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.

Whitecaps rally late to earn 3-3 draw with the Earthquakes

San Jose Earthquakes’ Jeremy Ebobisse (11) and Cade Cowell (44) celebrate Ebobisse’s goal against the Vancouver Whitecaps in second half action at BC Place in Vancouver on Sat May 14, 2022 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

VANCOUVER, B.C. — It was a one-point stinger up north.

Down a goal late in the match, the Vancouver Whitecaps scored the equalizer in the first minute into stoppage time in the second half to comeback for a 3-3 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday afternoon at BC Place.

A corner kick from Déiber Caicedo found Erik Godoy in the middle of the box and his right footed shot found the back of the net for the center fullback’s first goal of the season to earn a point for the home team.

San Jose, who have four points in their last two MLS matches, were left scratching their heads as they had three points in their grasp but weren’t able to hold on to their one-goal lead they had twice late in the second half. Vancouver has points in back-to-back matches.

“First of all, one point on the road is a point,” said Quakes interim head coach Alex Covelo. “It’s something positive that we can bring home. In relation to the game, I think you’re right. We created three goals in transition. We were talking about that at halftime that we had to be more aggressive once we recovered the ball to go forward but without losing our composure.”

The Earthquakes controlled play for the majority of the first half as they created scoring chances while keeping the Whitecaps on the back of their heels.

San Jose (2-5-4) started the second half with a fleury of chances in an opening minute sequence. Two shots from Paul Marie were blocked inside the box and a Marcos Lopez’s chance from 20 yards out hit the post.

Vancouver (2-6-2) drew first blood the 56th minute. Lucas Cavallini finished off a give and go with Ryan Raposo with a left footed shot that beat Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski into the right corner for his second goal of the season.

San Jose answered back in the 62nd minute when Cristian Espinoza made a brilliant individual effort when he sent in a cross into the box where an unmarked Jamiro Monteiro headed the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season and in a Quakes uniform.

The Quakes earned their first lead of the match in the 73rd minute on the first goal of Jeremy Ebobisse’s brace. Monteiro found Cade Cowell along the left wing. Cowell dribbled into the box before finding Ebobisse, who one-timed the ball past Whitecaps goalkeeper Cody Cropper for his sixth goal of the season.

“I think that Jeremy [Ebobisse] is a player that tries to help us in build-up, trying to arrive to the box, he has very good feet, he has goals. Today, he helped us a lot. He helped us a lot today, and every game that he plays for us, offensively and defensively. Obviously when you are a striker, a nine, you have to be in those spaces. Sometimes the ball arrives, sometimes not. Jeremy has been good. I’m so happy for him,” Covelo said.

Vancouver responded two minutes later on a counterattack. The Whitecaps caught the Quakes flat footed as Caicedo waited for his moment to find Raposo who one-timed a right footed shot just inside the right post for his second goal career MLS goal in the 75th minute.

Ebobisse recorded his brace in the 81st minute to once again give the Quakes a one-goal lead. Cowell found Espinoza along the right side of the box. Espinoza then crossed the ball back into the middle where Ebobisse finished off a tic-tac-toe of a goal for his team leading seventh goal of the season.

Ebobisse is tied for first in MLS in goal scoring this season with his seven goals in 10 matches, that includes three braces.

“The team achievements come first,” Ebobisse said. “The goals today were useful for a tie, but ultimately I want to win. I’ve been to an MLS Cup before. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my team’s way and ever since, that’s been the plan, to get back there. If my goals help get us there, then I’ll be super grateful and grateful to the rest of the team who are providing the service for those goals. However, we can get to the playoffs and make a run, I’m happy to play my role.”

Cavallini had a chance to give the Whitecaps an improbably comeback win on the last play of the match but his header from six yards out hit the left post and went out of bounds.

Marcinkowski finished the match with four saves on seven shots on target. Cropper made three saves on six Quakes shots on targets.

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

San Jose is now 4-1-1 in all competitions under Covelo, including a 2-1-1 record in MLS play and 2-0-0 record in U.S. Open Cup play.

The Quakes have now scored 19 goals as a team, fifth most in Major League Soccer.

Espinoza recorded two assists during the match. It marked his fifth and sixth assists of the season and 35th and 36th of his MLS career.

Jan Gregus tallied an assist on Monteiro’s goal. It marked his sixth assist of the season and 25th of his MLS career.

