Last Game
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.
Scoring Summary:
SJ – Chris Wondolowski (Sanna Nyassi) 19; James Riley (unassisted) 90+3
Misconduct Summary:
COL – Drew Moor (caution) 26; COL – Sam Cronin (caution) 52; SJ – David Bingham (caution) 90+1.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES:
David Bingham, Marvell Wynne, Victor Bernardez, Paulo Renato, Cordell Cato, Khari Stephenson, Sanna Nyassi (Jordan Stewart 67), Tommy Thompson (Matias Perez Garcia 72), Chris Wondolowski, Shea Salinas (Leandro Barrera 84), Adam Jahn.
SHOTS:
10;
SHOTS ON GOAL:
4;
SAVES:
4;
FOULS:
12;
CORNER KICKS:
5;
OFFSIDES:
1.
COLORADO RAPIDS:
Clint Irwin, James Riley, Drew Moor, Axel Sjoberg, Michael Harrington, Gabriel Torres, Sam Cronin (Charles Eloundou 74), Lucas Pittinari, Dillon Powers, Juan Ramirez, Dominique Badji (Vicente Sanchez 45).
SHOTS:
18;
SHOTS ON GOAL:
6;
SAVES:
3;
FOULS:
10;
CORNER KICKS:
12;
OFFSIDES:
4.
OPPONENT INFO
Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew SC
MLS Regular Season:
13-18-7
Home:
10-6-4 (36 GF, 34 GA)
Away:
3-12-3 (19 GF, 29 GA)
Playoffs:
2-2-0;
US Open Cup:
0-0-0;
US Open Cup Play-In:
0-0-0
All-Time Scoring:
San Jose – 55, Columbus Crew – 63
Last Game vs. Columbus Crew
Earthquakes 1, Columbus Crew 1; April 13, 2014; Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Chris Wondolowski scored his third goal of the season to rally the San Jose Earthquakes to a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew at Buck Shaw Stadium. Federico Higuain gave the visitors an initial 1-0 lead just before halftime, tapping home a cross from Waylon Francis. Hector Jimenez started the sequence with a lofted ball to the sideline, finding Francis in stride. The Costa Rican left back took the ball toward the end line and then slotted a pass on the ground to Higuain in the middle of the box for the finish. The Earthquakes took control after the break with Portuguese signing Yannick Djalo providing a spark off the bench. San Jose finally profited from their early chances in the 51st minute. Salinas zipped a corner into the middle of the box and found Wondolowski open at the doorstep for his third goal in four games to start the season.
History of the Quakes-Columbus Crew Rivalry
San Jose and Columbus, two of the 10 original sides from the inaugural MLS season in 1996, have had a strong rivalry in MLS history, facing off on two separate occasions in the playoffs and competing in a number of memorable games … In 2001, the Quakes eliminated the Crew from the MLS Cup Playoffs with two convincing wins, 3-1 and 3-0, en route to winning the MLS Cup … Columbus turned the tables on San Jose in 2002 by knocking the Quakes out of the postseason with a pair of 2-1 victories that both came on 81st-minute goals … Ex-Quakes midfielder Ronnie Ekelund scored one of the best goals in league history against Columbus on Sept. 7, 2002, as Richard Mulrooney lifted a free kick up for Ekelund, who half-volleyed a shot from 25 yards out and into the upper corner … The Quakes went on to win 4-3 in overtime with ex-San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch in net for the Crew … That result marked the team’s first regular-season overtime win in club history … In 2010, both games ended in ties, the first a 2-2 result in San Jose and the second a 0-0 tie in Columbus … In 2011, the Earthquakes took the first game, 3-0 with goals from Wondolowski, Brandon McDonald and Khari Stephenson while the teams played to another scoreless deadlock in Columbus on July 16, 2011 … Their 2012 match-up had roots with the Earthquakes’ “Goonies never say die,” slogan as Alan Gordon scored a 90th-minute equalizer to lock the game at 1-1 on May 19 at Buck Shaw Stadium (one week later, Gordon would score a stoppage-time winner against the LA Galaxy, spurring teammate and former Crew forward Steven Lenhart to proclaim, “Goonies never say die!” … The two sides finished their 2013 affair in a 1-1 deadlock as Justin Morrow provided the come-from-behind moment for San Jose in the 73rd minute … In 2014, Shea Salinas assisted Chris Wondolowski to rally the Earthquakes to a 1-1 draw, despite the Crew going into halftime with the lead.
