something we need to continue to do."
The Quakes (5-4-2, 17 points) took advantage of having a man-advantage after Crew midfielder Mohammed Saeid was ejected in the 33rd minute for a second yellow card. They moved the ball around effectively and deflated the Crew, which had applied early pressure during an open first half.
“We deserved it and we earned it,” Kinnear said. “The red card is the red card. You have to just take advantage of the man up. … We did well with our possession and finished our chances. I was really happy. It’s a great three points looking at what happened in the Western Conference (Saturday) with Houston winning."
Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia was at his surgical best in the second half, dissecting the Crew defense and factoring in both goals.
Salinas and Jordan Stewart worked over the left flank, and Marvell Wynne and Sanna Nyassi worked over the right. Defenders Victor Bernardez and Clarence Goodson commanded the center; and rookie midfielder Fatai Alashe continued to show poise beyond his years.
Wondolowski broke the deadlock in the 55th minute with a header from the six-yard box line off a Stewart cross. Perez Garcia initiated the goal with a well-weighted pass to Stewart.
The goal -- Wondolowski’s sixth of the season -- opened his account at Avaya Stadium.
“It’s amazing,” Wondolowski said. “I love playing in front of these fans, some of the best in the league. Got to thank Jordan Stewart for that one. He put that one on a platter for me. Great ball by him.”
Kinnear marvels at what Wondolowski has accomplished. He has scored 95 of his 99 goals with the Quakes.
“Ninety-nine goals for Chris Wondolowski is an incredible achievement,” Kinnear said. “To see where he’s come from -- from Chico State to a reserve player to a guy not getting many chances, I think most of his goals were in the last four years. It’s pretty remarkable.”
Five minutes after Wondolowski scored, Salinas work a nifty give-and-go with Perez Garcia in tight quarters, before he ripped a shot into the net. It was Salinas’ first goal since July 23, 2014 against Chicago.
Salinas thinks the Quakes’ recent road trip set the tone for Saturday’s effort.
“I think we’re confident,” Salinas said. “Those three games were difficult. We built a lot of team chemistry getting five points out of them, and tonight was just fun. We were able to keep the ball and just have fun out there.”
Goalkeeper David Bingham made a strong save to deny Columbus star Federico Higuain in the 32nd minute, keeping the match scoreless.
Wynne had a long run and a rip in the seventh minute, but Crew keeper Chris Clark made a diving save. Perez Garcia was also denied by Clark in the 26th minute after darting into the box and hitting a left-footed shot.
Kinnear told the team at halftime to stay patient and to attack with good pace when the opportunity arises.
“Usually when you play against 10 men, the middle bottles up sometimes, so sometimes the path to get behind them is on the outside,” Kinnear said. “That’s how the first goal started. The first goal was what we talked about. ‘Take your time and be patient and get guys going forward.’ It was a nice goal and a great finish by Chris."
Kinnear also praised the work of Perez Garcia, who had a signature performance.
"He played better tonight,” Kinnear said. “Even at 11-on-11, I thought he was very good. He got fouled a lot. He wants the ball. He rarely makes a bad decision on the ball. When there's good movement and we're passing the ball, he plays better too. It goes hand in hand.”
Stewart has quickly re-established himself on the back line after returning from an injury. He seems in midseason form already.
“I was excited to play tonight,” Stewart said. “It's been frustrating for me coming to the matches and not contributing. I was full of excitement and just wanted to get out there and do well. We got the three points, and as a defender we were shooting to get the clean sheet, which we did. The defense was working hard and we were communicating. We kept them at bay for most of the match.”
