Timbers take down Earthquakes in 2-0 shutout win

San Jose Earthquakes forward Andres Rios heads the futbol away as the Portland Timbers defender Bill Tuiloma (25) is right behind to defend at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Sat May 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE, Calif–Missed opportunities were theme of the match as the Portland Timbers defeated the San Jose Earthquakes in a 2-0 shutout on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose have lost two games in a row after starting the season winning three of its first four games. Portland snapped its three game losing streak.

Portland (2-3-1) drew first blood early in the first half. Eyrk Williamson dribbled in from 20 yards out and found Yimmi Charra who chipped the ball over Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season in the 5th minute.

Quakes head coach Matias Almedya made numerous changes to his starting lineup. Paul Marie was back in the starting lineup at left back for San Jose after suffering an injury. Oswaldo Alanis returned back to center back. Andy Rios started in place for Chofis at forward.

San Jose (3-3-0) played a sloppy first half where the team weren’t in sync when trying to attack throughout the half. Numerous careless, nonchalant passes led to turnovers and counter attacks by Portland that turned into scoring chances for the visiting team.

Despite having a two-thirds to one-third advantage in possession play, San Jose weren’t able to generate many quality scoring chances during the opening 45 minutes.

The Quakes best chance to score came in the 32nd minute. Cristian Espinoza’s free kick from the left wing was knocked away by Timbers goalkeeper Logan Ketterer. Best scoring chance of half so far.

Pablo Bonilla appeared to have tripped Remedi inside the box which would have resulted in a penalty shot but referee Tim Ford said no harm no foul and the play resulted in a goal kick for Portland in the 43rd minute.

Portland earned two yellow cards in the first half thanks to some reckless abandon play from Bill Tuiloma and Dario Zuparic. Both made separate dangerous fouls in the 24th minute and 42nd minute.

The Timbers came out with an aggressive style of play to start the second half. They had generated five scoring chances in the first 10 minutes of the second half, including a point blank save by Marcinkowski on a shot by Felipe Mora right in center of the box.

San Jose was awarded a penalty kick in the 61st minute when a centering attempt by Carlos Fierro was knocked away by Timbers defender Claudio Bravo with a hand ball.

Chris Wondolowski, who came in as a subsitute in the 58th minute, shot the penalty kick to the far right corner of the net but Ketterer made a diving save for a corner kick.

Ketterer, who was playing for the USL’s El Paso Locomotive, received a call up due to an extreme hardship rule as both Portland goalkeepers were out due to injury.

Almeyda’s substitutions of Chofis, Shea Salinas, Jack Skahan and Benji Kikanovic injected life in the Quakes attack as they generated momentum for San Jose as they created scoring chances inside the Timbers defensive zone in a ten-minute span from the 60th minute to the 70th.

Portland doubled its lead on a counter attack in the 74th minute. Williamson sent a cross from the right slot and Marvin Loria headed the ball past Marcinkowski into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.

Williamson has three points in five games for the Timbers.

The Quakes had a chance to cut the lead in half in the 80th minute after corner kick pinballed around inside the box and Wondo’s header from six yards out was knocked away by Kedderer at the last second to end the threat.

Kedderer stopped all five shots, including the penalty kick on the MLS all-time leading goal scorer, on target to earn his first MLS career victory. Marcinkowski made three saves on five shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose had 12 corner kicks. Portland had four.

Portland leads the overall series against San Jose 16-5-8. The Quakes are 5-4-5 at home versus the Timbers.

The last win for the Quakes over the Timbers was April 6, 2019, when the Quakes shutout Portland
3-0 at PayPal Park.

UP NEXT: San Jose finish off its three-game homestand when they host Sporting KC on Saturday 5/22 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Patriots host Raiders Sunday with Newton and Carr on a roll; plus much more

In a last second effort by New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (1) was stopped at the Seattle Seahawks goal line as the Patriots missed a game winning touchdown in the fourth quarter Sun Sep 20, 2020 at Century Link Field in Seattle (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 A close game for the New England Patriots against the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday in a five point loss 35-30. The Pats even made a valiant comeback scoring 13 points on the Seahawks in the closing moments of the fourth quarter.

