Forward Quincy Amarikwa tallied another goal, his fourth in five games since joining the Earthquakes, but San Jose ultimately fell to the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday night. The Quakes were forced to play without two of their three Designated Players, including midfielder Matias Perez Garcia, as well center back Clarence Goodson. Midfielder Marc Pelosi made his first career start in Perez Garcia’s absence.
San Jose’s next match is against the Colorado Rapids at Avaya Stadium on Friday, August 14, presented by the City of San Jose Environmental Services Department. The two teams met earlier in the season at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado, with the match ending in a 1-1 tie. The contest kicks off at 8:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on UniMas, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.
Last MLS Game
Earthquakes 1, Houston Dynamo 2; August 8, 2015; BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
The San Jose Earthquakes got a goal from forward Quincy Amarikwa, his fourth in five games since joining the team, but fell to the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday night. The Earthquakes were without two of their three Designated Players, including midfielder Matias Perez Garcia who is among the league leaders in assists, and center back Clarence Goodson. Midfielder Marc Pelosi got the nod in Perez Garcia’s absence, making his first career start in the process. In the 29th minute, Dynamo forward Will Bruin played a low ball across the box towards midfielder Brad Davis. Davis lunged for the ball, but his sliding attempt rolled just wide of the far post. Five minutes before halftime, a free kick was lofted onto the foot of Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski. Wondolowski created separation and had a one-on-one opportunity with the keeper, but his shot attempt was parried away. In the 44th minute, San Jose seemed to have a taken a 1-0 lead when midfielder Shea Salinas’ cross to Wondolowski was redirected into the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offsides. Houston took a 1-0 lead in the 55th minute. Defender DaMarcus Beasley made a darting run through the Quakes penalty area and slotted his left-footed shot into the net. San Jose went down to 10 men in the 60th minute, when midfielder Fatai Alashe picked up his second yellow card of the match. Despite being a man down, the Earthquakes continued to push forward, eventually finding the equalizer in the 70th minute. Defender Shaun Francis headed the ball towards goal and forward Chris Wondolowski sprinted towards it. Beating keeper Joe Willis to the bouncing ball, Wondolowski let it run across his body and onto the chest of forward Quincy Amarikwa, who tucked it home. Amarikwa has now scored each of the last four goals for the Quakes, with all four goals coming on the road. Houston regained the lead in the 77th minute with a goal by midfielder Alex. The score would prove to be the difference at the final whistle.
MLS Regular Season
San Jose Earthquakes 1-2 Houston Dynamo
August 8, 2015 – BBVA Compass Stadium
Attendance: 21,876
Scoring Summary: HOU – DaMarcus Beasley (Giles Barnes) 55; SJ – Quincy Amarikwa (Shaun Francis, Cordell Cato) 70; HOU – Alex (Sheanon Williams, Boniek Garcia) 77.
Misconduct Summary: SJ – Victor Bernardez (caution) 28; SJ – Marc Pelosi (caution) 34; SJ – Fatai Alashe (caution) 43; SJ – Fatai Alashe (ejection) 60; HOU – Raul Rodriguez (caution) 71; SJ – Sanna Nyassi (caution) 82.
HOUSTON DYNAMO: Joe Willis, Sheanon Williams, Raul Rodriguez, David Horst, DaMarcus Beasley, Alex (Rasheed Olabiyi 85), Luis Garrido, Leonel Miranda (Boniek Garcia 57), Giles Barnes, Brad Davis, Will Bruin (Erick Torres 78).
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 11; CORNER KICKS: 5; OFFSIDES: 0.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: David Bingham, Marvell Wynne (Sanna Nyassi 69), Victor Bernardez, Jordan Stewart, Shaun Francis, Fatai Alashe, Cordell Cato, Chris Wondolowski, Marc Pelosi (JJ Koval 62), Shea Salinas (Tommy Thompson 69), Quincy Amarikwa.
SHOTS: 6; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 19; CORNER KICKS: 5; OFFSIDES: 3.
