Earthquakes drop game late against Dallas 1-1

Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes. Jeremy Ebobisse celebrates a goal.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- The Earthquakes played a close on match on their home turf against Dallas and ended up fighting to a tie 1-1.

In goal for San Jose was Daniel de Sousa Brito while for Dallas in between the pipes was Jimmy Maurer.

The match saw an early injury to Dallas as Tsiki Ntsabeleng was hurt on a play just ten minutes in so Sam Junqua came in to replace him.

A couple minutes after the injury delay Miguel Traco had a couple great looks one from outside of the box and then another one from inside. Both attempts did miss but Traco looked good early in the match.

At the 25th minute of the match Jackson Yueill was given a yellow card for a bad foul and Dallas began to push. Jesús Ferreira got two great opportunities right after the card one that Brito had to make a save on.

Dallas right before the end of the first half suffered another injury as this time there was a delay for Marco Farfan thankfully though this time Farfan was able to stay in.

The first half came to an end with both team still at a stalemate of 0-0.

Early on in the second half Paul Marie was given a yellow card for a bad foul bringing the teams total up to two.

Right after the foul Farfan feeling better got a shot on goal from the left side of the six yard box that was once again saved by Brito.

Then there was another delay in the match due to injury as this time Marie went down and actually went down twice within a couple minute span. After the second time Marie was subbed out for Tommy Thompson.

In between the delays Jeremy Ebobisse was able to get a shot on goal that was saved by Maurer.

At the 69th minute mark of the match Farfan picked up the first yellow card for Dallas for a bad foul.

San Jose was then given a great opportunity on a free kick to the right of the box that Cristian Espinoza took. On the center the ball bounced around and Benjamin Kikanović got a head on the ball and it that just barely squeaked in.

It wasn’t the prettiest goal but the Earthquakes were up 1-0 as Tanner Beason picked up the assist on the goal.

Towards the end of the match there were more injury delays as both Carlos Gruezo and Brito went down but stayed in the match. All of the delays did mean though that Dallas would have time on their side with the refs adding ten minutes of stoppage time.

Before stoppage time two yellow cards were given out one to San Jose as Judson Silva Tavares was given one as well as Alan Velasco for Dallas.

Heading into stoppage time Dallas had momentum and they were able to capitalize on it. They tied it on a beautiful pass into the box by Velasco that Nkosi Tafari headed into the top of the net tying the game at the fourth minute of stoppage time.

At the end of the match Tavares was given another yellow card for another bad foul and thus was ejected from the match.

With that being the final big play of the match San Jose had to settle for a 1-1 tie against Dallas at home.

San Jose’s next game will be against Seattle on the road this upcoming Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

Late penalty gives LAFC a 2-1 win over Earthquakes

LAFC’s Stipe Biuk celebrates with his first half goal with teammate Diego Palalcios during LAFC’s 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at BMO Stadium on Saturday MAY 20, 2023. (LAFC)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was not the ending either team had envisioned during a tough fought match.

A hand ball inside the box by Tanner Beason in the final minute of stoppage time set up the heroics of Carlos Vela as he converted the game winning penalty kick to give LAFC a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at BMO Stadium.

San Jose has lost two matches in a row after earning points in seven straight matches. LAFC has won two matches in a row after suffering its first loss of the season to the ‘Quakes two weeks ago at Levi’s Stadium.

During the fifth minute of stoppage time, a ball deflected off the hand of Beason while he was just inside the box. Referee Ismail Elfath had originally ruled for play to keep going. However, a VAR review called the play correctly and a penalty kick was awarded to LAFC.

Vela, the former MLS MVP who now is a substitute off the bench, made ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski guess left while he calmly buried the kick into the lower right of the net for his fourth goal of the season much to the delight of the 22,030 in attendance.

It was a difficult pill to swallow to San Jose who were just seconds away from earning a point against its SoCal rival.

LAFC (7-1-4) drew first blood early three minutes into the match. José Cifuentes set up Stipe Biuk on the left side of the box. Biuk cut in and fired a shot past Marcinkowski for his second goal of the season.

LAFC controlled the first 30 minutes of the first half, but San Jose gained momentum with scoring chances from Paul Marie and Cristian Espinoza in the final 15 minutes of the opening 45 minutes.

