In front of a supposed sellout crowd, the San Jose Earthquakes could only muster a 1-1 draw with the Seattle Sounders, continuing their malaise and casting further doubt in playoff hopes.
Fielding a 4-2-3-1 formation, with marquee player Chris Wondolowski in midfield, the Earthquakes got off to a slow start, creating little chances in the first five minutes of the match. A Quakes corner kick in the sixth minute yielded nothing, as referee Baldomero Toledo whistled Wondolowski for a foul. Sounders forward Nicolas Lodeiro’s free kick sailed harmlessly out of bounds in the 10th minute, with Quakes goalie David Bingham, his first game back from injury, untested. The Earthquakes won a free kick in the 13th minute, this time taken by midfielder Simon Dawkins, whose effort produced a scrum in the Sounders box; however, no shot on goal came.
A Quakes corner in the 15th minute produced contact between Shaun Francis and Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei, yet no penalty was called. The Quakes continued to ramp up pressure, with Chris Wondolowski ripping a shot from the top of the Sounders box in the 17th minute, which was saved in the bottom right-corner by Frei. A Marvell Wynne cross found the head of defender Jordan Stewart, but Sounders’ Osvaldo Alonso parried it away from danger.
The Earthquakes breakthrough came in the 20th minute, with Stewart flew down the left flank, burning Sounders’ Tyrone Mears to pass the ball to a waiting Wondolowski, who redirected the ball into the back of the Sounders net. Being behind a goal seemed to wake up a lethargic Sounders attack, and Nicolas Lodeiro nearly equalized in the 27th minute, but his boot could not meet the cross into the Quakes six-yard box.
The Earthquakes had another corner kick in the 30th minute, taken again by Dawkins. The preeminent poacher Wondolowski was waiting for it, but his shot sailed way over the Sounders goal. The Quakes defense proved resolute throughout the 1st half, as they were able to halt any developing Sounders attack. A hard foul by the Sounders’ Mears on the Quakes’ midfielder Alberto Quintero should have led to a booking, but Toledo kept his cards in his pocket. The Sounders did exploit a bit of an opening in the 40th minute, with Mears dribbling into the Quakes box, but he comically stumbled before getting a meaningful shot on goal. Tempers flared in the 44th minute, as the Quakes’ Stewart jawed with the Sounders’ Lodeiro, leading to a yellow card for Stewart. The Quakes threatened in the dying embers of the 1st half, but Darwin Ceren’s volley could not find the frame or the net.
The 2nd half started out with the Sounders on the front foot, as they were able to produce a free kick in the 48th minute. Again, the threat was extinguished by a stout Quakes defense. In the 50th minute, a streaking Fatai Alashe down the right-flank of the pitch produced a cross that was too far for Wondolowski to meet. Just a minute later, the Sounders countered with an attack of their own, as Jordan Morris penetrated into the Quakes box, feeding the ball to midfielder Andreas Ivanschitz, who skied his point-blank effort. Baldomero Toledo started to brandish the yellow cards in the 2nd half, as he booked the Alonso and Dawkins in the 54th and 58th minute, respectively. The 61st minute saw an Alberto Quintero volley past the Sounders goal, as it was caused by a missed Wondo header from a Wynne cross. In the 65th minute, as Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer sought to shake things up, subbing midfielder Erik Friberg for the speedy Alvaro Fernandez; this substitution created problems for the Quakes defense, as Fernandez almost equalized for Seattle in the 74th minute. Quakes’ coach Dominic Kinnear sought to match wits with his Sounders counterpart by subbing midfielder Shea Salinas for defender Stewart in the 74th minute. Salinas provided an immediate effect, as he sped down the middle of the pitch, uncontested, into the Sounders box; alas, the Sounders defense clapped down, smothering Salinas and dispossessing him of the ball.
Kinnear put on forward Chad Barrett for Dawkins in the 80th minute, right before the Sounders free kick the equalized the match. Nicolas Lodeiro’s effort sailed over the players in the box and right past David Bingham, who did not even have time to react. With the match knotted up at one goal apiece, the Quakes pursued a go-ahead goal. However, Alberto Quintero was booked for simulation in the 85th minute. Two nearly-consecutive free kicks in the 88th minute yielded nothing for the Earthquakes. Chad Barrett missed a sitter for the Quakes in the 91st minute, as a tussle in the Sounders box led to the ball right at his feet. Hungry eyes prevailed, and he pounded the ball right over the cage. Such an end to the match not only proved the ineffectiveness of the Barrett substitution, but underscored the Quakes’ inability to dominate teams at home and grab a much-needed three points, especially in the business end of MLS season.
PLAYER RATINGS
Bingham – 5
Wynne – 7
Bernardez – 4
Imperiale – 4
Stewart – 8
Cato – 6
Alashe – 7
Ceren – 4
Quintero – 6
Dawkins – 8
Wondolowski – 7
Salinas (75′) – 6
Barrett (80′) – 3
