Brenner’s hat trick power past Earthquakes in 6-0 shutout win

FC Cincinnati striker Brenner celebrates scoring a hat trick during the match at TQL Stadium on Saturday Sep 10, 2022. (MLS)

by Marko Ukalovic

It was a night to forget along the Ohio River.

Brenner recorded his second career hat trick as FC Cincinnati thrashed the San Jose Earthquakes in a 6-0 shutout win on Saturday evening at TQL Stadium.

With the win, FC Cincinnati is on a season best nine-match unbeaten streak. San Jose has lost two out of its past three matches.

San Jose (7-13-9-30 points) played a descent first half generating scoring chances. At one point from the 37th minute to the 38th minute, the Earthquakes had shots from Cade Cowell, Jamiro Monteiro and Jackson Yueill only to be knocked away by FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano to keep San Jose off the board.

FC Cincinnati (10-8-12-42 points) took advantage of the momentum shift as Luciano Acosta found Alvaro Berreal along the left wing and the fullback’s left footed shot deflected off Nathan into the back of the net for his fifth goal of the season right before the halftime whistle blew.

It didn’t take long for FC Cinciannti to double its lead in the second half. Off of a free kick, Brandon Vázquez headed a ball into the middle where Brenner scored from close range for his first goal of the night at the 47th minute.

“It’s something that we need to control a little bit more because it’s a transition every time you lose a ball in the zone too. The plan was to rotate [FC Cincinnati] a little bit, attract them and find the opposite side to attack them because they had a lot of density in the middle,” ‘Quakes interim head coach Alex Covelo said.

Acosta drew a foul inside the box from ‘Quakes fullback Rodrigues in the 66th minute for a penalty kick. Five minutes later, after a VAR review, Acosta cashed in the penalty for his eighth goal of the season.

A counter attack by FC Cincinnati led to Brenner with a nice set up for Yuya Kubo, who beat ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski with a low shot to the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season in the 77th minute.

“I think [the locker room] feels the same when you lose by that big of a margin,” said Shea Salinas about the team’s morale after a brutal loss. “Everyone feels defeated and frustrated. It’s a moment of reflection when guys can look and see where they made mistakes, not just mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, but when we’re not playing as a team, when we’re not fighting for each other. When we conceded early in the second half, we lost it a bit and then in the third goal everything fell apart.”

Brenner finished off the scoring for FC Cincinnati with the final two goals of the match. A bad turnover right at the D by San Jose gave the Brazilian striker his second goal of the match in the 90th minute.

Brenner put the cherry on top with a penalty kick in the 4th minute of stoppage time, after a foul by Nathan inside the box, to complete the hat trick and his 12th goal of the season.

Acosta earned the man of the match with one goal two assists. The two assists gave Acosta 18 for the season, which leads the MLS.

Celentano stopped all five shots on target to earn the clean sheet. Marcinkowski made four saves on 10 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with three corner kicks. FC Cincinnati had four.

San Jose is now 1-1-0 all-time vs. FC Cincinnati, including a 0-1-0 record on the road.

The Earthquakes are now 7-9-6 in MLS play under Covelo.

UP NEXT: San Jose concludes its two match road trip when they take on the Colorado Rapids on Wednesday 9/14 at 7:00pm at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

Earthquakes dominate in 2-0 shutout win over Whitecaps

Newly acquired San Jose Earthquakes fullback Rodrigues awaits a corner kick from the Vancouver Whitecaps at Pay Pal Park on Sunday Sep 4, 2022. (Dario Cruz-Tectonic Takes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — Jeremy Ebobisse stayed as hot on the field as the temperature was at kickoff

The San Jose Earthquakes scored twice in the first half en route to a 2-0 shutout victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on a blistering hot Sunday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose has won two of its past three matches. Vancouver has lost two matches in a row.

‘Quakes head coach Alex Covelo inserted recently acquired fullback Rodrigues into the starting lineup as the Brazilian defender made his Earthquakes debut since being acquired on loan from Brazilian club Grêmio back on August 6th. Rodrigues filled up one of the open international spots San Jose had.