OPPONENT INFORMATION
Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 26-18-14
Home: 13-8-7 (48 GF, 35 GA)
Away: 13-10-7 (37 GF, 36 GA)
Playoffs: 0-0-0; US Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose –85, Dynamo – 71
Last Game vs. Colorado Rapids
Earthquakes 1, Colorado Rapids 1; May 8, 2015; Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado
San Jose earned another road point, drawing with the Colorado Rapids 1-1 on a rain-soaked pitch at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The team proved its depth and versatility, starting four players - midfielders Khari Stephenson, Tommy Thompson and Cordell Cato and defender Paulo Renato - that didn't start for the team in their 1-0 victory over Houston just four days prior. In the fourth minute, Quakes keeper David Bingham booted a long ball that skipped off the head of forward Adam Jahn towards Chris Wondolowski. Making a darting run through the middle, Wondolowski was able to create some separation, but the ball was played slightly too long and was defended by keeper Clint Irwin, whose sliding effort prevented an early goal for San Jose. The Quakes, however, were able to break the deadlock in the 19th minute. Following a cleared corner kick, midfielder Sanna Nyassi jumped and headed the ball across the box, where Wondolowski was standing unmarked at the back post. Wondolowski brought the bouncing ball down, calmly cut back onto his left foot, evading Clint Irwin's diving save attempt, and slipped it just inside the near post. It marked his team-leading fifth goal of the season and 98th of his career. Just before halftime, Bingham was called into action, making a clutch save on a breakaway to keep things 1-0 heading into halftime. Three minutes into the second half, Quakes midfielder Cordell Cato nearly doubled the road-side's advantage. Attacking with pace from the left wing, Cato was able to beat his defender at the edge of the 18-yard box and blasted a right-footed shot, which was parried away by Irwin. Colorado continued to put pressure on San Jose's goal for much of the second half, but were unable to find the back of the net until three minutes into stoppage time. Bingham came out to punch away a corner kick, but his clearance went to James Riley, who headed the ball far post, just over the head of several leaping defenders. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, despite a furious attempt by both teams to alter the score line late.
History of the Quakes-Colorado Rapids Rivalry
The two teams played for the first time in 1996 and the Quakes swept the four-game season series, outscoring Colorado 9-3 in the process … Ramiro Corrales’ first career start came against Colorado on May 8, 1996 … In 1997, Colorado won three of four and swept the Quakes in two games at San Jose … Colorado dominated again in 1998 and had a memorable win at Stanford where they edged the Earthquakes 4-3 in penalty kicks … The Earthquakes returned the favor and beat Colorado 4-3 in penalty kicks in the first match of 1999 and they split the season series 2-2 … 2000 saw the teams split the series again with the Earthquakes winning the first two meetings … on August 25, 2001 the Earthquakes scored three goals in four minutes for their second win of the year against the Rapids. Manny Lagos scored his second goal of the match on an assist from Junior Agogo. Two minutes later Landon Donovan scored on an assist from Ian Russell. Then in the 40th minute Donovan assisted Agogo for the fourth goal. The Quakes added one more and then cruised to a 5-2 victory … In 2002 the teams split the series … In 2003 the Quakes opened the season at Colorado and Brian Ching scored 53 seconds into the match and the Quakes were victorious 2-1 … 2004 began an unbeaten streak in which the Earthquakes did not lose to the Rapids from 2004-2010. The Quakes were 8-0-4 during the streak before losing 1-0 on August 7, 2010 … The two teams met again in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, but the Rapids beat the Quakes 1-0 on their way to winning the MLS Cup … The Quakes were unable to beat the Rapids in 2011, with the Rapids defeating the Quakes 2-1 on August 13, 2011 at Buck Shaw Stadium, and the sides tying 1-1 on September 24, 2011 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park … The Earthquakes swept their three games vs. Colorado in 2012, outscoring the Rapids 10-3 in the process … Chris Wondolowski’s scored a hat trick against Colorado on October 6, 2012 … The Quakes and Rapids tied 1-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium in their first meeting of 2013 … The Earthquakes followed with a 2-1 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on June 15, the club’s first road win of the season and the first game on the sidelines for interim head coach Mark Watson … San Jose capped their 2013 involvement with Colorado with a 1-0 win at Buck Shaw Stadium on Oct. 9 thanks to a goal from Chris Wondolowski … The Quakes and Rapids tied 0-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on April 19 in their first meeting of 2014 … The San Jose Earthquakes picked up their third shutout of the season in a 0-0 draw against the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium on Wednesday, May 7 … The Quakes last two matches against the Rapids (9/27/14; 5/8/15) both ended in 1–1 draws at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
Earthquakes-Colorado Rapids Connections
Earthquakes midfielder Sanna Nyassi and Marvell Wynne both played for the Rapids … Quakes midfielders Matias Perez Garcia and Leandro Barrera, Rapids midfielders Lucas Pittinari and Juan Ramirez are all from Argentina … Rapids midfielder Carlos Alvarez, forward Caleb Calvert and Earthquakes midfielder Leandro Barrera all were members of Chivas USA during the 2014 season … Earthquakes midfielder Cordell Cato and Rapids defender Marc Burch both played for the Seattle Sounders during the 2012 season … Rapids defender Bobby Burling played for the San Jose Earthquakes from 2009 – 2012 … Rapids midfielder Sam Cronin played for the Earthquakes from 2010–2014 … Earthquakes forward Mike Fucito and Rapids defender James Riley both played for the Seattle Sounders from 2009 – 2011 … Rapids defender Drew Moor and Earthquakes defender Clarence Goodson played together for the Dallas Burn from 2005-07 … Moor (2003-04) and Earthquakes midfielder Tommy Thompson (2013) both played at the University of Indiana.
