As the San Jose Earthquakes continue their meteoric rise up the Major League Soccer table, fans and pundits alike have wondered how they can be stopped.
Tonight, the Columbus Crew’s game-plan was the perfect blueprint.
Even though they sit near the bottom of the table, the Crew were able to hold the Quakes to a 1-1 draw with a cagey strategy that frustrated San Jose’s offense and broke their defensive line.
Having won six of their previous seven matches, it was an important reality check for Matias Almeyda’s men.
“There was a feeling that was sort of strange for a draw,” said the head coach. “When we arrived here and lost four games, they were used to losing. Now they’re used to winning and a draw doesn’t seem like enough.”
It’s not only the result — it’s that the Quakes were genuinely outmaneuvered for the first time in months. Even when they drop points, San Jose usually push the tempo with their aggressive man-marking system and control the pulse of the match. On this occasion, however, Columbus wrested command of the proceedings after a series of tactical changes at halftime and disrupted San Jose’s momentum.
“San Jose is a difficult team to game-plan for,” said Columbus coach Caleb Porter. “There are times when you need to step up and rattle their build-up because they’re very good at playing out…then obviously if they break [the pressure] you really just have to drop off, because if you start getting stretched and stepping out then they’ll pull you apart and move you around and find space.”
Columbus found the right balance on the night to keep San Jose at bay. Magnus Eriksson gave the Quakes a first-half lead from the penalty spot but San Jose otherwise struggled to create quality chances from open play, allowing Columbus to work their way back into the match.
Matias Almeyda changed San Jose’s front line for the first time in nine league matches, resting Chris Wondolowski after his midweek appearance in the MLS All-Star Game in Orlando. Danny Hoesen got the nod instead, a chance for the Dutchman to make a case for himself after an extended period on the bench.
It can only be seen as an opportunity wasted, however, as Hoesen was a step off the pace, failing to connect with a series of crosses of the type that Wondo has so often converted.
Vako was again San Jose’s most dangerous outlet, flashing a half-volley just wide of the post early on, but despite another impressive shots tally, the Quakes rarely tested Columbus keeper Eloy Room. Columbus largely contained Cristian Espinoza with an aggressive double-team and by the sixty-first minute, the San Jose Ultras were already chanting “Wondo” in the hopes that the captain would be introduced to help revitalize their offense.
Yet the Crew had momentum. Gyasi Zardes equalized with a towering header shortly thereafter and the visitors continued to threaten on the break. Although they didn’t have the firepower to nip the win, Caleb Porter’s side had the game-management skills to hold onto the point and prove that the Quakes are still fallible.