Rodrigues’ debut got off to a shaky start with a couple of turnovers inside the ‘Quakes zone in the first 15 minutes of the match. As the match prolonged, Rodrigues settled down and played well in the second half with tackles that helped contain counter attacks from Vancouver.

“He is a physical and powerful player that could also help us out with aerial balls. With the ball, he was very comfortable today. He had a very good game defensively and offensively. Obviously physically he is not in the best of conditions but will improve step by step,” Covelo said.

Ebobisse helped San Jose (7-12-9-30 points) draw first blood early in the match. Cade Cowell, who started the match at left wing, split two defenders before centering the ball into the middle. Captain Jackson Yueill made a one-touch back pass over to Ebobisse who buried a left footed shot into the upper left corner of the net for his team leading 15th goal of the season in the fourth minute.

I tried flicking it if he (Ebobisse) was a little bit in front of me,” said Yueill on the team’s first goal. “Luckily it went right to him and he (Ebobisse) had a phenomenal finish, so all the credit goes to him because it’s a tough goal, and to Cade (Cowell) as well because of his speed and the correct path he chose to do. Great team goal and credit to Jebo (Ebobisse).”

The ‘Quakes had the Whitecaps (9-13-7-34 points) on their heels for the majority of the first half with quality chances.

Covelo said, “We knew that Vancouver was going to present this 3-4-3 with those wingbacks divided a little bit more and leave the three center backs a little bit behind. We knew that as soon as we could rotate the ball and create some pressure, we had to go for the one vs. one, whether with Cristian [Espinoza], Jebo [Jeremy Ebobisse], Cade [Cowell], or Jamiro [Monteiro] charging and find the ball to the wings. They read it very well and I think I was sitting on the bench for the majority of the first half.”

San Jose doubled its lead in the 34th minute. Cristian Espinoza came in from the right wing and centered a ball over to Jamiro Monteiro inside the box. Monteiro beat Whitecaps goalkeeper Thomas Hasal with a low right footed shot the right corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

Espinoza tallied his 12th assist of the season. He is now two assists away from tying Eddie Lewis for the most assists in a single season in club history. Espinoza is also now two assists away from tying Richard Mulrooney for the second most assists in club history.

Vancouver played more aggressively in the second half generating scoring chances near the net. However, the ‘Quakes defense and goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski kept Vancouver off the scoreboard when the Whitecaps had shots on target.

Marcinkowski finished with six saves to earn his third clean sheet of the season. Hasal made three saves on five shot on target in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with three corner kicks. Vancouver had nine.

San Jose is now 9-10-12 all-time vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, including an 6-1-8 record at home.

The Earthquakes are now 7-8-6 in MLS play under interim head coach Alex Covelo

Vancouver had its unbeaten streak of five matches (2W, 3D) against San Jose snapped.

Vancouver has only won once in San Jose in 15 trips to Silicon Valley. Their last victory at Pay Pal Park was in August 2018, 3-2 win.

UP NEXT: San Jose begins a two-match road trip when they visit FC Cincinnati on Saturday 9/10 at 4:30pm at TQL Stadium.

Earthquakes stun LAFC with dramatic upset in 2-1 win

San Jose forward Carlos Espinoza battles for possession along the sideline with LAFC’s Diego Palacios at Pay Pal Park on Saturday Aug 20, 2022. (Dario Cruz-Tectonic Takes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The MLS version battle of David versus Goliath went David’s way in a shocker.

Cade Cowell scored the game winning goal in the 77th minute as the San Jose Earthquakes pulled off a dramatic upset over LAFC, the best team in the league, 2-1 on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

In front of a sold out crowd, in what had a playoff atmosphere like feeling, the ‘Quakes won for just the second time in its last eight matches. On the flip side, LAFC had its seven match winning streak snapped.

“Emotions are high right now. We need to be calm, but I believe tonight is one of the best games I have seen from this team this season. When you lose, you ‘stink’ and when you win, everybody wants to talk good things about you. The guys showed that we have personality and played good with and without the ball. And we did it,” interim head coach Alex Covelo said.

