Martins Equalized late with a rare “unicycle kick” goal, to rob the Quakes of 2 critical points
by Eric Maestas
Photos by Lyndsay Radnedge and Heather Hendricks
The San Jose Earthquakes surrendered an Obafemi Martins goal at the worst possible time, resulting in a 1-1 draw that leaves their playoff hopes in limbo. The Quakes entered their match against the Seattle Sounders in what amounted to a “must-win” situation. With 18,000 in attendance, the 11th sellout at Avaya Stadium, the Quakes looked to capitalize on that advantage. Fielding a team in a 4-4-2 formation, coach Dominic Kinnear paired captain Chris Wondolowski up front with upstart Quincy Amarikwa.
Photo by Heather Hendricks
From the opening kickoff, the Sounders pressed the action, with forward Obafemi Martins making runs down the left-hand side of the field, testing the Quakes defense. A foul on Sounders designated player Clint Dempsey led to a free kick in the 6th minute, which sailed over the Quakes goal. Sounders midfielder Brad Evans was the recipient of a ball to the face, as Quakes defender Clarence Goodson attempted to kick the ball up the field in the 10th minute. The first shot that the Quakes could get away was not until the 12th minute, with Anibal Godoy’s effort well shy of the Sounders goal. A Shea Salinas cross in the 14th minute failed to find its target of Cordell Cato. Unfortunately, the home team did not have the lion’s share of possession for the first quarter hour of the match.
A horrible give-away from Godoy in the 16th minute led to a run by Martins again, only to have Clarence Goodson kick the ball out for the throw-in.
A Shea Salinas free kick in the 20th minute almost found the boot of Fatai Alashe, but the ball ended up back in the possession of the visiting Sounders, with the Clint Dempsey-led counterattack snuffed out by stout defending from the Quakes back line. A Cordell Cato run down the left flank in the 24th minute led to a Quakes corner, taken by Shea Salinas. The Quakes midfielder’s kick found the head of Sounders Tyrone Mears, repealing yet another infrequent Quakes attack. In the 26th minute, Obafemi Martins found himself within the Quakes six-yard box, but Fatai Alashe marked him beautifully, preventing Martins from breaking the 0-0 deadlock. A Quakes corner kick in the 27th minute, this time from the right-hand side of the field, almost found Clarence Goodson. The scrum inside the Sounders box led to second Quakes corner within the same minute of the match, and the kick again found Goodson. Unfortunately, nothing came of this opportunity to score.
Confusion in the Sounders back line at the half-hour mark led to a turnover, but Fatai Alashe’s run could not produce a shot on goal. The Quakes back line started to allow Martins way too much space, allowing him to move the ball through the middle of the field, creating anxiety for the Quakes. Chris Wondolowski had a golden opportunity in the 37th minute, as Anibal Godoy slotted the ball right through the Sounders defense. The resulting shot by Wondo ricocheted of the left post. A shot by Anibal Godoy in the 40th minute proved weak, allowing for a routine save by Sounders goalkeeper Sebastian Frei. The Sounders counter-attack led to a corner kick in the 41st minute, but it actually resulted in an injury to Sounders defender Roman Torres. The Panamanian international had to be stretchered off the pitch, and was replaced by Zack Scott. Shea Salinas performed another corner kick at the 45th minute, which produced a Clarence Goodson toward goal, which ended up going wide right. The 1st half ended in a 0-0 stalemate.
Sounder starting central defender Torres could not continue, and was replaced by Zach Scott. Photo – Heather Hendricks
The 2nd half saw the substitution of Andreas Ivanschitz for the Sounder’s Brad Evans. Much like in the 1st half, the Earthquakes had a tendency to move the ball laterally or back, rather than forward, thereby diminishing their attacking opportunities. The first 7 minutes of the match’s second half saw both teams fight it out for possession within the middle part of the pitch, ensuring that end-to-end action would not be produced. However, at the 56th minute mark, a Shea Salinas free kick found it’s way to the feet of Anibal Godoy, but his volley was blocked by an onrushing Seattle defense. In the 58th minute, Clint Dempsey dribbled the ball up field, feeding the ball to Nelson Valdez, whose shot harmlessly sailed to the left of goal. Valdez was actually substituted for midfield Lamar Neagle at the 60th minute, as Brian Schmetzer, deputizing for ailing Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid, attempted to spark his team to open up the scoring.
In the 62nd minute, the Quakes had a tremendous chance, with defender Shaun Francis passing the ball to a streaking Shea Salinas. Salinas was stifled, the Quakes attack blunted. A Cordell Cato cross in the 65th minute, for a waiting Chris Wondolowski, did not produce the desired shot that the Quakes poacher is known for. The Quakes forward then let a long-range effort fly in the 67th minute, only to watch the ball almost end up in the second tier of Avaya Stadium. The game started to get chippy a minute later, with Fatai Alashe being swatted by an irritated Clint Dempsey. A double substitution by Kinnear in the 70th minute saw both Adam Jahn and Matias Perez Garcia come on for Quincy Amarikwa and Marc Pelosi, respectively.
The Argentine DP made an immediate impact, providing the assist for a clinical finish by Alashe. Perez Garcia’s ball-handling skills caused Seattle problems in the 75th minute, with the Sounders defense scrambling to dispossess him of the ball. It eventually happened, but the Quakes earned a corner kick. The Quakes scoring so late in the match seemed to take the wind out of the Sounders’ sails, for they failed to produce any meaningful goal-scoring opportunities, as their attempts to attack were snuffed out by the Clarence Goodson-led defense. An Ivanschlitz free kick failed to offer any real threat, as the Quakes dug in order to see out the game.
It was not to be however, as a Sounders free kick, again taken by Ivanschlitz, led to a Martins header in the 82nd minute, as he was able to break free of a marking Clarence Goodson. The Martins equalizer ignited what was, to that point, an otherwise pedestrian MLS match. The end-to-end action that this match promised finally materialized.
Sanna Nyassi relieved Cordell Cato in the 88th minute, as the Quakes pressed to find a go-ahead goal. Clarence Goodson picked up a knock contending for the ball, right as the fourth official revealed that there would be four minutes of stoppage time. Chris Wondolowski appeared to be held in the Sounders box, for he was unable to put a head on a Matias Perez Garcia pass.
The referee blew the whistle, and the Quakes find themselves in 7th place in the Western Conference. Two points outside of the sixth and final playoff position, this coming Wednesday’s match against the Montreal Impact is do-or-die.
PLAYER RATINGS – San Jose Earthquakes
Bingham-6, Wynne-6, Alashe-8, Goodson-8, Francis-6, Cato-7, Pelosi-6, Godoy-7, Salinas-6, Wondolowski-7, Amarikwa-7; Substitutes: Jahn-5, Perez Garcia-8.