EARTHQUAKES IN THE COMMUNITY
Chipotle Clinic
Who: Earthquakes players: Shaun Francis, Adam Jahn, JJ Koval and Tommy Thompson
What: Running a soccer clinic
Where: Watson Park: N 22nd St, San Jose, CA 95112
When: Tuesday, August 11 from 2-5pm
Modelo Player Appearance at The Blue Chip
Who: Earthquakes midfielder Sanna Nyassi
What: Signing autographs and taking photos with fans
Where: The Blue Chip: 325 South 1st Street, San Jose CA 95113
When: Wednesday, August 12 at 5:30pm
Off The Grid
Who: Earthquakes player TBD
What: Signing autographs and taking photos with fans
Where: The Presidio of San Francisco
When: Sunday, August 16
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Amazing Amarikwa
Earthquakes forward Quincy Amarikwa continues to prove the midseason trade to acquire him was a success. Despite not scoring in 14 matches to open the season with Chicago, Amarikwa has caught fire with San Jose, tallying four goals in five games. He has scored each of the club’s last four goals, with all four coming away from home.
Scoring Change
A scoring change has been made in Sunday’s match against Houston. Defender Shaun Francis was credited with the lone assist on forward Quincy Amarikwa’s goal in the 70th minute. However, after review, midfielder Cordell Cato was given the secondary assist, as his lofted pass onto Francis’ head lead directly to the score.
Shaun Francis Back on the Board
Quakes defender Shaun Francis tallied an assist against Houston over the weekend. It marked his first assist since recording two against the Chicago Fire on May 26, 2012 as a member of the Columbus Crew.
First MLS Start
On Saturday against Houston, Quakes midfielder Marc Pelosi made the first MLS start of his career, playing 62 minutes.
Lock Down Defense at Home
San Jose’s defense has been stellar at Avaya Stadium this season, allowing a total of four goals in seven MLS matches. With their clean sheet on against Portland on August 8, the Quakes have now shut out their opponents in four of their last five matches at their new venue [W 1-0 vs. VAN (4/11); W 2-0 vs. CLB (5/16); D 0-0 vs. DAL (6/7); D 0-0 vs. POR (8/2)].
Young American Trio Competes Together
The Earthquakes currently have three central midfielders on their roster that are 21 years of age or younger and have represented various U.S. youth national team – Fatai Alashe, Marc Pelosi and Tommy Thompson. The three players found themselves on the field together for the first time against Portland at Avaya Stadium when Pelosi (78th min) and Thompson (82nd min) entered as second-half subs.
Drawing Free Kicks and Taking Them
Not only does Quakes midfielder Matias Perez Garcia take the majority of the team’s free kicks, but he earns them as well. Perez Garcia has drawn 61 fouls this season, tied for the most in Major League Soccer.
Midfield Magician
Quakes midfielder Matias Perez Garcia has registered six assists in his last 11 MLS matches and San Jose has only lost three times in those 11 contests (4-3-4). In the process, he has boosted his game-winning assist total to four, tied for the most in Major League Soccer. The club is also 4–0 this year when MPG records an assist or scores [at HOU (5/5); vs. CLB (5/16); at SEA (6/20); vs. LA (6/27)].
Quakes Among MLS Leaders
Currently, several Earthquakes rank near or at the top of numerous statistical categories. Among them are:
• Matias Perez Garcia – 61 fouls suffered (t-1st in MLS)
• Matias Perez Garcia – 4 game-winning assists (t-1st in MLS)
• Matias Perez Garcia – 89 corner kicks (3rd in MLS)
• Matias Perez Garcia – 6 assists (t-6th in MLS)
• David Bingham – 78 saves (t-2nd in MLS)
• David Bingham – 6 shutouts (t-6th in MLS)
• David Bingham – 71.6 save pct. (8th in MLS)
• Chris Wondolowski – 9 goals (t-8th in MLS)
Greatest Six-Year Span in MLS History
Including nine goals so far this year, Chris Wondolowski has tallied 95 goals since the start of the 2010 season, the most by any player over a six-year span in MLS history. Wondolowski still has the remainder of this season to add to his league record. Only three other players ever registered more than 80 goals in a six-year span – Taylor Twellman (91 from 2002-07), Roy Lassiter (88 from 1996-01) and Carlos Ruiz (81 from 2002-07).
