SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes held English Premier League power Manchester United to a scoreless draw Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium in an international friendly. Although the match ended scoreless, the Quakes had several chances on goal, outshooting United 11-6, and both teams hit the crossbar throughout the course of the match.
Numerous players made their Quakes debut in the match, including goalkeepers JT Marcinkowski and Matt Bersano, defenders Jacob Akanyirige and Guram Kashia, and midfielders Luis Felipe, Eric Calvillo and Gilbert Fuentes. Fuentes, born Feb. 21, 2002, is now the youngest player to make an appearance for the Earthquakes.
The Quakes next MLS match is against Seattle Sounders FC on Wednesday, July 25 at Avaya Stadium, beginning at 7:15 p.m. PT. The match will air live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
International Friendly
San Jose Earthquakes 0-0 Manchester United
July 22, 2018 – Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Attendance: 32,549
Scoring Summary: None.
Misconduct Summary: SJ – Florian Jungwirth (caution) 17; SJ – Anibal Godoy (caution) 52.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES:
First Half: JT Marcinkowski; Joel Qwiberg, Harold Cummings, Guram Kashia, Nick Lima; Jahmir Hyka, Luis Felipe, Florian Jungwirth, Chris Wehan; Quincy Amarikwa, Danny Hoesen.
Second Half: Matt Bersano; Shea Salinas, Francois Affolter (Jimmy Ockford 78), Yeferson Quintana, Paul Marie; Tommy Thompson (Jacob Akanyirige 90), Anibal Godoy, Jackson Yueill (Eric Calvillo 77), Magnus Eriksson (Gilbert Fuentes 86); Vako, Chris Wondolowski.
SHOTS: 11; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 3; OFFSIDES: 3.
MANCHESTER UNITED:
First Half: Joel Pereira; Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia (Matteo Darmian 7); Andreas Pereira, Ander Herrera, James Garner; Alexis Sanchez, Anthony Martial, Tahith Chong.
Second Half: Lee Grant; Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Luke Shaw (Demitri Mitchell 77), Axel Tuanzebe, Matteo Darmian; Andreas Pereira (Angel Gomes 83), Ander Herrera, Juan Mata; Alexis Sanchez (Mason Greenwood 65), Anthony Martial, Scott McTominay.
SHOTS: 6; SAVES: 6; FOULS: 14; CORNER KICKS: 4; OFFSIDES: 5.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MIKAEL STAHRE
Overall thoughts on the match:
“We came out well. I think we played quite disciplined and compact, but also created quite a few chances. I’m pretty happy with the performance.”
On preparations to compete against Manchester United:
“To play against Manchester United is about staying compact and organized. Of course, not just to wait for the counter attack but to try to possess the ball and create something also, but it was a more defensive approach today, that’s for sure.”
On Guram Kashia’s 45-minute debut performance:
“(We) just wanted to get him fit as soon as possible. He has been out for a season now for more than a normal amount, so it was important for him to pay 45 minutes. We’ll see if he’s ready to play. He was absolutely solid. He’s a guy with a lot of experience. I think he handled it in a good way. It was a solid performance for 45 minutes.”
On getting playing time for 16-year-olds Jacob Akanyirige and Gilbert Fuentes:
“It was important for me to give them minutes in this game playing against one of the biggest clubs in the world. It was more for the future. It was also a signal to the fans that we have young players behind the first team.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER GILBERT FUENTES
On his Quakes debut:
“It is definitely breathtaking being here in general and making my debut against Man U makes it particularly special because it’s my father’s favorite team. It was amazing.
On getting his first touch on the ball:
“Walking on in front of the whole crowd, and it being Manchester United, I was really nervous. I got that first tough and it went away.”
On his growth after joining the Quakes:
“I have definitely grown as a soccer player, but I feel more as a person as they show me the ways of being a professional. It is more than just soccer. I have learned a lot from Quincy in how you get what you give. That is the biggest message from him.”
On takeaways from the match:
“This is only just the beginning. I have to work even harder now. It was intense, and it really pushed me to be the best that I can be today.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER GURAM KASHIA
On his San Jose Earthquakes debut:
“It felt great. It’s a different life than I’m used to. The atmosphere is quite different than in Europe. The crowd is different and inside the game the style is different. I understand that I need to adjust to it. It will take some time, but I had some fun. We played today against a very good team that gave us some trouble, but in general I felt really good physically. Of course, I will improve game-by-game. This is my preseason still, so I will deliver more quality in the game. For today, I believe we did well as a team. I believe it’s the first clean sheet in a long time, so I will take that credit. In general, I believe we played reasonable football. Especially in the second half, we held the ball and took control of the game. We created some chances, and we could have scored a goal.”
On what he saw from the San Jose Earthquakes prior to joining:
“We didn’t give so many goals from team performance, we gave away goals from individual mistakes. We have to reduce those individual mistakes. That is something to do with organization and taking unnecessary risks. I know Americans love attractive football and to see as many goals as a game can bring, but sometimes as a football player you need to think further than that.”
On his goals for the rest of the season:
“The long-term goal is really difficult, to get in the playoffs. In the short-time, I want to focus on the game-by-game and improve every game. I saw some great things in today’s game, and if we can bring Wednesday these things, we can get a result. I’m trying to focus on the next game and not think about the end of the (season). This team cannot be in last place because we have the talent to have at least 20 or 15 points more to be in the middle of the league.”