“I thought our preparation was good. We were up for this one. It was definitely not the start we wanted. I thought that we got into the game at the 20th minute controlling their momentum and creating our own. I liked the way few finished the first half in terms of creating chances, getting pressure on the ball, creating turnovers, and leading to offensive transitions, and a little bit more bite and connection defensively,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

San Jose (5-5-3) carried that momentum into the second half when they finally broke through with the equalizer in the 52nd minute.

Espinoza’s attempted cross from the left wing was blocked by Biuk. Fullback Miguel Trauco one touched the ball out of the air and sent in a floater toward the middle where the ball seemed to fool LAFC goalkeeper John McCarthy, as it snuck past him into the back of the net for Trauco’s first goal of the season.

“Happy for scoring my first goal, although it was a weird one. It wasn’t that pretty, but what’s important is that it motivated us to go out and try to win the match. It helped us in the moment, unfortunately things didn’t turn out in our favor but I’m happy for my first goal and I hope that it leads to a win next time,” Trauco said.

LAFC shifted the momentum in the final 30 minutes with counter attacks that led to numerous corner kicks as they had San Jose back on their heels as the ‘Quakes spent the final third of the match defending inside of its own zone.

“Second half, I thought we were fantastic, we created chances, we pushed the lines up, and the guys showed great energy and protagonism to push to tie the game and we earned that. As the game went on and after they conceded at home, they started to commit their numbers. But I thought we absorbed it well. We were very solid defensively. I was very confident we would get one point out of the game and even potentially create a chance in transition that could lead to a win, but it didn’t happen,” Gonzalez said.

McCarthy finished with two saves on three shots on target to earn the win. Marcinkowski made five saves on six shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. LAFC had 15.

The Quakes are now 6-8-0 all-time against LAFC, including a 1-6-0 record on the road.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host FC Dallas on Saturday 5/27 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Galaxy too much for Earthquakes in 2-1 win in the California Classico

Los Angeles Galaxy forward Dejan Joveljic celebrates his goal over the San Jose Earthquakes in his team’s 2-1 win at Dignity Health Park on Sunday MAY 14, 2023. (Los Angeles Galaxy)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Los Angeles attacked and pressed their way to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in the 97th installment of the California Classico on Sunday evening at Dignity Health Park.

San Jose had its seven-match point streak snapped. Los Angeles snapped its two-game losing streak with just its second win on the season.

A scoreless first half featured both teams that tried to establish a physical presence with a combined total of 14 fouls in the opening 45 minutes. Los Angeles controlled the possession by a 57%-43 margin. The home team had the majority of scoring chances while San Jose tried counter-attacking only to turnover the ball on the final third of the pitch.

San Jose’s (5-4-3) best chance came early in the sixth minute when Christian Espinoza centered a ball over to Jeremy Ebobisse inside the box, but Ebobisse’s header attempt was easily saved by Galaxy goalkeeper Jonathan Bond, who made his return from a shoulder injury that forced him to miss seven matches he suffered on March 18th.

Los Angeles (2-6-3) best came a minute later when Chicharito chipped the ball just wide right of the net past ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.

The Galaxy drew first blood off a set piece in the 60th minute on a controversial play. Memo Rodríguez’s corner kick was headed in by Martín Cáceres for his first goal of the season. San Jose contended that Cáceres’ hand touched the ball before he headed the ball in, but referee Joe Dickerson ruled it a good goal.

“I think our performance was not good. We can play better than that. Our quality in the attacking third. We had more turnovers than we’re used to. It comes down to connections and quality,” ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said.

Los Angeles iced the game in the first minute of stoppage time when Dejan Joveljic, who had just come into the game substituting in for Chicharito, stripped the ball away from Jonathan Mensah and dribbled in on Marcinkowski before depositing the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

San Jose spoiled Bond’s shutout bid in the final minute of stoppage time when Ousseni Bouda got behind the defense inside the box and buried a shot past Bond for his first goal of the season. It was too little too late for San Jose as time expired on the ensuing kickoff.

Bond finished the match with two saves on three shots to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made three saves on five shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with two corner kicks. Los Angeles had four.

The Galaxy lead the overall series 39-25-16.

Until tonight’s match, the away side had won four of the previous matches and San Jose has won five of the past nine matches down in LA.

Ebobisse had his goal streak in Los Angeles snapped as he had scored in all five previous road games (seven goals). He has scored eight goals in 11 matches vs LA.