MLS Goals Since 2010
Chris Wondolowski has been by far the league’s most efficient striker since 2010, leading the league in goals during that time span:
1. Chris Wondolowski - 95 goals
T2. Alvaro Saborio - 64
T2. Robbie Keane - 64
4. Kei Kamara - 54
5. Thierry Henry – 51
6. Sebastian Le Toux - 49
T7. Landon Donovan - 48
T7. Fabian Espindola – 48
9. Dominic Oduro - 44
10. Dwayne De Rosario - 42
Kinnear Can Keep a Lead
Teams under head coach Dominic Kinnear are 123-11-43 when scoring first, a .816 winning percentage. As head coach of the Earthquakes, Kinnear has only lost twice when his team scored first, a 26-2-8 record overall.
Halftime Success
Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Quakes are 108-4-23 when leading at the half, including a 4-1-2 mark so far in 2015. They were 6-0-2 in 2014, 6-0-3 in 2013 and an impressive 12-0-1 in 2012, with the only draw coming against Portland on Oct. 27 at JELD-WEN Field. In 2011, the club was 4-2-2, 7-0-2 in 2010, 4-0-3 in 2009, 6-1-0 in 2008, 7-0-3 in 2005, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 8-0-1 in 2003. Despite holding a 1-0 halftime lead on May 10, 2008, vs. Columbus, the Quakes were edged by the final score of 3-2. That game marked the team’s first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime advantage.
Making the First One Count
The Earthquakes are 106-13-31 since 2001 when scoring the first goal. The club is 4-1-1 so far in 2015, after going 5-1-4 in 2014. They were 11-1-3 when scoring first in 2013. In 2012, San Jose was 14-2-2, their two losses coming at Vancouver (2-1) on May 5 and at Montreal (3-1) on Aug. 18. The club was 7-4-5 in 2011, 12-0-2 in 2010, 6-1-5 in 2009 and 8-1-3 in 2008. Prior to 2010, San Jose also went undefeated in 2001 (13-0-2), 2003 (11-0-1) and 2005 (14-0-5) when scoring first. The Earthquakes were 12-2-0 in 2002 when finding the back of the net first, only giving up leads two times in losing 2-1 at the LA Galaxy on July 4, and falling at Kansas City by the same score on July 27. In 2004, the Quakes went 8-1-1 when scoring first, the best mark in MLS. The Quakes surrendered a 1-0 advantage and dropped a 2-1 decision at the LA Galaxy on July 4, 2004, losing for just the first time since July 27, 2002, when striking first. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting an 8-0-1 record all-time.
Earthquakes Name Chris Leitch Technical Director
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that Chris Leitch has been named the club’s technical director. Leitch has served as the technical director for the Earthquakes Youth Development Academy since 2012. Leitch will continue to oversee the Earthquakes Academy, but will now work closely with general manager John Doyle on all aspects of scouting, player acquisition and salary cap and roster management.
San Jose Earthquakes Acquire Panamanian Midfielder Anibal Godoy
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the club has acquired Panamanian international midfielder Anibal Godoy using Targeted Allocation Money, pending receipt of a P-1 Visa and ITC. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Godoy, 25, most recently played for Budapest Honved FC in the top league in Hungary. Over the last two seasons, he appeared in 26 games and scored one goal for the Hungarian side. Prior to joining Budapest Honved FC, Godoy appeared in 113 matches for Chepo FC in Panama between 2007 and 2013, scoring 10 goals.
Earthquakes Loan Midfielder Khari Stephenson to the San Antonio Scorpions
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that midfielder Khari Stephenson has been loaned to the San Antonio Scorpions of the North American Soccer League for the remainder of the 2015 NASL season. Stephenson, 34, has appeared in four games (two starts) for San Jose this season. Stephenson originally signed with the Quakes in 2010 and has spent five of the past six seasons with the club, tallying 10 goals in 92 appearances.
ACADEMY NEWS
The San Jose Earthquakes U-16 and U-18 Academy squads begin their preseason today. With a new coaching staff, a boost of talent to the rosters and an unprecedented excitement surrounding the youth teams, the Quakes are looking to build off of a tremendous 2014-15 season.
