The San Jose Earthquakes returned home from Philadelphia yesterday, fresh off their 1-1 draw with the Union on Saturday. And while Designated Player Magnus Eriksson will likely get most of the attention for his stunning goal in the first half, goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell’s performance was as influential as any in the team’s pursuit of previously hard-to-come-by points on the road.
Tarbell was making just his 15th MLS start since taking over as the No. 1 last August. The third-year man out of Clemson, who turned 24 years old last October, is among the youngest starting net minders in Major League Soccer. In fact, only Columbus’ Zack Steffen (23), New England’s Matt Turner (24) and FC Dallas’ Richard Sanchez (24) are younger.
Tarbell, known fondly as ‘Tarbs’, easily had his best overall performance in an MLS match on Saturday. He made a career-high seven saves, many of which came from close-range, to preserve the Quakes’ point despite significant late pressure. He was later named to the MLS Team of the Week bench as honorable mention.
Let’s look at several plays throughout the match where Tarbell came to the rescue:
Catch Andrew Tarbell and the Quakes when they play their only match at Avaya Stadium this month on Saturday, April 14 against the Houston Dynamo, presented by SJSU. Kickoff is set for 7:15 p.m.
