Matias Perez Garcia (10) would score the late winner for San Jose.
It took 87 minutes, but San Jose kept their playoff hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake. Matias Perez Garcia scored late in the physical match, finally besting keeper Nick Rimando with a deflected shot on goal.
The Quakes were physical in the early stages on the match, committing a lot of unnecessary fouls in the center of the pitch. They would manage to create the more dangerous chances, with Shea Salinas getting into the box on numerous occasions.
It was in the 24th minute when San Jose would get the first quality chances in front of goal. A Matias Perez Garcia corner found its way on goal but was saved by Nick Rimando. The ball fell to Chris Wondolowski though but his shot too was knocked away, this time to the feet of Anibal Godoy. Godoy’s shot looked to be headed for the top corner but went wide of goal instead.
The physicality of the game finally drew a yellow card in the 33rd minute for a poor tackle by Godoy. Following 2 shoulder-to-shoulder challenges, Godoy came in late and took out the RSL midfielder, leaving an easy call for the referee to make.
Minutes later the Quakes would have another run of chances inside the Real Salt Lake box. Marc Pelosi, Shea Salinas, Wondolowski, and Quincy Amarikwa all took shots only to have them all blocked. Throughout the play, Godoy was screaming for the ball, unmarked at the top of the box but could not get a pass. The Panamanian was visibly upset with his teammates after the play.
San Jose continued to pressure Real’s defense and earned another corner in the 41st minute. Garcia’s cross found the head of Amarikwa for a shot but the header went just wide of the far post, keeping the match tied.
The start of the second half saw Salt Lake begin to find a rhythm and get chances. Luke Mulholland was the first to put a shot towards goal but his headed cross was met by Pelosi, who blocked it out of play.
San Jose looked to have scored the opener of the match in the 51st minute as Amarikwa passed a perfect ball across the face of goal to Wondolowski for the tap in but Rimando came up with a massive save and cleared the ball off the line. San Jose got the ball back into the box and Amarikwa got another chance to score but couldn’t get the ball on net.
In the 55th minute Real subbed off Jordan Allen, who had been under attack all game from Shea Salinas, and replaced him with Demar Phillips.
Kyle Beckerman would be the next to go in the book, earning a yellow in the 63rd minute for pulling down Godoy while trying to get a quick restart after the two players got tangled up.
The Quakes looked to get a breakaway in the 65th minute but Amarikwa had an unlucky first touch to allow the defense to get behind the ball. Wondolowski was there to keep the play going and got the ball out to Shea Salinas but his shot from just inside the 18 yard box was high.
Amarikwa continued to fight up top for the Quakes, earning a hard fought corner that got a large applause from the sell out crowd in attendance. The corner was taken well to the back post to Wondolowski who put a header on goal only to be saved again by Nick Rimando.
Pelosi would be next to go into the books in the 73rd minute for a foul in the center of the field and Wondolowski would get one of his own a minute later for dissent as tensions began to boil over for San Jose.
Real almost took the lead in the 76th minute when Devon Sandoval lofted a perfect pass over the defense to Joao Plata for a wide open shot on goal. David Bingham stepped up for the save though, stopping Plata in front of goal to keep the game tied.
As the ball was cleared to the sideline, Beckerman went out to recover it only to be cleared out by Perez Garcia, earning another yellow card for the Quakes.
Again San Jose looked to have the breakthrough goal 82 minutes in, as Salinas put a perfect ball through the 6 yard box to Wondolowski who was there to put the ball on target but Rimando made a diving save to rob him of a goal.
Real bounced right back with a chance of their own in the 83rd as Sandoval threaded a ball of his own through the 6 yard box to Plata who just missed the shot wide of goal.
On cue, San Jose pulled out Shaun Francis and inserted Sanna Nyassi into the game, going to 3 defenders at the back as a last ditch effort to get a much needed winner.
That winner would come 4 minutes later as Amarikwa left a ball off to Garcia as he was being wrapped up by a defender and Matias’s shot deflected off a RSL defender and into the back of the net past a crossed up Rimando. Garcia, in the excitement and relief of getting the go ahead goal, took off his shirt to celebrate, earning him a second yellow and a red card ejection.
Real’s attempts at getting a tying goal came up short as the Quakes defense stayed strong and closed out the match.
The win keeps San Jose within a point of 6th place Portland and gives them a realistic chance of still making the playoffs. Unfortunately, they’ll be without Pelosi and Fatai Alashe next match against Vancouver as they leave to play with the U23 National Team and Matias Perez Garcia will also be out serving the suspension for his Sunday red card.
San Jose Earthquakes
