“A little bit better, eh?” San Jose Earthquakes coach Mikael Stahre tried to rouse reporters after a scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake, unsuccessfully. A little bit better, maybe, but still not good enough as the Quakes remain winless in fourteen matches.
Even new center-back signing Guram Kashia knows their underperformance is “getting really annoying.”
With Kashia leading the defense, the Quakes recorded their first competitive clean sheet of the season, “a monkey off our backs,” per goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell. However, Stahre’s men failed to capitalize up front. This was their third consecutive league game without scoring, a concerning trend that frustrates captain Chris Wondolowski, who was benched.
Asked about his absence from the starting eleven, which Stahre chalked up to normal squad rotation, the forward was smoldering. “I’ve got nothing, sorry,” he said.
Top scorer Danny Hoesen was also left out of the eleven in favor of Vako and Quincy Amarikwa. Amarikwa’s energy and Vako’s ingenuity created moments of brilliance for the Quakes, but the pair failed to connect and mostly drifted through the game.
The first half was devoid of any real attacking threats from either side. Damir Kreilach dragged wide in the sixteenth minute and fired at Andrew Tarbell shortly thereafter, but RSL didn’t pose that much danger going forward. The Quakes were mostly limited to long-range efforts, struggling to break in behind.
However, the introduction of Sebastian Saucedo for RSL opened the match in the second half, and the winger nearly found the breakthrough in spectacular style with a long range chip, forcing Tarbell to scramble. Tarbell also came up big to deny Justin Glad’s towering header in the fifty-third minute, and another headed effort fifteen minutes later.
Magnus Eriksson nearly pulled the Quakes ahead on a quick breakaway, lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Nick Rimando, but couldn’t find the target. Amarikwa also found the crossbar from Nick Lima’s cross and Vako volleyed narrowly wide, but RSL held on for the draw.
Some promise from the Quakes, perhaps, but not enough delivery.
“We have to learn how to win these kind of games,” said Kashia. “These kind of games give you, in the table, a big difference.”
PHOTO: ISI