Cowell was set up by the Man of Match, Tommy Thompson, who had two assists on the night. Thompson ran down a ball near the end line when he centered the ball back into the middle where an unmarked Cowell blasted a one-timer top shelf past LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau for his second goal of the season.

“For me personally, it felt great to put in a good shift with the team, but I give a lot of credit to all the guys out there that fought until the end right in the middle of the difficult moment that we’re in. I think it’s exciting and it’s a night that I won’t forget anytime soon,” Thompson said.

San Jose (6-11-9-27 points) drew first blood in the 14th minute. Benji Kikanovic began a counter attack for the ‘Quakes. Christian Espinoza found Thompson along the end line and he chipped the ball over a LAFC defender to Kikanovic who buried a one-timer into the upper left corner for his fifth goal of the season.

LAFC (18-5-3-57 points) had trouble containing San Jose’s attack in the first half as they were playing back on the heels for the first 45 minutes.

The start of the second half saw LAFC change the momentum with chances early on. They cashed in the 54th minute on a brilliant play from Kellyn Acosta. The current USNMT’s midfielder glided a pass over to Kwadwo Opoku, who got behind Nathan on the play, and he chipped the ball over ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski for his seventh goal of the season.

Covelo made substitutions in the 69th minute as he brought Cowell and Eric Remedi that helped switch the momentum back to San Jose.

Despite bringing in a powerhouse trio off the bench in the second half that consisted of 2019 MLS MVP Carlos Vela, Illie Sanchez and Jose Cifuentes, LAFC was not only able to score the equalizer but lost their composure in the process as their frustrations of being outplayed grew bigger down the stretch with ugly fouls that went for yellow cards.

Sanchez received two yellow cards in just 15 minutes of action when he was sent off for his second infraction and automatic red card in the 79th minute. Sanchez will be suspended for LAFC’s next match against the Austin FC on 8/26.

Marcinkowski finished the match with one save on two shots on goal. Crépeau made three saves on five shots in the losing effort.

Welsh international midfielder Gareth Bale made an appearance as a substitute in the 76th minute when he replaced Opoku. He has played in eight games with LAFC since being transferred from Real Madrid back in June.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with 11 corner kicks. LAFC had five.

San Jose is now 5-7-0 all-time vs. Los Angeles Football Club, including a 4-2-0 record at home. San Jose is now 5-2-0 in their last seven meetings with LAFC, including three straight home wins.

The Earthquakes are now 6-7-6 in MLS play under Covelo.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels out to the Midwest to take on Sporting KC on Saturday 8/27 at 5:30pm at Children’s Mercy Park.

Earthquakes introduce Luchi Gonzales as new head coach of the team

Luchi Gonzales posed with a jersey at his introductory press conference as the new head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes at the Signia Hotel on Wednesday Aug 17, 2022. (Sports Radio Service)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club has hired Luchi Gonzalez as head coach. Gonzalez, currently an assistant coach with the United States Men’s National Team, will take over at the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The interim coaching staff, led by Alex Covelo, will remain in their current roles through the end of the 2022 season.

The club introduced their new head coach, slated to take over duties in 2023, at the rebranded Signia Hotel (formerly The Fairmont) in downtown San Jose on Thursday afternoon in front of media, fans and team personnel during a press conference that was emceed by play-by-play announcer Ted Ramey.

“Luchi has all of the attributes that we sought in our next head coach,” said Earthquakes General Manager Chris Leitch. “He has had success coaching in Major League Soccer with playoff appearances in his first two seasons and has a very strong track record in youth development. His strengths and desires align with our short and long-term goals as a club, and we look forward to him taking the reins after the World Cup.”

Gonzalez, 42, has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. National Team since December 2021. With Gonzalez on staff, the USMNT played their final six qualification matches for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and secured their place in the competition for the first time since 2014.

Gonzalez stated he wants to win right away and doesn’t believe the team needs to do a full on rebuild.