UP NEXT: San Jose concludes its two-game LA road trip when they take on LAFC on Saturday 5/20 at 7:30pm at BMO Stadium.

Earthquakes beat LAFC at Levi’s Stadium 2-1 in front of 45k+ fans

Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes Twitter. The Earthquakes celebrate their victory after their win over LAFC at Levi’s Stadium.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme) and Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA- The battle for the bay between the Earthquakes and LAFC was an exciting one that went down to the wire with San Jose ending up on top 2-1.

San Jose went into this match with a 4-3-3 record while LAFC came in with a 5-0-3 record.

The attendance at Levi’s Stadium was a solid 45,112 while the weather was slightly overcast with no rain during the game.

Both teams started in a 4-3-3 formation as JT Marcinkowski faced off against John McCarthy in goal.

The match got off to a great start for San Jose as just eight minutes in Cristian Espinoza received a beautiful pass from Jamiro Monteiro which Espinoza struck from the centre of the box into the net. The goal sent all 45,000 plus fans into a frenzy with the goal being Espinoza’s eighth of the season.

The goal gave the Earthquakes a solid spark of momentum as right after Espinoza had an attempt on net and Paul Marie had an attempt go wide.

At the 29th minute mark of the match Mateusz Bogusz was given a yellow card on a bad foul. Despite the foul Bogusz put a shot on target that Marcinkowski saved however Dénis Bouanga picked up the rebound and scored tying the game at one.

The rest of the first half saw LAFC put the heat on the Earthquakes with Marcinkowski having to make two big saves one off of Bouanag and the other off of a strike from Denil Maldonado.

Despite the pressure San Jose held on to the tie at half 1-1. At the end of the first half the total shots favored LAFC 10-6 as well as possession at 57.7%-42.3%

The beginning of the second half saw LA continuing their pressure with a couple missed attempts.

At around the 76th minute mark as there was a delay in the match because of an injury to both Paul Marie and Aaron Long though thankfully both were able to continue to play.

Not long after the delay Jeremy Ebobisse drew a foul in the penalty area brining the fans at Levi’s Stadium to their feet. Taking the penalty of course was Espinoza who converted on the penalty hitting the bottom right of the net.

A little after the goal Maldonado was given a yellow card on a bad foul continuing their foul trouble.

For LA it was crunch time as they pushed hard for a goal throwing everything at San Jose. The most threatening moment being when Timothy Tillman missed a header over the net. San Jose was able to hold on and win the match over LA by a final of 2-1 at Levi’s Stadium.

“I think we can always be dangerous at any point it’s almost a little unpredictable and I love that because I think it’s one of our strengths,” head coach Luchi Gonzalez said after the match.

San Jose plays LA Galaxy next this time on the road on 5/14 at 6:30 p.m.

Earthquakes battle to 2-2 draw with Austin FC

San Jose Earthquakes Cade Cowell positions for the ball against Austin FC’s Nick Lima in a 2-2 draw at Q2 Stadium on Saturday APR 29, 2023. (Major League Soccer)

by Marko Ukalovic

The San Jose Earthquakes played to a hard fought 2-2 draw with Austin FC on Saturday evening at Q2 Stadium.

San Jose has points in five of its past six matches. Austin FC is winless in its past six matches (0-3-3).

The Earthquakes drew first blood in the 21st minute. Carlos Akapo slipped a pass inside the box to Jackson Yuell. The ‘Quakes captain turned around a fired a curling left footed shot from 15 yards out for his first goal of the season.

Austin FC scored the equalizer in the 40th minute. A long ball into the box was headed back into the middle by Rodney Redes and Emiliano Rigoni blasted a one-timer into the upper corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

San Jose regained late in the second half. Christian Espinoza centered the ball into the middle where an unmarked Jeremy Ebobisse headed the ball just underneath the cross bar and over the goal line for his fifth goal of the season in the 75th minute.

Espinoza recorded his 49th assist, one shy of tying Shea Salinas’ club record of 50.

“Christian (Espinoza) is going to become the all time (assist) leader (of San Jose) and he’s not going to need me for that. We can be appreciative of the moment tonight. We have to be hungry…we have to demand more of ourselves to be more lethal,” Ebobisse said.

Austin FC evened the score three minutes later. Fullback Nick Lima sent a ball into the box from 25 yards out where Sebastian Driussi headed the ball into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.