#2 The Patriots Cam Newton despite the loss is the quarterback that his teammates have full faith in the Patriots now 1-1 saw Newton throw 30-44 for 397 yards with an interception and one touchdown.

#3 The Las Vegas Raiders are coming of a huge 34-24 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football and play the Patriots on Sunday. Seeing how Newton has thrown against teams like the Miami Dolphins and the Seahawks how do you see him matching up against the Raiders this Sunday?

#4 In five of the last nine games the Quakes have given up five or more goals per game which a MLS record for most goals given up by a team in five games or more what does that say about the team and their defense.

#5 The Quakes in their last game on Wed 23 were shutout 5-0 by the Colorado Rapids the Quakes have tied three games and have lost two games and now face the toughest team in the MLS with LAFC in LA this Sunday

London Marq does Headline Sports podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: LA County gives ok for Pac 12 football; Colts Rivers struggles in first game; plus more

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Phillip Rivers who threw for two interceptions and lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday will throw against the Minnesota Vikings at the Hoosier Dome (file photo from coltbeat.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq:

#1 Los Angeles County did not dispute or object to the idea to start the Pac 12 season for the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins football teams. The county said that as long as the athletic departments of both schools are adhering to the public health restricts pertaining to safety protocols on Covid-19 the county will permit both schools to play football this season.

#2 Critics are questioning if the Indianapolis Colts made a mistake in signing quarterback Phillip Rivers to a hefty $25 million one year deal. On Sunday Rivers threw into traffic getting picked off twice, Rivers did throw for 363 yards and the Colts lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20.

#3 The New England Patriots face the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football at Centurylink Field in Seattle. The Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said of Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson that he doesn’t see anyone better in the NFL.

#4 London, after losing three straight the San Jose Earthquakes were able to losing another three games. They have tied three of their last four games including a 1-1 tie with the Portland Timbers on Wednesday night a game they were leading 1-0 before the Timbers tied it up.

#5 The Quakes get another shot at the Timbers on Saturday after seeing the Timber on Wednesday and again this Saturday and being another home match for the Quakes do you see this being an advantage for the Quakes.

London does Headline Sports each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Earthquakes’ season ends with a thud in 3-1 loss to the Timbers

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By Ana Kieu

There wasn’t an actual Decision Day as the San Jose Earthquakes’ season ended with a thud in a 3-1 loss to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park on Sunday afternoon.

Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski scored the equalizer in the 39th minute to tie the score 1-1 just 10 minutes after Timbers defender Larrys Mabialia opened the scoring in the 29th minute. Wondo found the back of the net and scored from an acute angle for the game-tying goal. Wondo’s goal scoring streak now stands at 159.

Only Chris Wondolowski knows how he found the back of the net here. 👏👏

He scores from an acute angle to give the @SJEarthquakes life heading into the second half!

(via @MLS) pic.twitter.com/QsLkJ4LnXk

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 6, 2019

The two teams headed to the locker room tied at one goal apiece at the halftime break.

Daniel Vega.

That's it. That's the tweet.#VamosSJ | #DecisionDay pic.twitter.com/QUPYmKMhSY

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) October 6, 2019

The Timbers started off the right foot to start the second half. Portland went ahead 2-1 in the 59th minute, thanks to defender Dairon Asprilla, who scored the go-ahead goal. With the goal, Asprilla scored his second in two matches.

The Quakes made their first substitutions in the 61st minute. Shea Salinas came in for Vako, while Andy Rios came in for Florian Jungwirth.

The Quakes made their final substitution in the 66th minute. Danny Hoesen came in for Mario Lopez.

Timbers midfielder Sebastian Blanco extended the Timbers’ lead to 3-1 with a noteworthy free kick in the 75th minute. Like Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda, Blanco’s also an Argentine native.

The Timbers made two substitutions in the 81st minute. Marvin Loria and Zarek Valentin came in for Jeremy Ebobisse and Jorge Moreira, respectively.

