Matias Almeyda and the San Jose Earthquakes took their third straight win and moved to the playoff spots in the West when they beat Vancouver Whitecaps FC a fourth straight 3-0 defeat on Wednesday night.
The game went goalless after a first half in which there was a lot of end-to-end action. Both teams had chances, but Vancouver had a slight lead with five shots on goal, including two each from striker Fredy Montero and defender Andy Rose (from two corners of Vancouver). San Jose also forced goalkeeper Evan Bush, who made his debut in Vancouver, two important saves towards the end of the first half.
It seemed only a matter of time before one of the teams broke the impasse and scored Cristian Espinoza first for San Jose five minutes into the second half.
A few minutes later, Whitecaps FC lost not only a goal but a man as well when Andy Rose was sent off for a second yellow.
Striker Andy Rios added a second goal for the Quakes and after Erik Godoy showed a straight red in the last 15 minutes to bring Vancouver down to nine men, San Jose’s Paul Marie added a third to seal the deal and to secure victory.
Gates
- 50 ‘- SJ – Cristian Espinoza | SEE
- 66 ‘- SJ – Andy Rios | SEE
- 90 ‘+ 3’ – SJ – Paul Marie | SEE
Three things
- THE BIG PICTURE: After the heavy defeats of the earthquakes in recent weeks, it is hard to believe that they are above the playoff line after a third win in a row. Meanwhile, the postseason is shifting for a team from Vancouver that is four points away from bottoming out in the playoffs.
- Moment of the game: After 50 minutes of even play and chances for both sides, San Jose Earthquakes designated player Cristian Espinoza finally broke through to give his side the edge and put them on the path to victory.
- MAN OF THE GAME: Cristian Espinoza was dangerous throughout the game and visibly frustrated when he couldn’t find the back of the net in the first half. He persisted and came out strong in the second 45 to open the scoring for San Jose.
Next up
- SJ: Sunday, October 11th at Portland Timbers (10 p.m. ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN +, FOX 12 Plus (KPDX), NBC Sports California in the US; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- FROM: Saturday October 10 at Real Salt Lake (10 p.m. ET | TSN in Canada; MLS LIVE on ESPN +, KMYU in the US)
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