Things got chippy in the final minute of stoppage time when Yueill and Daniel Pereira were issued yellow cards for a bad foul and unsportsmanlike conduct.

‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski finished the match with two saves on four shots on target. Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver made one save on three shots on target.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with 12 corner kicks. Austin FC has nine.

San Jose remains unbeaten in six all time meetings against Austin FC 2-0-4.

In the ‘Quakes past 22 matches they have suffered back-to-back losses only once.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts LAFC on Saturday 5/6 at 4:30pm at Levi’s Stadium.

Real Salt Lake’s two goals in the second half bury Earthquakes 3-1

Real Salt Lake celebrate their win over the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 at America First Field on Saturday APR 22, 2023. (Major League Soccer)

by Marko Ukalovic

Real Salt Lake scored two goals in the second half to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 3-1 on Saturday evening at America First Field.

San Jose had its four-match unbeaten streak snapped with the loss and are winless on the road this season (0-3-1). Real Salt Lake has won two of its past three matches.

RSL (3-5-0) drew first blood in the 39th minute. Danny Musovski led a three-on-one odd man counterattack. He found Jasper Löffelsend who beat ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski with a shot just underneath the crossbar for his first goal of the season.

San Jose (4-3-2) scored the equalizer early in the second half off a set piece. A free kick by Christian Espinoza in the 49th minute deflected off Rubio Rubin just inside the left post for team-leading sixth goal of the season.

“I thought we were in it,” said ‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez about the match. “I thought we responded well the second half getting the early goal. For moments, I thought they showed some moments of quality and were putting away their chances, whereas we didn’t.”

Real Salt Lake regained the lead five minutes later. Andrés Gómez found Jefferson Savarino along the left wing. Savarino made a move inside before firing a shot to the far corner of the net for his team-leading third goal of the season in the 54th minute.

RSL put the game away in the 80th minute with an insurance goal. Bryan Oviedo centered a ball into the middle where Gómez made one touch before firing a shot past Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season.

“We pride ourselves on being a compact team, a team that doesn’t allow chances to be created through those this year, but they were able to find a way to do it. I think it’s about keep doing what we’ve been doing. I know it was a little bit too spacious. We could’ve been tighter between our lines and maybe could’ve prevented it, but I think they have fast players and good players that can hurt you in those moments,” ‘Quakes captain Jackson Yueill said.

Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Zac MacMath made two saves on three shots on target to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made three saves on six shots on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with one corner kick. RSL had three.

The Quakes are now 14-14-12 all-time vs. Real Salt Lake, including a 5-8-7 record on the road.

UP NEXT:

Earthquakes dominate at home over Kansas City 3-0

Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes celebrate a goal at home.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- In what was a very strong performance at home the Earthquakes came out and got the win over Kansas City 3-0.

JT Marcinkowski got the start for San Jose while Tim Melia was in between the pipes for Kansas City.

The match saw a quick strike from the quakes as Cristian Espinoza just nine minutes in scored on a beautiful cross from Cade Cowell.

Just before the end of the first half Jeremy Ebobisse scored on a penalty as Robert Castellanos was given a red card for a professional foul.

The second match started with more offense as Paul Marie found Ebobisse in the box who quickly deposited the ball in the net extending their lead to 3-0.

That goal ended up being the last of the match as the Earthquakes got a convincing home win.

With that win San Jose now finds themselves fifth in the western conference with four wins.

There were three yellow cards given out during the match with all three against San Jose. Possession also favored San Jose at 53.9% to 46.1%.

The final shots favored the Earthquakes 10-9 while shots on goal finished at 6-3 in favor of San Jose as well.

The Earthquakes next game will be against Salt Lake next Saturday on the road at 6:30 p.m.

Racial slur accusation overshadows Earthquakes and Red Bulls 1-1 draw

San Jose Earthquakes celebrate Christian Espinoza’s goal in the second half against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Saturday APR 7, 2023. (San Jose Earthquakes)

by Marko Ukalovic

An alleged racial slur used by one of the New York Red Bulls marred the match between the San Jose Earthquakes and the New York Red Bulls that ended in a 1-1 draw on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena.

After a foul by Judson on Dylan Nealis in the 54^th minute, the game was delayed by 18 minutes after a incident between Dante Vanzeir and Jeremy Ebobbise took place. Vanzeir was the player who allegedly used the racial slur toward one of the Quakes players.