Cowell assisted on both of Ebobisse’s goal. It marked his second assist of the season and ninth of his MLS career.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Portland Timbers on Wednesday 5/18 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Earthquakes battle Whitecaps to 1-1 draw, keep slim playoff hopes alive

Vancouver Whitecaps forward Cristian Dajome looks to pass the futbol as the San Jose Earthquakes defender Paul Marie tries to put the stop on him in the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose on Sat Oct 23, 2021 (photo by USA Today)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE—The San Jose Earthquakes playoff aspirations are hanging on by a thread.

On a night where they were looking for a win, the Quakes settled for a 1-1 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday evening at Pay Pal Park.

San Jose now have 37 points and sit in 10th place in the Western Conference, seven points behind Vancouver, who sit in the seventh and final playoff spot with only three games remaining. The Whitecaps have earned points in four straight matches.

The Quakes (9-12-10-37 points) had their chances in the first half to break the seal.

In the fourth minute, Benji Kinkanovic centered a ball into the middle over to Jeremy Ebobisse but his one-timer was saved by Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crepeau.

A nice give and go between Andy Rios and Chofis in the 17th minute led to Chofis shot that sailed high over the net. Another give and go between Chofis and Paul Marie in the 35th minute led to Crepeau corralling Marie’s centering pass to end the scoring chance.

Both teams received a scare in the 37th minute when Rios and Leonard Owusu collided with each other going for a 50/50 ball up in the air. After being on the ground for several minutes, both players were able to continue in the match.

Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda were without the services with fullback Nathan as he was suspended due to yellow card accumulation. In his place Almeyda had Jackson Yueill, normally a midfielder, play in the backline for the first time as an Earthquake.

“We wanted the win,” said Almeyda. “The guys played a great game. They played with devotion and had many goal-scoring chances. We needed to be sharper in the end. Vancouver had a great performance from their goalkeeper. I am satisfied on one hand because the young players are growing. I will keep repeating that once the young players have 20 to 30 matches played, they will be important players in this league.”

Vancouver (11-9-11-44 points) had only two descent scoring chances in the first 45 minutes. Érik Godoy’s header from the center of the box missed to the right following a set piece in the 25th minute. Then three minutes later, Déiber Caicedo right footed shot from outside the box sailed high over the net from a direct free kick.

San Jose played with a desperation needed from a team trying to make the playoffs from the get go. It continued into the second half when Kikanovic’s attempt was saved by Crepeau after Ebobisse’s attempt got that was set up by an Espinoza cross.

The Whitecaps finally drew first blood in the 53rd minute. Brian White sent in a shot from 20 yards out that Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski initially saved but the rebound leaked out the left side. Bruno Gaspar came in and blasted the rebound top shelf for his first goal of the season.

San Jose answered back in the 60th minute. Eric Remedi started a counter attack inside the Whitecaps zone sending the ball out to Cristian Espinoza along the right side. Espinoza sent over a perfect cross to Kikanovic who one-timed the ball into the back of the lower right corner for his fourth goal of the season.

Kikanovic was rewarded the Man of the Match for his efforts in creating multiple scoring chances for the Quakes.

“I know when Cristian [Espinoza] gets the ball out wide, he’s going to whip it in super hard. I just put myself in a position where I’m in between the ball and the defender and it happened to come to me. I didn’t even really hit it that hard. I kind of just focused on it the whole time and just made sure I made good contact. Those types of balls, it’s already whipped in super hard, so you just have to redirect it. But overall we played really well I thought. We created a lot of chances. I think they only had that one chance and they put it away,” Kikanovic said.

San Jose controlled the possession as well as the tempo in the final 10 minutes of regulation and the four minute of stoppage time.

The Quakes came with inches of scoring the game winning goal in the first minute of stoppage time. Carlos Fierro sent a header back into the middle of the box where Chris Wondolowski’s sliding attempt was saved by a diving Crempeau that was just short of crossing the goal line.

Marcinkowski finished the match with two saves on three shots. Crempeau also made two saves on three shots.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with five corner kicks. Vancouver had two.

Quakes captain Jackon Yueill made his 100th start for the franchise.

The Whitecaps have managed just one win in 13 all-time away matches against San Jose (D7 L5), a 3-2 victory in August 2018. Vancouver did manage a point in its last visit, a scoreless draw on August 13.

Wondolowski, who scored against Austin on Wednesday, has scored 14 goals against the Whitecaps, more than against any other team in his MLS career. No player has scored more goals against a single opponent than Wondolowski against Vancouver since the Whitecaps joined MLS in 2011.

Brian White scored in Vancouver’s comeback win over Portland, his 12th goal contribution since mid-August (10 goals, 2 assists), tied with Cristian Arango (11 goals, 1 assist) for the most goal involvements in MLS in that time.

