The Earthquakes were the first team to take home points in Philly via a 1-1 draw on Saturday. Here is the good, bad, and ugly (the GBU Report) for the match.
GBU Report: San Jose Earthquakes vs Philadelphia Union
The Good
- Simon Dawkins wakes up. It took seven appearances for the newest Quakes designated player to show why the team invested that kind of money into the Jamaican international. Dawkins racked up one goal, three shots, two shots on goal, two key passes, and completed 89% of his 35 passes.
- Kofi Sarkodie shines bright. The back-up right back had four tackles (winning all four), four interceptions, two blocked shots, two clearances. Watch out, Marvell Wynne!
- Victor Bernardez holds firm. Without Clarence Goodson, the lion’s share of the defense has fallen upon the shoulders of Honduran center-back Victor Bernardez. Bernardez won all three of his aerial duels, had three blocked shots, and helped limit the Union offense to just two shots on target all match.
- Shaun Francis brings the deuces. The left-back had two interceptions, two clearances, two crosses, two chances generated, two shots, and two take-ons.
- Matias Perez Garcia brings the fire. “MPG” brought the offensive spark off the bench, setting up two key passes on 16 touches in 15 minutes.
- Shea Salinas delivers in the clutch. Shea helped the attack with generating a chance and two crosses, one of which set up the Dawkins goal on a poor clearance. Shea continues to be the “super sub” to help the Quakes maintain their 22-game consecutive goals scored streak.
- Marvell Wynne steps up. With regular center-back Clarence Goodson out, Marvell Wynne was tasked with filling the hole. He and the defense held the Union to just two shots on goal despite being down a man for the final third of the match. Marvell marveled with four interceptions, six clearances, and one blocked shot. Marvell may have made a case to start at center-back in front of backup center-back Andres Imperiale.
- A point in Philly. The Earthquakes were the first team to take points in Philadelphia, earning a point on the road against a top-two team (their first point was against then-first-place FC Dallas in Frisco).
The Bad
- Fatai Alashe‘s terrible twos. Last year, the rookie impressed with a stellar first season. A year later, the Quakes sophomore defensive midfielder looked out of sorts on Saturday, almost drawing a red card at 31’ for dissent after a brutal tackle that could have been deemed yellow. He also let his mark Chris Pontius score the go-ahead goal the minute before.
- Innocent fails to impress. The Quakes DP forward saw his first real chance to shine, but didn’t generate enough to keep him on the pitch. Innocent had just two shots, none of which found the target. He also had four unsuccessful touches and two dispossessions.
- Shaun Francis fails to convert. Shaun Francis had two opportunities to score in the box, but sent both shots high and wide. He gets a small reprieve as he’s a left-back, not a forward.
- Winless on the road. The Quakes have two points out of a possible 12 on the road. They play Seattle at CenturyLink Field on Saturday. Can they finally get three points on the road?
The Ugly
- Anibal Godoy sees red. Simply put, Anibal Godoy has a huge foul problem. The Quakes defensive midfielder averages three fouls per game, and has four yellows and one red in six appearances. He could have collected a second red last week versus Sporting KC after grabbing Dom Dwyer’s neck, but the foul went unnoticed.
- Clarence Goodson‘s absence is taking its toll. The goal that was scored by Chris Pontius was on a set-piece aerial. Normally these aerials are Goodson’s bread-and-butter, but the 33-year-old center-back only played the first two matches, both of which were shut-outs. Without Goodson, the Quakes are vulnerable on those set pieces.
The next game the Earthquakes play is against the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field on Saturday, May 7th at 7:00pm PT.
The GBU Report is an analysis of San Jose Earthquakes player performances, look for it after each Earthquakes match.