“I think there is a lot of potential. I think it’s a high potential group and club. The academy is growing. You got young players doing well. You have people that would die for this jersey on this roster,” Gonzalez said.

Luchi, along with management, have a win now state of mind and emphasized that point during the presser.

“The ambition is to win, is to make the playoffs next year. Plain and simple. We must make the playoffs next year. That’s going to be our mentality, our objective. The process is the most important for me. That’s where the work has gotta be done. Everybody has to believe. Fans, team staff, me, leadership, we all gotta believe to make next year’s maybe at end of the year moment count. But it’s gotta start with believing in the next step, which the process,” Gonzales stated.

Gonzalez previously MLS coaching experience was back in 2019 as the head coach of FC Dallas. He led the club to back-to-back MLS Cup Playoff appearances in 2019 and 2020. Over those two seasons, FC Dallas lost just one of 27 home matches (17-1-9) and ranked top-seven defensively both years. He departed the club in September 2021.

Gonzaled said, “Everything I learned from my former experiences in Dallas, have led me to be in this moment to grab the opportunity for San Jose.”

San Jose has nine matches remaining on a dismal season that has them anchoring the bottom of the Western Conference standings. The Earthquakes host Socal rival LAFC on Saturday at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Ferreira and FC Dallas bomb on Earthquakes in 4-1 win

FC Dallas players celebrate their 4-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at Toyota Stadium on Saturday Aug 13, 2022 (photo by FC Dallas)

by Marko Ukalovic

The Dallas Stars scored three goals in the first half en route to a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium.

Dallas has points in four of its last five matches and sit in third place in the Western Conference with 42 points. San Jose has two of its past three matches and anchor the bottom of the conference with only 24 points.

FC Dallas (11-7-9-42 points) drew first blood in the third minute. Alan Velasco centered a ball over to Jesús Ferreira who buried home a shot past ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, who made his first start after suffering a concussion two weeks ago, for his first goal of the match.

Marco Farfan doubled FC Dallas’ lead in the 20th minute. Sebastian Lletget found Farfan inside the box on the left side. Farfan’s shot from a tough angle beat Marcinkowski for his first goal of the season.

FC Dallas scored its third unanswered goal of the first half when Ferreira recorded his brace in the 41st minute. Ferreira started a counter attack for FC Dallas. After a give and go with Paul Arriola, Ferreira’s initial shot was blocked by Nathan but Ferriera gained his own rebound and shot into an empty net for his team leading 14th goal of the season.

San Jose (5-12-9-24 points) were too busy defending in the first 45 minutes to muster much of an offensive attack.

FC Dallas picked up where it left off in the first half with their fourth consecutive goal in the 57th minute. Lletget recorded his second assist of the match when he found Velasco in the middle of the pitch. Velasco blasted a shot from 30 yards out into the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

Jeremy Ebobisse spoiled FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes’ bid for a clean slate in the 60th minute. Benji Kikanovic found Ebobisse just outside the box along the left side. Ebobisse rifled in a shot that hit the crossbar and into the back of the net for his team leading 14th goal of the season.

Paes only needed to make one save on just two shots on target to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made two saves on six shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with seven corner kicks. FC Dallas had two.

San Jose lost for the first time in Dallas since 2017 (2-1-2).

UP NEXT: San Jose returns home to host LAFC on Saturday 8/20 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Ebobisse’s late goal heroics earn the Earthquakes a point in 3-3 draw with Austin FC

San Jose Earthquakes Jackson Yueill battles on the ground with Austin FC’s Danaiel Pereira during their match at Q2 Stadium on Saturday AUG 6, 2022. (CWEB.com)

by Marko Ukalovic

There’s something about Austin and comebacks.

Jeremy Ebobisse scored the equalizing goal in the 88th minute as the San Jose Earthquakes escaped the Lone Star state with a 3-3 draw against Austin FC on Saturday evening at Q2 Stadium.