The Quakes held a ceremony at halftime honoring the 2001 team that won the MLS Cup on its 20th anniversary.

UP NEXT: The Earthquakes travel out to Portland to take on the Timbers on Wednesday 10/27 at 7:00pm at Providence Park.

White’s hat trick power Whitecaps to 3-0 shutout win over Earthquakes

Vancouver Whitecaps Cristian Dajome (center) is upended by the San Jose Earthquakes Nathan Brazil (left) at BC Place in Vancouver on Sat Oct 2, 2021 (Canadian Press via AP)

 

by Marko Ukalovic

Brian White is definitely enjoying his change of scenery.

The Vancouver Whitecaps striker scored a hat trick to lead his team to a 3-0 shutout victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday evening at BC Place.

Since being traded from the New York Red Bulls back in June, White has scored nine goals in 20 matches since his arrival, with eight of those coming in his last nine games. He had zero goals with New York.

Vancouver are unbeaten in its last four matches (2-0-2) and have climbed up to eighth place in the Western Conference, one point behind Minnesota for the final playoff spot. San Jose have lost two matches in a row and are quietly slipping away from the playoff race with six games remaining in the season.

White scored his first goal after a nice touch pass over to Ryan Gauld inside the box. Gauld’s shot was saved by Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski but the rebound was cleaned up by White in the 26th minute.

San Jose (8-11-9-33 points) only generated two shots on target in the first 45 minutes. Both shots by Cristian Espinoza in the 25th minute and Jackson Yueill in the 39th minute were easily handled by Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crépeau.

Vancouver (9-8-10-37 points) doubled their lead in the 59th minute off a set piece. Déiber Caicedo floated a free kick from near the right end line into the middle where an unmarked White headed the ball into the back of the net in the upper left corner for his second goal of the evening.

“We had to make movements to free up players in certain zones,” said Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda. “Those movements were slow. I thought the match was even in the first half. On three or four occasions, we were able to have the control we were looking for. We met a team that has been growing in important ways, with a secure system of play. We knew that if we conceded a goal, it would be hard to turn it around because they are secure on defense. In the second half, we took more risks. The set piece played a fundamental factor against us.”

White completed the hat trick in the 73rd minute once again off another set piece. This time Gauld serviced a corner kick into the middle of the box and once again the Quakes left White unmarked for a header just inside the right corner of the goal for his ninth goal of the season.

The closest San Jose came to getting on the board came late in the second half. Espinoza sent in a shot from 25 yards out but Crépeau made a jumping catch to preserve the shutout.

“We have to keep improving but we have less and less time. We’re talking about the last six games and a projection of our future in which there is some instability. Personally, I’d like to plan for what is coming up. We have to live day by day, we’d love to plan for the future, but the reality is different,” Almeyda said.

Crépeau finished the match stopping all five shots on target to earn his ninth victory of the season. Marcinkowski made three saves on six shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: Each team finished with four corner kicks.

San Jose is now 8-10-10 all-time vs. Vancouver, including a 2-9-3 record on the road.

San Jose had its eight-game unbeaten streak on the road, longest in club history, snapped with the loss.

UP NEXT: San Jose return to action on Saturday 10/16 when they travel out to Los Angeles to take on LAFC at 12:30pm at Banc of California Stadium.

Earthquakes extend unbeaten streak in scoreless draw with Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps defender Javain Brown and San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas (6) get tangled up in first half action at Pay Pal Park in San Jose on Fri Aug 13, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Earthquakes are going to wonder what could have been.

Missed opportunities were the theme of the night as San Jose ended up with a 0-0 draw against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Friday evening at Pal Pay Park.

San Jose extended the league’s longest unbeaten streak to eight games. Vancouver extended its own unbeaten streak to six games with its fifth consecutive draw.

The first half featured 11 combined total shots with San Jose winning the edge 7-4 over Vancouver. The Quakes also had a slight edge in possession in the first 45 minutes, 51.2%-48.8%.

San Jose (5-7-7-22 points) had its best chance of the first half in the 31st minute. Jeremey Ebobisse, who made his first start for head coach Matias Almeyda, received a cross from Luciano Abecasis and his sliding shot from a tough angle was knocked over the net by Whitecaps goalie Maxime Crépeau.

Vancouver (3-7-8-17 points) had their chance in the 27th minute when Déiber Caicedo serviced a ball in the middle to Ranko Veselinovic, whose header was stopped by Quakes goalie JT Marcinkowski.

In the second half San Jose controlled the play and had numerous scoring chances when they had the ball deep inside the box. However, most of those scoring chances ended in a turnover with mistimed passes and a few instances of hesitation by the Quakes.