Played resumed in the 72^nd minute without any further disciplinary action by the officials.

San Jose (3-2-2) scored in the 80^th minute when Carlos Gruezo sent in a long ball over to Christian Espinoza along the right wing. Espinoza made one move to the inside before firing a shot into the back of the net for his team-leading fourth goal of the season.

Espinoza has scored the last four goals for the ‘Quakes.

Due to the long delay, 21 minutes was added to the end of the second half.

The Red Bulls scored the equalizer in the 17^th minute of stoppage when Tom Barlow cleaned up a rebound from close range for his first goal of the season.

Ebobbise was emotional after the game regarding the incident on the field.

“First of all, it’s a difficult game when we play the Red Bulls. We have a lot of respect for their style of play. We understand there is going to be a lot of duels and they go strong into the duels. At times, that results in late tackles on our end, and then on their end. That’s all part of the game. What we saw tonight should not be part of the game. I can’t correlate the various actions or the timeline that I’m going to lay out, but with what started with a foul that was being committed by Judson, fast forward a few minutes, seconds, and it ended with a racial epithet being used. Now, I understand there is going to be an investigation. I’ve been a part of those. I’ve had to support teammates through them. I have seen them, so I want to be mindful of that even as I share. I think what’s important for me to share is that I know what I heard. And the reason why I felt, after a lengthy conversation, that we should continue with the game is because the player who said the word claimed that it was not aimed at any of us. Whether that is a good faith comment or not, again, we’ll see how the investigation goes on. It’s just a difficult moment. Once again, players being put in charge, forced to make a decision, manage all sorts of emotions because the system is not robust enough to capture moments and gain clarity within a matter of minutes, seconds that these actions happen. I think what’s important is that the team was united in whichever step we move forward with. And that goes top to bottom, from coaches to players,” Ebobbise said.

‘Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez praised his team for how they handled themselves during and after the alleged incident.

“It’s unfortunate that the players and people near and on the field had to experience a 20-minute moment where, I can’t speak factually, but when I listen to my players in terms of what was said or not said, or who it was directed to, there are things that are unacceptable and very unfortunate, very disappointing, that take precedent over the game we play. I have to be really proud of our players to be together in solidarity, to talk, to decide and to obviously not accept what they heard. I don’t know what the next step is. I would hope the league will take this serious to the max degree in terms of an investigation and there being consequences, potentially indefinite consequences if the investigation supports what are players understood as being true. We as a club, myself as the head coach, and the staff are going to support the players, any step moving forward that the players want to act on, and we hope and count on the league, and the referee crew as well, in terms of investigating, coming down to the truth so that there can be actions that, don’t make it right, that’s for sure, but at least show that it’s unacceptable and the league will act on that based on our standard as a society and as being a top professional league in this country. Unfortunately, the game is in a shadow because of that situation because it’s less important.”

Both teams and MLS are aware of the incident that took place, and the league said in a statement that it will launch an investigation into the matter.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with four corner kicks. New York had five.

The Quakes are now 17-15-10 all-time vs. the New York Red Bulls, including an 4-11-7 record on the road. The result snaps a four-match losing streak against the club.

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host Sporting Kansas City on Saturday 4/15 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

The Earthquakes remain undefeated at home beating Houston 2-1

Photo courtesy of San Jose Earthquakes. The Earthquakes ready themselves before the start of the second half.

By Titus Wilkinson (@TitusWisme)

SAN JOSE- In what was an interesting match to watch the Earthquakes scored two penalties against the Dynamo to win by a final of 2-1.

For San Jose JT Marcinkowski got the start while for Houston Steve Clark was in between the pipes.

The match got off to a quick start for San Jose as they played with strong pace and lead to Teenage Hadebe getting called for a handball in the penalty area.

Cristian Espinoza took the penalty shot and scored at the 7′ mark of the first half striking the bottom left part of the net.

A little later in the first Jonathan Mensa was issued a yellow card on a bad foul and at the 33′ mark Carlos Akapo was given one as well.

At the 40′ mark Michael Baldisimo was issued a foul in the penalty area though it was under questionable circumstances.

Despite that Amine Bassi took the penalty shot and scored hitting the centre of the net tying the game back up. Not

Not long after the penalty Artur for the Houston Dynamo was issued a yellow card.

