The San Jose Earthquakes traveled to Columbus, Ohio for the first time since March 2013 to face Columbus Crew SC Saturday at MAPFRE Stadium. A game strongly affected by injuries, the Quakes fell 2-0 after going undefeated in their eight previous encounters against the Eastern Conference side.
Columbus took the lead in the 32nd minute after Ethan Finlay finished Justin Meram’s cross. The Quakes looked to equalize the match and had some different faces on the pitch for the encounter.
In defense, Andres Imperiale replaced Marvell Wynne, making his first start since the 1-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City on April 24. Shaun Francis also made his 50th start with the Earthquakes, replacing Jordan Stewart as the left defender.
After missing two games due to injury, Fatai Alashe started in the central midfield and replaced an injured Anibal Godoy.
After making his debut against the Houston Dynamo on Aug. 19, Henok Goitom made his first start, replacing Quincy Amarikwa who suffered a right ankle injury in the match against New England on Wednesday, Aug. 24.
More changes occurred as the game progressed.
Just before the half, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell made his first professional appearance, replacing David Bingham in the 45th minute after he suffered a back injury.
Tarbell made an immediate impact, saving former Quake Adam Jahn’s header in the 48th minute, moments after entering the match.
The Quakes were not without chances in the first half. Goitom had a clear chance after forward Chris Wondolowski’s header found him in front of goal in the 24th minute, but the Swede’s shot went over the crossbar.
The injury worries continued in the second half. Marvel Wynne replaced defensive staple Victor Bernardez in the 58th minute after the Honduran suffered what appeared to be a groin injury.
Fortunately for the Quakes, they have two weeks to recover from the injuries before returning to MLS play on Saturday, Sept. 10 against Seattle Sounders FC due to the FIFA international break.
Shaun Francis and Simon Dawkins will represent Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz in the FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Panama and Haiti. Cordell Cato will represent Trinidad and Tobago in their World Cup qualifying matches against Guatemala and the U.S Men’s National Team.
During the break, the Quakes will face C.F. Pachuca on Saturday, Sept. 3 in a friendly match at Avaya Stadium. All Earthquakes season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game B tickets for the match.
Special-rate group tickets can be purchased by calling the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700.