San Jose snapped a three-match losing streak with the first point in its last four matches. Austin FC has points in eight of its last nine matches dating back to June. The Quakes remained undefeated against Austin FC (2-0-3)

The late match heroics came when Cristian Espinoza sent in a cross from the right wing into the center of the box. No one from Austin FC marked Ebobisee who headed the ball past goalkeeper Brad Stuver for his team leading 13th goal of the season. He now ranks tied for third in goals in MLS this season.

‘Quakes goalkeeper Matt Bersano made his first career MLS start in place of JT Marcinkowski, who was out with concussion like symptoms.

There were plenty of fireworks in the first half as both teams combined for four goals in the opening 45 minutes.

Austin FC (13-6-5-45 points) drew first blood in the first blood in the sixth minute off a set piece. Diego Fagúndez centered his corner kick into the box where unmarked Julio Cascante headed the ball past Bersano for his second goal of the season.

San Jose (5-10-9-24 points) answered back two minutes later. Paul Marie sent in a ball to Benji Kikanovic whose one touch off his foot knuckleballed past Stuver into the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

The Earthquakes gained their only lead in the 20th minute. After Espinoza’s corner kick was punched out by Stuver into the middle of the pitch, Marie gathered the ball, made one touch with the ball before blasting a shit from 30 yards out into the upper left corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

Austin stormed back in the 26th minute with the first of Sebastián Driussi’s two goal on the evening. Ethan Finlay caught the ‘Quakes back on their heels when he centered a pass over to a wide open Driussi who buried the ball in for his 15th goal of the season.

Druissi wans’t done as he gave Austin FC the lead back in the 44th minute. Finlay centered a ball into the box that knocked away by a sliding Judson. Driussi kept the ball alive before tapping into an empty net for his team leading 16th goal of the season.

Bersano finished the match with three saves on six shots to earn his first point. Stuver made two saves on five shots on target.

GAME NOTES: Both teams finished the match with five corner kicks.

Espinoza had his ninth assist of the season and 39th assist of his MLS career. He has now assisted four of Ebobisse’s 13 goals this season and is one assist away from tying Chris Wondolowski for fourth-most in assists in club history.

San Jose acquired two players at the transfer deadline. The club announced today the acquisition of center back Rodrigues on a 12-month loan with option to buy or extend through the end of 2023 from Brazilian side Grêmio. Rodrigues will occupy an international spot on the Quakes’ roster. Also, on Friday they signed veteran LaLiga fullback and Equatorial Guinea international Carlos Akapo. The deal for the 29-year-old – who last featured for Cádiz CF in the Spanish top flight – runs through the 2023 season, with a club option for 2024.

UP NEXT: San Jose stays in Texas when they visit FC Dallas on Saturday 8/13 at 6:00pm at Toyota Stadium

Inter Miami upend Earthquakes in 1-0 shutout win

San Jose Earthquakes fullback Tanner Beason jumps up to win a challenge over Inter Miami’s Ariel Lassiter at Pay Pal Park on Wednesday AUG 3, 2022. (Dario Cruz-Tectonic Takes)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming more and more obscured.

The light being the playoffs hopes for the San Jose Earthquakes as they fell to Inter Miami FC 1-0 on Wednesday night at Pay Pal Park. It was the first meeting between to the two clubs.

San Jose has lost three of its past four matches and are currently nine points out of the seventh and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with 11 matches left in the regular season. Inter Miami have points in three of its last four matches and are tied with Charlotte FC for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

It was a night to forget on the defensive front for San Jose (5-10-8-23 points) as they gave up numerous counter attacks to the visiting team which resulted in numerous scoring chances. The Earthquakes were fortunate in that Inter Miami only cashed in on one of them.

Inter Miami (8-10-5-29 points) broke through with the match’s lone goal in the 12th minute. Robert Taylor’s cross into the box was headed away by ‘Quakes rookie back Oskar Aegren but landed on the foot of Jean Mota and he fired a shot into the upper right corner of the net from just beyond the D for his first career MLS goal.

While the Earthquakes played flat in first 45 minutes, their energy picked in the second half. However, their aggressive play trying to score the equalizer led to easy counter attacks from Inter Miami.

