SAN JOSE, Calif. - Friday night lights. A heartfelt effort. A leap of faith and a critical win.
It was a spirit-lifting spectacle, the Earthquakes' 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference at a sold-out Avaya Stadium.
"Huge three points," coach Dominic Kinnear said.
Toasts flowed from the Largest Outdoor Bar in North America after Clarence Goodson overpowered Rapids defender Bobby Burling and headed in a Quincy Amarikwa cross in the 53rd minute, after Chris Wondolowski sent the ball out to the left.
The Quakes overcame injuries in the physical battle and ushered in the Anibal Godoy era by vaulting back into the playoff conversation with a commanding defensive effort. The Quakes have shut out five of their last six opponents at Avaya Stadium.
Godoy, a Panama international, logged 90 solid minutes; his play figures to smooth out as he acclimates to his new side and to MLS. He arrived in San Jose the day of the game, and was good to go.
"I was prepared mentally," Godoy said. "They called me and asked if I was ready to start on my first day here, and I said 'yes.' I was rested and motivated by this great opportunity. I thank the Lord for giving me the strength to go out there on the pitch and play a full 90 minutes."
In a stunning turn of events, Goodson's goal came about a minute after the Rapids' Dillon Powers headed the ball off the crossbar on the opposite end.
After Goodson's shot rattled into the goal, the Ultras went wild. Goodson ran toward the Quakes bench where he was mobbed. It was shades of the Quakes' 3-1 win over the Galaxy on June 27, when the big center back scored the winner and vaulted into the stands at Stanford Stadium.
Goodson also shook of a heavy blow in Friday's match in his return from an injury.
"That was huge," Kinnear of Goodson's presence. "He's a smart player. He finds himself in good areas, and obviously he's dangerous when he gets going forward. So, he's a good center back. We all know that. And to have him back for this game was a big one."
In snapping a six-game winless streak (0-5-1), the Quakes reestablished themselves at home. They improved to 4-2-2 at Avaya Stadium and 5-2-3 at all home games this season.
The dynamic Amarikwa didn't score on Friday, but he had an impact. His spectacular effort with full-out slide to keep the ball in play near the Rapids' goal line extracted a foul from Burling just outside the box. Burling received a yellow card for his trouble.
"I'm really happy with the effort," Kinnear said of his team. "The guys were good. A real good goal, a lot of second efforts on that part of it. It would have been nice to have gotten a second to kind of ease the pressure on us a little bit. But yeah, any time you shut out a team it gives you a chance to win, and one goal was enough for us tonight."
After a somewhat flat start, the Quakes' attack perked up as the first half unfolded. Shea Salinas, who later started the sequence on Goodson's goal with a free kick, and Amarikwa created scoring chances for each other.
In the 22nd minute, Salinas evaded several defenders and laid off a pass for Amarikwa, whose initial shot was blocked, but his second attempt forced a tough save by Colorado keeper Clint Irwin at the near post.
The Earthquakes depth was tested early, as defender Jordan Stewart departed in the 27th minute with a left ankle injury. Shaun Francis, who started each of the past two matches, replaced him and gave a credible effort. In fact, Francis created a chance in the 38th minute with a cross to Amarikwa, but his glancing header went just wide.
"I think the back five we had tonight was outstanding," keeper David Bingham said. "We went back to how we were playing at the beginning of the year. We were compact, and it was very hard for them to break us down. I felt Shaun came in and showed why he is a true vet to take over for Jordan after he went off the field. Great performance all around and the game-winning goal came from our backline."
Midfielder Marc Pelosi also looked good after subbing in for an injured Matias Perez Garcia in the 50th minute, delivering strong tackles and quality passes. His hard work enabled Wondolowski to get more forward.
Kinnear got what he expected from Godoy, and said he had a good game.
"At this time in the season when you bring in a player like him, or you bring in somebody new that you think can help the team, he's not here to blend in and to work his way into the game," Kinnear said.
Godoy seems to feel comfortable and eager to build off the victory.
"I couldn't be more proud of a group of teammates than I have with this club," he said. "This group of guys knows if we can stay hungry and stay united, we can win some matches. Today we demonstrated that we are a solid squad and if we continue to play like this we will reach our goal."
