The San Jose Earthquakes scored twice in their 1-1 draw versus the L.A. Galaxy at the StubHub Center on Sunday. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly San Jose’s second match in Los Angeles this season.
GBU Report: Galaxy vs. Earthquakes
The Good
- A point in L.A. The Quakes are only the second team to take points at the StubHub Center in 2016 (Portland also drew the Galaxy 1-1 on April 10). It is also the second time San Jose has played the Galaxy this season, both in L.A. The Quakes lost the first match 3-1 after a Simon Dawkins red-card put the Quakes down a man for the second half of the first match, resulting in three second-half goals. The final Cali Clasico will take place at Stanford Stadium on June 25.
- Fatai comes alive. There has been some speculation that defensive midfielder Fatai Alashe is experiencing a sophomore slump in 2016, but his 87′ equalizer has quelled the speculation storm (for now). Fatai led the team with three shots, two shots on target and a goal; not bad for a defensive midfielder!
- Barrett’s dime. Quakes forward Chad Barrett was a late but effective sub, coming on at 84′ and notching his first assist of the season three minutes later on Alashe’s equalizer. It was a bit of payback for the former Galaxy player, whose contract was not renewed by L.A. after the 2012 season.
The Bad
- Road games, road games, road games. One of the obstacles San Jose must overcome is their tendency to shoot themselves in the foot on the road. A Marvell Wynne own-goal was their undoing on Sunday. It was the second time the Quakes scored an own-goal which resulted in a tie, the first coming in Frisco, TX off the head of center back Victor Bernardez. The Quakes have just three road points out of 18 possible, which won’t help their playoff aspirations. Amazingly, their three road draws are against teams which are a combined 13-0-6 at home: FC Dallas, Philadelphia Union, and the L.A. Galaxy.
- Wondo struggles. Quakes forward/captain Chris Wondolowski had several opportunities to score, but never was able to find the back of the net. This also haunted him in Seattle just two weeks prior to Sunday’s match. Wondo hit the woodwork and had a great look at goal, but managed to put his shot right at Galaxy ‘keeper Brian Rowe.
- Quintero’s roller-coaster. Midfielder Alberto Quintero had a three-point night versus the Houston Dynamo last Wednesday with two goals and an assist, but struggled to find any consistency versus L.A. Quintero turned the ball over three times and put himself in trouble early with a 23′ yellow-card. He also finished with one shot and did not produce any scoring chances.
- Simon’s nine turnovers. To be fair, Quakes midfielder/forward Simon Dawkins is rounding into form, with three key passes and 51 attempts, both of which led the team. Simon also finished with a 90% passing accuracy. But perhaps the most surprising stat was his turnover margin: three dispossessions and six unsuccessful first-touches, both of which led the team. Simon’s Jeckyl and Hyde performance limited the Quakes offense all night.
The Ugly
- Wynne’s whiff. Defender Marvell Wynne, playing in place of injured back-up center back Andres Imperiale, slotted home the go-ahead goal for L.A. To add insult to injury, Wynne was beaten several times by Robbie Keane on the night, losing Keane on a cross at 10′ in which a Keane header bounced over the crossbar, and at 78′ in which Keane had a one-on-one with Quakes ‘keeper David Bingham. Keane, like Wondo, could have finished with a goal or two, but left the pitch empty-handed.
- Francis Zardes’d. L.A. Galaxy forward Gyasi Zardes had a great offensive game versus the Quakes left-back Shaun Francis, generating a team-leading four key passes. Some Francis low-lights include Zardes beating Francis on an aerial which led to a Giovani Dos Santos shot that hit the crossbar at 72′, and an unmarked Zardes sending a cross into the six-yard box which led to the Wynne own-goal. Francis also turned the ball over three times and ranked last on back-line with one clearance and zero interceptions. Don’t be surprised to see the return of Jordan Stewart in the coming months, as Francis has been inconsistent all season.
The Quakes return to Avaya Stadium on Saturday, May 28th to play FC Dallas at 7:30pm.
The GBU Report breaks down the good, bad, and ugly player performances for the San Jose Earthquakes. Look for a new GBU Report after each match.
Main Photo: Dan Burkhead, Last Word on Sports
