Two of Major League Soccer’s most prolific strikers traded goals in a lackluster 1-1 draw between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Colorado Rapids on a warm Saturday night at Earthquakes Stadium. Chris Wondolowski, the league’s all-time record goalscorer, opened the scoring for the Earthquakes from the penalty spot, and Kei Kamara, fifth in the scoring charts, equalized with a late header.
Although the occasion was significant – San Jose’s first home match since the MLS season was postponed in March – the match was unfortunately dull, especially in contrast to the club’s electric performances at the MLS is Back tournament in July.
After his team’s 5-1 shellacking at the hands of LAFC last week, San Jose head coach Matias Almeyda made a slate of changes to his starting eleven. Oswaldo Alanis returned from a short spell on the sidelines with a minor back injury, starting alongside Florian Jungwirth at center-back for the first time, and stabilized San Jose’s back-line with his composure and leadership.
Almeyda also replaced both his full-backs, starting Marcos Lopez and Paul Marie in place of Nick Lima and Tommy Thompson, respectively. While Lopez showed poise, Marie was at times overrun by Colorado winger Andre Shinyashiki and looked out of his depth. He was almost immediately booked for a rash tackle and was a vulnerability for much of the game.
Veteran forwards Shea Salinas, Danny Hoesen, and Chris Wondolowski also featured in a flashback front-line alongside Cristian Espinoza. Wondo dragged a low effort narrowly wide of the post in the twenty-third minute and Espinoza made some dangerous runs down the right, but the Quakes otherwise struggled to unlock Colorado’s defense.
The Rapids were content to sit deep and absorb pressure, then launch quickly on the break. A cheeky flick from Diego Rubio put Kellyn Acosta in on goal but Quakes goalkeeper Daniel Vega jumped off his line and blocked the midfielder’s low shot with a crucial kick-save. The thirty-six-year-old stopper also made two smart saves from Shinyashiki, catching a dangerous header with solid hands and turning away a tricky shot at his near post early in the second half.
The Rapids nearly scored when Rubio fired onto the post in the fifty-seventh minute, but the Quakes grabbed the lead from the penalty spot shortly thereafter. Marie drew a hand-ball with a dangerous cross from the right-wing, and Wondolowski cooly rolled the ball past Rapids goalkeeper William Yarbrough.
The captain nearly added another in a goal-mouth scramble in the seventy-fifth minute but couldn’t will the ball over the line. Although sixteen-year-old substitute Cade Cowell also showed flashes of danger on the breakaway, he couldn’t convert, either.
The Rapids made them pay for those missed chances when Kamara equalized from a corner in the eighty-first minute. Vega rose tried to claim the ball but Kamara got their first, thumping a powerful header into the back of the open net.