Earthquakes – Columbus Crew Connections
Quakes forward Steven Lenhart played the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Columbus Crew after being chosen No. 48 overall (Round 4) during the 2008 MLS SuperDraft … Lenhart produced 13 goals and four assists over 63 total appearances for the Crew, scoring four times in 10 games during the club’s MLS Cup championship season as a rookie in 2008 … Lenhart was acquired by the Quakes from Columbus in a draft-day trade on Jan. 13, 2011 … Earthquakes midfielder Cordell Cato and Crew midfielder Kevan George both trace their roots to Trinidad & Tobago … Earthquakes defender Ty Harden briefly played with Crew midfielder Tony Tchani in 2011 before the latter was traded to Columbus after 13 games … Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham (2008-10), Crew midfielder Hector Jimenez (2006-10) and Crew defender Tyson Wahl (2002-05) all played for Cal … Earthquakes defender Shaun Francis played for the Crew from 2010-2012 … Shaun Francis and Crew defender Sergio Campbell both were born in Jamaica … Quakes midfielder Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and Crew Midfielder Romain Gall are both from France … Earthquakes midfielders Leandro Barrera and Matias Perez Garcia, as well as Columbus defender Hernan Grana and midfielder Federico Higuain, are from Argentina … Earthquakes defender Marvell Wynne and Crew defender Chris Klute both played together on the Colorado Rapids from 2013-2014 … Columbus assistant coach Pat Onstad was one of the most prolific goalkeepers in Earthquakes history. During his career with the Quakes, he helped the team win the MLS Cup in 2003, was named MLS Goalkeeper of the year twice (2003, 2005) and was selected to the MLS Best XI team twice (2003, 2005).
EARTHQUAKES IN THE COMMUNITY
Financial Literacy Workshop
Who:
Earthquakes midfielder JJ Koval
What:
Speaking with high school students about the importance of finances
Where:
Mt. Pleasant High School in San Jose
When:
Tuesday, May 12 at 1:15 p.m.
Soccer Equipment Drop-Off Every Save Makes a Difference
Who:
Earthquakes Community Relations & Mascot
What:
Delivering $2,000 worth of soccer equipment
Where:
Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto
When:
Wednesday, May 13 at 4 p.m.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Success On The Road
San Jose is 2-1-2 over its last five matches, despite four of those contests being played away from home. In addition, the Quakes earned five points on their recent road trip, which involved three games in vastly different weather conditions over eight days.
Wondolowski Nearing 100 Goals
Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski found the back of the net on May 8 against the Colorado Rapids for the 98th time in his MLS career. He is now two goals from becoming the ninth player in league history to reach the century mark. He is also third all-time in game-winning goals with 34 in his career.
Undefeated Streak Against Columbus
The Quakes enter Saturday’s match undefeated in their last seven contests against the Crew. San Jose has a 1-0-6 record against Columbus and hasn’t dropped a match to them since 2009.
Proving Their Depth
Just three days after defeating Houston at BBVA Compass Stadium, San Jose was tasked with traveling to Colorado and battling the Rapids, the altitude and the rain. The Earthquakes responded by earning a 1-1 draw, despite making four changes to the starting XI, to close out their three-game road trip.
Quakes Among MLS Leaders
Currently, several Earthquakes rank near or at the top of numerous statistical categories. Among them are:
•
Matias Perez Garcia – 42 corner kicks (Second in MLS)
•
David Bingham – 33 saves (Third in MLS)
•
Chris Wondolowski – 5 goals (Tied for fifth in MLS)
Kinnear Can Keep a Lead
Teams under head coach Dominic Kinnear are 120-10-43 when scoring first, a .818 winning percentage. As head coach of the Earthquakes, Kinnear has only lost one game when his team scored first, a 24-1-8 record overall.
Halftime Success
Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Quakes are 106-3-23 when leading at the half, including a 2-0-2 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 104-12-31 since 2001 when scoring the first goal. The club is 2-0-1 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.
Avaya Stadium to host World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup
USA Rugby and the San Jose Earthquakes announced that Avaya Stadium will play host to a World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup double-header on Saturday, July 18. The Pacific Nations Cup – a World Rugby tournament designed to expose Pacific Rim teams and players to a greater number of international test matches – features Canada, Fiji, Japan, Samoa, and USA. Avaya Stadium will host two PNC matches July 18, Canada vs. Japan and the USA Men’s Eagles vs. Samoa. Tickets for the matches held at Avaya Stadium will be released mid-March. Notifications on ticket release dates and pre-sale access to tickets for the U.S.-based 2015 PNC matches will be provided to those on the USA Rugby Ticket Pre-Sale List, for which fans can sign up here: www.usarugby.org/tickets.
ACADEMY NOTES
The Burlingame Dragons, the Earthquakes PDL affiliate, take on the Sonoma County Sol in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday, May 13, at Ernie Nevers Field in Santa Rosa, Calif. It marks the club’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup match. The Dragons will also open regular season play on Friday, May 15, against the Fresno Fuego at Chukchansi Park in Fresno, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes youth affiliate East Valley Earthquakes are in the state cup final to be played this weekend. The U-14 club takes on Galt on Saturday and the U-17 squad plays Almaden on Sunday. Both matches will be played at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, Calif.