The end of the half showed how few shots there were as collectively there was only two shots on target between the two teams which were the two penalties.

The Earthquakes did maintain the possession in the first half at 51.3% to Houston’s 48.7%

The second half started out quite opposite to the first as early on Corey Baird got a good shot on goal that Marcinkowski fought off.

In response Espinoza also got a great shot on target that leaked through Clark’s legs but stayed out as he scrambled back and covered it.

Just two minutes after the shot Jamiro Monteiro was issued a yellow card on a bad foul.

San Jose continued the pace and Cade Cowell lead a good charge into the box but lost possession of the ball.

A little after that play the refs looked back and saw that Cowell was fouled in the penalty area and thus San Jose was awarded another penalty.

Espinoza took the penalty and scored once again this time hitting the bottom right part of the net making it 2-1.

Houston later in the half made a couple substitutions including putting out on the field Sebastián Ferreira who last year scored multiple goals against San Jose.

In stoppage time Houston was given one last chance as they were awarded a free kick on a foul by Paul Marie.

The free kick was from a dangerous position but Marcinkowski came up with an easy save as the Earthquakes held on to win 2-1.

The Earthquakes next match will be on 4/8 against New York on the road at 4:30 p.m.

Earthquakes battle Toronto FC to 0-0 scoreless draw

San Jose Earthquakes Benji Kikanovic attempted a shot against Toronto FC in a 0-0 draw at Pay Pal Park on MAR 25, 2023. (Jose Rocha/Tectanoic Takes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes earned a point against Toronto FC as both teams ended their match with a 0-0 draw on Saturday evening at Pal Pay Park.

San Jose has points in two of its past three matches. Toronto FC has earned points in four of its five first matches.

San Jose (2-2-1) head coach Luchi Gonzalez was forced to tweak his starting 11 as Jamiro Monteiro was out on international duty and Carlos Gruezo out with an injury. Benji Kinkanovic and Michael Baldisimo made their first starts of the season.

“I mean we’ve had our challenges with injuries and also missing guys. So definitely both Toronto and us had challenges in that regard. But I am happy with some of the things we created in terms of our expected goals. We definitely created enough chances to score at least a goal. We defended very well collectively and individually, shutting down a few of their key guys and that’s important. If we can have an effort like that, consistently, defensively, things will bounce our way offensively I believe in our process,” Gonzalez said.

The Quakes controlled the majority of the possession in the opening 45 minutes but were a tad off here and there on passes deep inside Toronto’s zone that prevented them from having a shot on target.

The closest Toronto FC (1-1-3) threatened to put a dent in the scoreboard in the first came in the seventh minute when Deandre Kerr’s right footed shot from the center of the box was knocked away by Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.

“In the first half we couldn’t connect with each other, but I think that was because in the first half teams normally come with a lot of energy,” said Quakes forward Christian Espinoza regarding the teams chances. “We knew that in the second half they were going to drop that energy, so that we could create more chances to score. That is what happened on the field, but today we couldn’t connect on a couple of crosses and the chances that we had. But we are happy with this point and clean sheet, and we have to keep going.”

San Jose’s Rodrigues had two quality headers in a two-minute off set pieces in span from the 54th minute to the 56th that went just wide of the net of Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson.

Toronto FC played more of the same defensive style in the second half with as it only generated two shots on goal.

The Quakes had it chance for a game winning goal in the second minute of stoppage time in the second half when Jackson Yueill’s low line drive shot was saved by an outstretched Johnson. Tommy Thompson had a chance to clean up the rebound with Johnson down on the ground but his mistimed his attempt and fell to the ground without getting off a shot.

Both Marcinkowski and Johnson were credited with two saves in each earning a clean sheet.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with six corner kicks. Toronto FC had three.

San Jose has earned 7+ points from their first three home matches for the first time since 2017.

The Quakes have conceded one total goal across the three home matches and have an active 253-minute shutout streak at PayPal Park.

San Jose is now 6-5-8 all-time vs. Toronto FC, including a 3-2-4 record at home. With the draw, the Quakes extended their unbeaten streak against Toronto to five matches (1-0-4) dating back to 2018. San Jose’s last home loss vs. Toronto came in 2010.

The attendance at Pay Pal Park was 12,434.

UP NEXT: San Jose host the Houston Dynamo on Saturday 4/1 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.