Almedya looked for a spark from his offense in the 59th minute when he substituted in All-Star Cade Cowell and Marcos Lopez.

“I think the two outside players put in a huge effort,” said Almeyda. “The idea was to put in Cade (Cowell) and (Carlos) Fierro to get more energy and to win out wide. We wanted to win the game. There was a clear message regarding the subs.”

San Jose had its best chance of the match in the 62nd minute. Oswaldo Alanís found Ebobisse open on the right wing from just outside the box. Ebobisse made a move to the inside before firing a shot that Crépeau got a piece of with his left hand and the ball caromed off the right post.

“We took the risk (on being more aggressive on the attack) that could have hurt us on a counter (attack). But we ended up playing with almost all of the forwards that we have. We weren’t able to win but we still added points,” Almeyda said.

Both Marcinkowski and Crépeau finished the match with three for three on their save attempts. Marcinkowski has three shutouts this season and seven for his career.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished with seven corner kicks. Vancouver had just two.

San Joes is 8-10-10 against Vancouver, including a 5-1-7 record at home and a 4-1-3 record at PayPal Park, in the overall series.
The Quakes have now allowed one or fewer goals in seven consecutive matches.

Forward Andy Rios made his 50th MLS appearance, entering the match in the 77th minute.

UP NEXT: The Quakes conclude its three-game homestand when they host Minnesota Unites on Tuesday 8/17 at 7:30pm at Pay Pal Park.

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Antonio Brown will join Bucs next week ; Earthquakes battle Real Salt Lake FC tonight

Antonio Brown wide receiver of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will join the team on Sun Nov 8th. Here he is tuning up during his time with the New England Patriots. Some questions remain will there be a repeat of his problems when he returns with the Buccaneers?(file photo touchdownwire.com)

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 The Buffalo Bills (5-2) who lead in the AFC East won and played a close game last Sunday against the New York Jets (0-7) 18-10. Bills quarterback Josh Allen threw for 307 yards. Despite being winless the Jets did play some good defense against Allen and the Bills.

#2 Tom Brady quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) shows a lot of faith in newest Buc wide receiver Antonio Brown after his abrupt departure from the Raiders last season and his suspension from the NFL when he was briefly with the Patriots last season how do you see him working out with the Bucs this time around?

#3 The Los Angeles Dodgers had a lot to celebrate last night with their World Series win but third baseman Justin Turner who had a Covid positive test and was pulled in the eighth inning of the deciding game added to the strange ending to the season for the Dodgers and the baseball bubble called Arlington.

#4 The San Jose Earthquakes after getting a 0-0 draw from the Seattle Sounders on Sunday the 18th lost in a 2-1 neutral site game against the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps Ali Adnan got a free kick and a 57th minute to tie it and got the go ahead goal from Tosaint Ricketts for the one goal win.

#5 The Quakes host Real Salt Lake FC at 7:30 at Earthquakes Stadium, the Quakes have gone winless in the three of their last four games and beat Real Salt Lake FC 5-2 in their last meeting July 27th can the Quakes do it tonight?

Join London for Headline Sports each Wednesday morning at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Will Hurricane stop Monday Night Football in New Orleans?; Titans and Bills game moved up to Tuesday; plus more

The Tennessee Titans have up to at least 20 staff and player personnel who have contracted Covid-19. The game between the Titans and the Buffalo Bills has been moved up to Tue Oct 13th. (photo from CNN photo file)

On Headlines podcast with London:

#1 The New Orleans Saints have been working with the NFL in the event of Hurricane Delta hits Southeastern Louisiana. The Saints say their making contingency plans as they plan to host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.

#2 The Tennessee Titans who are under investigation from the NFL as to how 20 members of the team ten players and ten personnel staffers contracted Covid 19. The league is looking into Covid-19 protocol violations. The Titans will play the Buffalo Bills on Tue Oct 13th.

#3 The Titans have not practiced or played since Sun Sep 27th and their game scheduled this Tuesday against the Bills could prove to be more than just Covid on their minds not playing or practicing for two weeks how out of practice will the Titans be?

#4 London talk about how suceessful having the NBA and WNBA playing their games in a bubble in Lake Buena Vista Florida has been and how they pulled it off without no major outbreaks or interruptions.

#5 The San Jose Earthquakes won another critical game last Wednesday at Earthquakes Stadium against the Vancouver Whitecaps. After going winless in nine games the Quakes now have won three straight games. They play in Portland this Sunday and a win could improve their record to 5-6-5 and are in tenth place in the Western Conference.