The Quakes dropped their season finale with a 3-1 loss to the Timbers, but the Quakes displayed good sportsmanship to the Timbers and thanked their fans for being there through the thick and thin. The Quakes will watch tape, make changes and work hard to prepare for the 2020 season.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Trump says Rapinoe’s protest is inappropriate; War of words starting to brew between Trump and Rapinoe over protests; plus more

photo from time.com: Megan Rapinoe #15 of USA (center) and her teammates are standing for the national anthem during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup France Group F match between USA and Chile at Parc des Princes on June 16, 2019 in Paris, France.

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The war of tweets and words has initially begun at the US World Women’s soccer matches between President Trump and US Women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe. Rapinoe originally took a knee during national anthems during the 2016 games. Now she stands without putting her hand over her heart unlike the rest of the teammates. Rapinoe said she will not visit the White House if the US team wins the championship. Trump says by her not doing it, Rapinoe is inappropriate and said she should win first before she talks.

#2 Rapinoe said that the reason she is protesting is because of unjustified treatment by police and law enforcement officials towards minorities and people of color. Rapinoe told American Soccer Now, “Being a gay American, I know what it means to look at the flag and not have it protect all of your liberties.” With the World Cup going on, this will most likely not be the last of the stand off between Trump and Rapinoe.

#3 We asked London about the World Cup putting up signs on the scoreboard indicating that there will game delays for replay reviews. This lends to fans following the games and thinking that their team has the game in hand, but they’ll wait until a replay review has been called for.

#4 After going five straight games without a loss the San Jose Earthquakes lost to LAFC who took it to the Quakes with a 3-1 win in Los Angeles last week on Thursday. For LA, Adama Diomande scored twice, which led LAFC to the two-goal win.

#5 The Quakes continue their road trip tonight against Houston at Avaya Stadium in San Jose as they face the Dynamo. The Dynamo are in fifth place in the MLS West at 7-3-4. The Dynamo are 2-1-3 in their last six games and have lost their last two games to Minnesota and Portland.

London Marq covers the San Jose Earthquakes and does Headline Sports podcasting each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Virginia Tech Cavaliers shock the country; Will ankle problems plague Curry in postseason?; Sharks on ice for game one tonight; plus more

photo from yahoosports.com: Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) trips as New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (4) looks on during the first quarter at the Smoothie King Center. photo Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

On the Headline Sports podcast with London Marq:

#1 The Virginia Cavaliers are the college basketball champs of the NCAA. How surprising, what expectations, were as surprised and a game which the Cavs won it in overtime?

#2 It’s the ankle again. The Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry, who hurt his ankle before turned his ankle on Tuesday night in New Orleans in the Warriors’ 112-103 win over the Pelicans. Head coach Steve Kerr says Curry should be alright for game one of the playoffs.

#3 The San Jose Sharks are coming off three wins of their last five games. The Sharks’ Erik Karlsson returned from his injury and Evander Kane looks like he’s got that old spark again. How do the Sharks look going into game one of the playoffs on Wednesday night?

#4 StubHub has announced that tickets could be had for as low as $6 in the lower stands at Oracle Park. The Giants are assured that their attendance would not drop no lower than 26,000 because they have sold season tickets to guarantee that crowd number. The Giants drew 28,000 their smallest crowd in recent memory against the Padres on Monday night. Lastly, it should be noted the Giants didn’t lay an egg on Tuesday night, getting six runs in the bottom of the second and a large lead to get past the Padres to pull within four games of .500. The Giants dropped Wednesday’s game 3-1 and fell five games below .500 at 4-9.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes were able to pull off a huge win in a 3-0 shutout over the Portland Timbers on Saturday at Avaya Stadium. It was the Quakes first win of 2019 and our very own London Marq was there.

London does the Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

 

Earthquakes shutout Timbers 3-0 for first win of season

Photo credit: @SJEarthquakes

By: London Marq

SAN JOSE, Calif. — After being trounced five goals to none in their last match by the table-topping Los Angeles Football Club, the San Jose Earthquakes found themselves four games into the regular season without a win. Without doubt it has been a disappointing start to this season and the Quakes hope to make some winning adjustments as they hosted the Portland Timbers at Avaya Stadium Saturday. Both Portland and San Jose entered play without win, providing both teams with an opportunity to get their first three points.