“The second was a little bit different but the first half we started with low energy, and it was something that we were trying to address at halftime. In the second half we started a bit more aggressive, we recovered balls, we were able to do transitions and be a little bit more dangerous. Obviously when they are winning, they dropped back their lines and to get in was difficult, even if we had some good opportunities,” ‘Quakes interim head coach Alex Covelo said.

San Jose were without starting goalkeeper JT Marcikowski to start the second half as he was evaluated for a concussion after a collision that happened earlier on in the first half.

Matt Bersano made his MSL debut to replace Marcinkowski in net. Bersano did a tremendous job of keeping the Inter Miami from expanding their lead. Bersano came out aggressive on the many threats Inter Miami had inside the box.

“Yeah, I don’t really think there’s a perfect way to make the first appearance,” said Bersano. “So obviously I’m thankful to get out there and get some minutes. I think it was a bunch of years in the making. But to absorb the way we did and keep pressing and get so close, it’s definitely a bittersweet feeling. I’m so thankful for finally getting some MLS minutes, but above all else, I want to win, we want to win these games, and it’s definitely a sour taste in the mouth at the end of the day.”

The best save of the night came in the 51st minute when a chance by Ariel Lassiter at an open net was headed away by Aegren at the goal line.

Inter Miami goalkeeper Drake Callender finished t mawith fives saves on six shots on target to earn a clean sheet. Marcinkowski and Bersano combined for

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with 13 corners kicks. Inter Miami had seven.

The Earthquakes are now 5-5-5 in MLS play under interim head coach Alex Covelo.

Seventeen-year-old Homegrown midfielder Niko Tsakiris made his first MLS appearance since April 2.

Rookie defender Oskar Ågren made his second career start.

UP NEXT: San Jose travels to the Lone Star state to take on Austin FC on Saturday 8/6 at 6:00pm at Q2 Stadium.

Savarino’s last-minute goal in extra time saves Real Salt Lake in 2-2 draw with Earthquakes

Real Salt Lake’s Maikel Chang battles with San Jose Earthquake’s Jamiro Monteiro at Pay Pal Park on Saturday JUL 30, 2022. (MLS)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE— It was deja vu all over again for the San Jose Earthquakes.

For the second consecutive game, San Jose failed to hold on to a lead in the second half as Jefferson Savarino scored the equalizer in the last minute of stoppage time as Real Salt Lake earned a point in a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose has not won in three consecutive matches. Real Salt Lake have points in two of its past three matches.

Real Salt Lake (9-7-7) escaped with a point in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Justin Meram crossed the ball over to the right side and Savarino one-touched the ball before blasting a shot through the hands of ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski for his team leading fifth goal of the season.

“Right now, all of us are very frustrated and sad because they scored on the last play,” said interim ‘Quakes head coach Alex Covelo. “Those are three points that would’ve helped us. We have to recover and recover mentally; soccer provides you with opportunities. We play Wednesday against Inter Miami CF which is an important game, and we have to stand up and fight again with the mentality to win the game because we have done it before, and we can do it.”

San Jose (5-9-8) drew first blood early in the first half. A hand ball inside the box by Justen Glad resulted in a penalty kick for the ‘Quakes in the 10th minute. Two minutes later, Cristian Espinoza had RSL goalkeeper Zac MacMath head right before depositing the ball into the lower left corner for his sixth goal of the season.

RSL came back in the 21st minute. Andrew Body dribbled between two ‘Quakes defenders before lofting the ball over to Jasper Löffelsend who chipped the ball over the head of Marcinkowski into the right corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

The Earthquakes regained the lead in the 62nd minute. Espinoza intercepted a telegraphed pass from MacMath from 30 yards and found Jerermy Ebobisee unmarked inside the box. Ebobisse slid the ball past a diving MacMath for his team leading 12th goal of the season.

Ebobisse ranks tied for fourth in MLS with 12 goals this season and he has now set a new single-season career-high.

