One side was coming off a California sweep of victories, dominating possession, chances and essentially the rest of the game. The other was held without a point in their last three games, being outscored 10-1 in that stretch. Yet just two points separated the San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps in the tight-knit MLS Western Conference standings.
It was a massive fixture in both team’s hunt to turn their season around.
Eager to get his side back on track, Marc Dos Santos marched out a 4-4-2 for the third straight game, pairing Tossaint Ricketts with Fredy Montero in this round of striker roulette. Evan Bush also got the nod to make his Vancouver debut, after being acquired in a trade with Montreal last week. Michael Baldisimo partnered with Leonard Owusu in the centre of the park, with captain Teibert out on the left.
Matias Almeyda stuck with a familiar 4-2-3-1 side that beat LA Galaxy last week. Tommy Thompson was the lone change, replacing Marcos Lopez at left back. The side looked relatively similar back in July at the MLS is Back thriller between the two sides.
Things took a slow start this time around, with neither side able to capitalize on their chances before the break. Vancouver racked up six shots on target and seven corners — a new season high, by half time. However, it was Judson and San Jose who had the best chance, a three-on-one breakaway chance, finished off with a low grass-cutting shot that rolled just past Bush’s far post.
Lethal double punch by the Earthquakes
Vancouver’s recent trend of starting slow to one of the two halves came through right on schedule, as the 0-0 scoreline didn’t stand for much longer. Christian Espinoza spun away from David Milinkovic, lacing home the game’s first goal from the top of the box in the 50th. There were a number of half hearted tackles from the Vancouver defense, but give credit where credit’s due on Espinoza’s split second decision making to make the space.
Things then went from bad to worse for the Whitecaps, as seems to be a common theme this year. Coming out of the break, Andy Rose lead the Whitecaps in touches, clearances, shots and shots on target, so it’s safe to say he was having a decent night. Walking on eggshells after picking up an early yellow, the big man rather recklessly took down Carlos Fierro in the 52nd minute. Down a goal and now down a man, Vancouver’s push for the playoffs just got that much more difficult in the span of two minutes.
Andres Rios’ strike 15 minutes later didn’t help, doubling the Earthquakes’ lead. A long run by former Whitecaps Shea Salinas pulled a number or Vancouver defenders away from Rios, who stood unmarked 12 yards out. The strike was Rios’ fourth on the year and second in back to back games, making it highly unlikely that Vancouver claw their way back.
Vancouver sees red (again)
In all fairness, Vancouver did — in a way — “claw” back. Erik Godoy was getting a little too handsy with Jackson Yueill, which was enough for referee Allen Chapman to reach for a straight red card. Down a pair of goals and both their starting centre backs, Dos Santos voiced his displeasure post-game.
“The sending off of Andy (Rose) is totally soft. So so soft. Andy, I think he made two fouls in the game and that killed the game, that killed the game…And then, Erik (Godoy) gets sent off again for? I don’t want to say much, so I don’t get in trouble but not good, not good. We don’t deserve. The result at the end is heavy for the effort of everybody in the club and everybody in the team,” Marc Dos Santos, head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps, said.
A late dagger from Paul Marie on the counter attack was the final nail in Vancouver’s coffin. Marie’s first notch on the year came from a 93rd minute Whitecaps’ free kick, and an efficient wave of San Jose players took the ball down field, before a low strike across Bush all but confirmed the Earthquakes’ third straight win.
Woke up in a good mood.@ElJimador | #VamosSJ pic.twitter.com/hP1v90Xkr6
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) October 8, 2020
Moving On for the Vancouver Whitecaps
San Jose aim to make it four wins from four this Sunday, taking on second-place Portland. The Earthquakes are only in the playoffs by a single point right now, so a tough test against a difficult home Portland side is a huge ask for Almeyda’s men. Having the lion’s share of possession and shots over the last three games, San Jose is a team renewed with confidence and hope, brimming with playoff potential.
On the contrary, Vancouver has been outscored 13-1 in the past four games, has injury and disciplinary problems as glaring as can be and are without their two starting centre backs for a now crucial game against Real Salt Lake this Saturday. This fixture was the first of five in 16 days, and it’s no secret the team doesn’t have the depth in midfield to keep up. Dos Santos’ problems are piling up, and time could be running out.