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

San Jose Earthquakes podcast with Marko Ukalovic: After knocking off two LA teams Quakes look to win a third straight tonight vs. Vancouver

The San Jose Earthquakes Nick Lima (left) looks to get after the futbol as he and the Quakes edged the Los Angeles Galaxy at Earthquakes Stadium in San Jose Sat Oct 3, 2020 (photo from USA Today)

Marko on the SJ Earthquakes podcast:

#1 The Quakes handled two LA teams LAFC and the Galaxy back to back after going winless in nine games.

#2 Taking the Quakes last game against the Galaxy they got a one goal 2-1 win and a full effort by everybody in the match.

#3 Marko, talk about the scuffle the Quakes and the Galaxy had during the game in the 58th minute when Nick Lima of the Quakes and Joe Corona were both going for the ball on the sidelines and ending up on the ground with Corona slapping Lima on the back of the head.

#4 From your column after the game Saturday:The Quakes scored the equalizer at the 42nd minute when a cross from Nick Lima sailed over from right to left on to the foot of Marcos López. The 20-year old left back made one touch before blasting a left footed strike past Bingham into the upper right corner of the net for his first career MLS goal.

#5 The Earthquakes host the Vancouver Whitecaps tonight at Earthquakes Stadium a 7:30 pm kickoff how do you see this match as the Quakes look to win their third straight game.

Marko Ukalovic is your host on the San Jose Earthquakes podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: TMZ reports D. Cousins threatens to put bullet in head of ex-girlfriend; Cal hopes to work towards a bigger bowl game this year; plus more

Photo credit: sportsgossip.com

On Headline Sports with London:

#1 Former Golden State Warrior and now Los Angeles Laker DeMarcus Cousins threaten to put a bullet in the head of his ex-girlfriend Christy West. West filed a restraining order against Cousins. Cousins wanted their seven-year-old son to attend the wedding of his and his girlfriend, but West said she wouldn’t have it, which touched off the argument. Cousins is out for the season with a torn ACL.

#2 The Cal Bears’ Justin Wilcox preparing his team for this Saturday’s game against UC Davis. Wilcox led Cal to a 7-6, 4-5 record last season. They got in the Cheez-It Bowl last season, but are looking for a bigger bowl this season.

#3 Kansas City Royals owner David Glass is close to selling the Royals for $900 million. The deal for $1 billion would go to John Sherman, a Kansas City businessman. Under Glass, the Royals won the 2015 World Series against the New York Mets.

#4 The San Jose Earthquakes picked up a key win after going winless in four of five games they got the victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Quakes’ Judson, Chris Wondolowski, and Andres Rios all scored for San Jose for the 3-1 win.

#5 London has Orlando City at San Jose this Saturday night at Avaya Stadium. The Quakes are looking for their second straight win. Does playing at home give them that chance?

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

Whitecaps shutout Quakes in Vancouver

By Elliot Alagueuzian

August 10, 2013

VANCOUVER–The San Jose Earthquakes will be disappointed they did not finish their chances after conceding two goals and losing 2-0 to the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place. The Whitecaps offense was led by Nigel Reo-Coker, Kenny Miller and Camilo Senvezzo. Reo-Coker took on Clarence Goodson and beat him out wide before crossing into the box to Senvezzo who tapped the ball into the back of the net to give the Caps a 1-0 lead.

Earthquakes tried to respond when Sam Cronin took a shot inside that rebounded off a Whitecaps defender and above the head of Shea Salinas who attempted an overhead kick whoever, the shot lacked power and fell straight into the arms of goalkeeper David Ousted.

The second goal came when midfielder Russell Teibert passed the ball into the box from the right hand side, Reo-Coker missed his shot but Kenny Miller didn’t and made it 2-0 Vancouver.

Quakes Head Coach Mark Watson was disappointed his team couldn’t take their chances against a good team away from home. “The game quite simply was they took their chances and we didn’t, we had a couple opportunities to score one or two early on that would’ve changed the game.” Said Watson who believes his team still have a great chance to qualify for the playoffs. “We’re disappointed but we know that there are enough points on table so we keep working, we get back to work next week and prepare for our next game.”

Vancouver made the game’s first great chance when Senvezzo hit a freekick and Miller headed the ball inches over the crossbar. Quakes created a few chances to try and take the lead but the best chance of the first half came when the ball fell to Cordell Cato who struck the ball very well but Ousted made a fantastic save.

Chris Wondolowski thinks the team can bounce back against Sporting Kansas City next week. “They’re very good, it’s good to be home but we have to go out there and play to the best of our capabilities.”