“Clearly, we need to be a little bit more intelligent when we are winning and play with that nervousness from the other team especially when playing at home which is what all teams do in the league when they have a lead,” Espinoza said.

Marcinkowski finished the match with three saves on six shots on target. MacMath made two saves on four shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with five corner kicks. Real Salt Lake had two.

San Jose is now 9-16-5 all-time vs. Real Salt Lake, including a 7-5-4 record at home.

San Jose is one of just nine teams in MLS with two or fewer home losses this season (4-2-5).

Espinoza is one of three players in MLS with 6+ goals and 8+ assists this season (Luciano Acosta – CIN, Carlos Vela – LAFC).

Defender Tanner Beason made his 50th MLS appearance, starting and playing 90 minutes. Beason was selected by San Jose in the first round (12th overall) of the 2020 MLS SuperDraft.

The match was also a Women’s Soccer Celebration. It featured a pre-match women’s leadership panel, a women’s resource fair, a ceremonial first goal by U.S. Women’s National Team legends Brandi Chastain and Aly Wagner, and a halftime recognition of local collegiate women’s soccer teams.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Inter Miami on Wednesday 8/3 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Timbers upend Earthquakes 2-1 with second half comeback

Portland Timbers’ Dairon Asprilla (#27) celebrates his game winning goal with a somersault during a match against the San Jose Earthquakes in Providence Park on Saturday JUL 23, 2022. (Portland Timbers)

by Marko Ukalovic

PORTLAND, Ore. —The Portland Timbers scored two goals in the second half to overcome a one-goal halftime deficit to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on Saturday evening at Providence Park.

San Jose has lost two in a row and sit in 13th place in the Western Conference with just 22 points. Portland moved up to seventh place with the three points and are unbeaten in their last seven matches.

Portland (7-6-9-30 points) scored the game winning goal in the 71st minute when Santiago Moreno sent a cross inside the box to an unmarked Dairon Asprilla who headed the ball past the outreach of ‘Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski for his fifth goal of the season.

San Jose (5-9-7-22 points) drew first blood just before halftime. In the 42nd minute, off of a free kick, Cristian Espinoza received a pass inside the box from Jackson Yueill. Espinoza’s shot was initially saved by Timber’s goalkeeper Aljaz Ivacic. However, Larrys Mabiala clearing attempt went over to Benji Kikanović who tapped home the ball into an empty net for his third goal of the season.

Kikanović has scored or assisted in four of the team’s five matches thus far during the month of July.

“We can score but sometimes defensively I don’t know if we don’t concentrate enough, I couldn’t tell you what it is but it’s on every single one of us. We need to tighten up everywhere really, not just the back. It sucks for JT [Marcinkowski] because he’s making saves doing what he can, we’re all trying to do what we can, but we’re giving up goals. We just need to come together and figure it out,” Kikanovic said.

The Timbers took control of the second half not long after it began, controlling the tempo of play.

Portland scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Diego Chara connected on a nice give and go with Eryk Willamson. Chara’s shot from just outside the box deflected off of Jaroslaw Niezgoda and into the back of the net for the Polish striker’s team leading eighth goal of the season.

“We had a very good first half,” said ‘Quakes interim head coach Alex Covelo. “We had our chances to score here which is not easy. At halftime we were talking about that point, a critical point where the opponent is trying to push and pass that moment, and we needed to be ready to hold that part and control the game. They were going to press more and find more balls in behind. When we were going through that moment, they scored off a rebound and then we started to suffer a little bit.”

San Jose came within inches of scoring their own equalizer in the 89th minute. Paul Marie set up Espinoza on the right side just outside the box. Espinoza’s shot bounced off the left post after Ivacic got a piece of the shot as he extended his hand out spoiling the Earthquakes chance.

Ivacic finished the match stopping six of the seven shots on target 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 nine corner kicks. Portland had three.

San Jose is now 9-17-4 all-time vs. the Portland Timbers, including a 0-12-4 record on the road.

The Earthquakes are now 5-5-4 in MLS play under interim head coach Alex Covelo.

