SAN JOSE, Calif. –
The San Jose Earthquakes fell to the LA Galaxy 1-0 on Wednesday night in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 at Avaya Stadium.
San Jose made numerous changes to the lineup that defeated the Galaxy in the California Clasico just four days prior, with midfielder Sanna Nyassi being the lone holdover. Midfielder Tommy Thompson made his first start in the U.S. Open Cup this season and second overall, while keeper Bryan Meredith and midfielder Leandro Barrera each made their second overall start of 2015, having both started against Sac Republic FC in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup.
Los Angeles took a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. A long ball was played over the top from midfielder Kenney Walker to forward Jose Villareal, who took a touch and slotted a low shot past the outstretched arms of Meredith.
It looked as if the Quakes had leveled the score line in the 30th minute when forward Mark Sherrod headed home a free kick by midfielder Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, but it was disallowed for offsides.
In the 51st minute, midfielder JJ Koval rose high to get to a Thompson corner kick. He firmly headed the ball towards the bottom-left corner of the net, but Galaxy keeper Brian Rowe was able to fall on it.
Meredith made a tremendous save in the 73rd minute to keep the home side within striking distance. LA midfielder Raul Mendiola sprinted into the box with no one to beat but the keeper, and Meredith came out aggressively and was able to knock the ball off of Mendiola and out of play for a goal kick.
Meredith later made another huge save in the 82nd minute, making a diving stop on his goal line to prevent a score by Galaxy forward Alan Gordon.
San Jose returns to MLS regular season action on Sunday, July 5, when they travel to take on the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF, beginning at 2 p.m.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – Round of 16
San Jose Earthquakes 0-1 LA Galaxy
July 1, 2015 – Avaya Stadium
Attendance: 13,329
Scoring Summary:
LA – Jose Villareal (Kenney Walker) 6.
Misconduct Summary:
LA – Raul Mendiola (caution) 84; SJ – Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi (caution) 87; SJ – Mike Fucito (caution) 89; LA – Brian Rowe (caution) 90.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES:
Bryan Meredith, Shaun Francis, Paulo Renato (Fatai Alashe 78), JJ Koval, Cordell Cato, Leandro Barrera, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Khari Stephenson (Mike Fucito 45), Sanna Nyassi, Tommy Thompson, Mark Sherrod (Adam Jahn 60).
SHOTS: 14; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; SAVES: 2; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 9; OFFSIDES: 3.
LA GALAXY:
Brian Rowe, Oscar Sorto, Leonardo, Tommy Meyer, A.J. DeLaGarza (Dan Gargan 59), Raul Mendiola, Kenney Walker (Juninho 71), Rafael Garcia, Ignacio Maganto, Alan Gordon, Jose Villareal (Sebastian Lleget 86).
SHOTS: 7; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 5; CORNER KICKS: 0; OFFSIDES: 1.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On slow start:
“You start the game slow, you can get punished for it and now you’re chasing the game. And it doesn’t matter how many chances you get, or if you think you’re the better team, you need to start off the game correctly.”
On LA’s goal:
“I think we were a bit unaware of the danger that was happening at that present time and it is very surprising that at six minutes we gave up such an easy chance.”
On second half adjustments:
“Kind of changed our formation a tiny bit but I thought we were more aggressive, we passed the ball better, our movement off the ball was better and second balls were ours. I thought in the first half all second balls fell to them and they obviously got some chances out of it and got some possession. Where I thought in the second half we were around the ball a heck of a lot more and that’s the reason why we were knocking on the door for as long as we were.”
On Bryan Meredith’s performance:
“He’s played well. I think he’s also learned a little bit along the way. And you want to make sure he gets minutes. I think, knock on wood, if we have to make a change in there for what ever reason I think we feel confident that we know Bryan’s had enough games under his belt and is confident enough we he steps on the field he knows he’s going to do a good job.”
On Cordell Cato’s progress:
“Seeing how he’s played, how he’s accepted each position and each opportunity given to him, I think he’s definitely one of the bright spots of the team this year and he’s earned every single minute that he’s been given and he’s made the most of his opportunities.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER TOMMY THOMPSON
On getting significant minutes:
“It was a great opportunity for me and some of the other guys to get some significant minutes. We’re disappointed with the result. We thought one was going to go in by the end of it because we were knocking on the door that whole second half. To have nothing to show for it is difficult to swallow. We’ve got to keep our heads up, we have a big game this weekend against Portland and have to move on from here.”
On how he stays prepared for whenever he may be called on:
“It’s the life of a professional athlete to stay prepared for weekend games, midweek games, tournament games, MLS games, whatever it may be. We’re always trying to be at our best and to get results. You can’t let your lows get too low and your highs get too high.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER SHAUN FRANCIS
On match:
“You can win the game in the first five minutes, you can lose the game in the first five minutes and I think we lost the game in the first five minutes.”
On fitness:
“I think the set of guys that came out to play were guys that were hungry and wanted to play. I think we came out just slow, as you can see how the game went.”
On how he feels:
“Physically I’m fine. Definitely feel like I’m fit coming back from that injury. I feel like playing that 90 minutes helps with me getting back into the rhythm of stuff and I feel very comfortable and very confident.”
