It is always good to get a point on the road, even if the Earthquakes wanted a little more from their trip to Rio Tinto Stadium.
An opportunistic goal by Chris Wondolowski off a hustle play by Shea Salinas in the 19th minute highlighted a 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake on Friday evening.
An own goal by Victor Bernardez in the 71st minute left the Quakes kicking themselves a bit, especially because RSL did not have a shot on frame of its own. The Quakes defended very well, keyed by the stout back four of Marvell Wynne and Cordell Cato and center backs Bernardez and Clarence Goodson.
Now they have a quick turnaround for a match against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Tuesday. The Quakes (3-4-1, 10 points) and Dynamo (2-3-4, 10 points) are in a four-way tie for fifth in the Western Conference. San Jose will complete its grueling three-game road stretch at Colorado on Friday.
Players left the field with mixed emotions on Friday.
“When you’re up a goal and you concede late in the game, it always feels like a loss,” Salinas said. “Happy with a point. It’s OK, but still, flying home today it feels like a loss. But we’re happy with our effort and happy with the way we played. If we can give that type of effort and that type of intensity in Houston and Colorado, we should get good results.”
Are the Quakes sitting on their best performances?
“I hope so,” Salinas said. “I think we have a lot more to give. I think our effort’s there. We’re not all connecting in our final passes and things like that. Once that all comes together we should have a really good game ahead of us, and hopefully it’s soon.”
Cato took the own goal in stride.
It happens.
“The other team is giving everything trying to get a goal back,” Cato said. “Unfortunately, with a bit of luck, they did it. I can't be too mad about it, because we’ve got a game on Tuesday, so we've just to refocus as team and be prepared for that."
Early goals are like gold on the road, and the Quakes struck it rich in the 19th minute. After an assertive move by Salinas, cutting in from the left, he hit a ball off RSL defender Tony Beltran, got a rebound, and hit it again off two RSL players. The ball found the right man: Wondo. He calmly ripped a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
Salinas, who had a strong all-around game, nearly assisted the winner in the 94th minute with a spot-on corner kick, but JJ Koval's header from six yards out just missed the upper corner.
In the 11th minute, Sanna Nyassi dribbled to the 18-yard box and blasted a hard shot that was saved by a leaping keeper.
To nab a point in a hostile environment wasn’t the worst of fates.
“I feel pretty good,” coach Dominic Kinnear said. “It's a difficult place to play -- they're a good team. We are both fighting for every point we can get right now. Any time that you come to Salt Lake and you get a point, it’s a positive. I thought at 1-0, we had a couple of chances to go a little bit farther ahead, but that wasn't the case. All of a sudden, a mix up in the back, we share the points."
Cato, likewise, gives the team high marks.
"It was a great performance by the team. We came out ready. We’ve got three games on the road, this is the first one, and we needed to come out with the right attitude. I think we did that. We moved a lot, and we played for each other, and we created a lot of chances."
Houston Homecoming:
One of the big themes surrounding Tuesday’s game will be Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear’s return to his old stamping grounds. The Fremont native led the Dynamo to two MLS Cup championships (2006, 2007) and four conference championships during a great nine-year run.
Before that, Kinnear coached the Quakes for two years before the team moved to Houston. Salinas also has strong Texas ties, having starred at Grapevine High, when he led the Mustangs to three bi-district championships. At the youth level, Salinas played for Dallas Texas, Club Dallas Pumas and Solar Soccer Club.
Of course, the Quakes would love nothing more than to greet friends after Tuesday’s game with three points in their hip pockets.
“First and foremost, it’s a business trip,” Salinas said. “We’re going down there to get points. There’s nothing worse than traveling really far, playing an intense game and not having anything to take away from it. Our priority is getting points down in Houston. At same time, we’ll have family and friends there that I’m sure we’ll be able to visit after the game.”