The Quakes led at halftime of a road match against the Timbers for just the third time in 16 visits to Portland.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts Real Salt Lake on Saturday 7/30 at 7:00pm at Pay Pal Park.

Dynamo scores two goal in five-minute span for a 2-1 comeback win over Earthquakes

The San Jose Earthquakes couldn’t hold the lead against the Houston Dynamo at Pay Pal Park in San Jose in MLS action on Sun Jul 17, 2022 (@SJEarthquakes photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — In a battle of playoff hopefuls, the Houston Dynamo scored two goals in the second half to complete a 2-1 comeback victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose had its three-match unbeaten streak snapped. Houston, with the win, have points in two of its last three matches.

Possession was even in the first half as both teams weren’t able to generate many scoring chances.

San Jose (5-8-7-22 points) had two shots on target in the opening 45 minutes. In the 13th minute, Benji Kikanovic set up Cristian Espinoza for a shot, but his attempt was grabbed by Dynamo goalkeeper Steve Clark.

Then late in the half in the 41st minute, Clark came up big when he knocked a rocket of a shot by Paul Marie from 20 yards out over the net for a corner kick.

Houston (7-10-4-25 points) did not generate a shot on target against Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski in the first half.

San Jose drew first blood in the 53rd minute. Off a set piece, Tommy Thompson’s header hit off the top of the crossbar and ‘Quakes captain Jackson Yueill cleaned up the rebound with a right footed shot past Clark for his fourth goal of the season.

Houston took advantage of Marie’s turnover inside San Jose’s zone in the 71st minute. Fafà Picault picked the ball from Marie, then centered a pass over to Sebastián Ferreira who kicked in a right-footed shot for his co-team leading seventh goal of the season.

“I think the mistake [on the first goal] was an individual mistake, and on the second goal we had to keep the ball out when there wasn’t a clear moment to build up, and that’s it. I don’t think it was because we were building up in the back that Houston had those opportunities. I think we committed individual mistakes and that’s why it’s a very simple analysis today,” interim head coach Alex Covelo said.

The save of the match belonged to fullback Tim Parker. In the 73rd minute, the Earthquakes thought they had regained the lead just over two minutes later when Jeremy Ebossise had the ball inside the box staring at an empty net. Ebobisse’s attempt was blocked away by Parker with a sliding save right along the goal line.

The Dynamo gained their first lead of the match in the 76th minute after the ‘Quakes failed to clear the ball out of their own zone. Darwin Quintero found Thorleifur Úlfarsson in the center of the box and he beat Marcinkowski with a left-footed shot to the far corner of the net for his fourth goal of the season.

San Jose had one final chance to score the equalizer on the match’s final play off of a corner kick. However, Nathan’s header attempt sailed wide left of the net.

“I just forget this game,” said Jamiro Monteiro. “It already happened. We lost. Now we’re onto next week. We still have 14 games. Tomorrow is a new day. We have a new week, new chances. Every week is a new chance for us.”

Clark finished the match with four saves on five shots to earn the victory. Marcinkowski made two saves on four shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished the match with eight corner kicks. Houston had seven.

The ‘Quakes were without fullback Marcos Lopez who was suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation.

San Jose is 9-16-4 all time against Houston.

San Jose had its four-home match (W2 D2) unbeaten streak against Houston that dated back to 2017. Their four-match run was San Jose’s longest home unbeaten run against the Dynamo in MLS play.

The Dynamo snapped its four-game losing streak on the road. They are 4-14 from home dating back to last August.

After his right-footed goal in San Jose’s 3-2 win over the Galaxy on Wednesday, Ebobisse has now scored 10 goals with his right foot in MLS. Since 2019, Ebobisse is the only MLS player with double-digit goals with each of his right foot, his left foot and his head.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts a friendly against Spanish La Liga team RC Celta De Vigo on Wednesday 7/20 at Pay Pal Park at 7:15pm. They return to MLS action against the Portland Timbers on Saturday 7/23 at 7:30pm at Providence Park.