Right out of the gate, San Jose looked like a different team as they found each other for offensive chances early and demonstrated better communication than we’ve seen from them so far this year. The improvement in play had Portland on the back foot early. San Jose was having success moving the ball deep in the wide areas and in the 15th minute Cristian Espinoza put dribbled the ball down the goal line and passed the ball into the goal box where Shea Salinas was waiting for the easy score to put the Quakes up 1-0 early.

Portland responded by being more physical on the ball and San Jose matched their intensity. Between the 26th and 28th minutes, a yellow card was handed out to both teams. The game would remain throughout as 29 total fouls and four total yellow cards were dealt by the referees.

San Jose would continue to be effective in the wide offensive areas. In the 33rd minute, Quakes striker Danny Hoesen slammed the ball into the net after Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella had the ball bounce off his feet.  It was Hoesen’s first start of season and with it came his first goal of the campaign as well. The Quakes weren’t done scoring either. Just a minute later, midfielder Cristian Espinoza made a run after intercepting a pass and slotted the ball low into the near corner right past Attinella.

Portland would have their chances to bulge the net as well. In the 55th minute, Portland was awarded a penalty after a handball in the box. Portland striker Diego Valeri would step up to take it, but Quakes goalie Daniel Vega would be equal to it and keep the Timbers scoreless. San Jose was a few inches away from scoring a fourth goal by hometown favorite Nick Lima, but the goal was called back after a replay review ruled that Espinoza was offsides.

No goals would be scored in the second half and the Quakes would win their first match of the season. Quakes coach Matias Almeyda and the team were all smiles during the postgame activities. Hoesen expressed that it felt great to get the win, but there was still much work to do. Almeyda made some excellent adjustments starting three players–Hoesen, winger Shea Salinas, and defender Florian Jungwirth–for the first time this season. With any luck, the adjustments and success will translate when they are on the road next week, taking on the Houston Dynamo.

Final: San Jose defeated Portland 3-0.

Up Next: San Jose takes on Houston next Saturday at 12 pm PT.

Paparatto helps Quakes

By Pearl Allison Lo

Two Portland Timbers went down in front of the net, and for Norberto Paparatto, it was from disbelief, as he headed the ball to give the San Jose Earthquakes a 1-0 win Sunday in both teams’ first Rose City Invitational game,

San Jose, while luckily and skillfully defending the multitude of chances in front of their net, were sporting their new red and white kit. It was their first win of the preseason.

Off a corner kick from Shea Salinas, Clarence Goodson took the pass from Sam Cronin, and headed the ball to Steven Lenhart in front of the net. Paparatto was trying to get the ball out in the 26th minute, as he collied with his goalie Donovan Ricketts. It would be the closest Ricketts would come to defending the ball during the game.

In the 7th minute, Portland’s Gaston Fernandez had a dangerous free kick. His teammates followed it by two more chances, the latter leading to a corner kick.

Though the Timbers controlled ball possession, once the ball got close enough to the box, it was stopped by Quakes players. Portland outshot San Jose 17-6 and Jon Busch made seven saves.

Both teams went from end to end at one point. Salinas nearly netted the ball, earning himself a corner kick. Victor Bernardez received a deflected ball, but Diego Chara blocked him. Maxilimiano Urruti got the ball up front and beat Busch who slid forward to defend, but a teammate got back and kicked the ball away before Urruti could get another chance.

Timbers’ Paul Kah nearly made it 2-0.

Busch, the other half of defensive equation, made crucial saves as well, in the final 15 minutes, including stoppage time. The quickness of Portland’s attack at one point, even stupefied Fernandez, who received the ball unknowingly, three times, spaced just a second apart.

After the 90th minute, the Timbers got the ball to a player right in front of the net twice, but they were unable to convert.

Game notes: The Quakes were without Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and Portland without Will Johnson. It was the first time this preseason Busch played all game. It was a physical match, 27 fouls in all, with San Jose awarded four yellows. Last Thursday, the Quakes and San Jose Sharks played their own friendly of Olympic curling. The hockey team won 4-2. Wednesday at 5p, San Jose will next face Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Game 2 of the invitational.