SAN JOSE, Calif. – *The San Jose Earthquakes fell to the Colorado Rapids 1-0 at PayPal Park on Saturday night. The result snaps San Jose’s unbeaten streak at 10 matches.
Both teams were forced to make early substitutions when Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar collided with Quakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse on an aerial challenge.
After more than 88 scoreless minutes, Colorado took the lead when Dominique Badji finished off a quick counterattack. San Jose nearly found the equalizer moments later, but Paul Marie’s close-range header was saved off the line.
The Earthquakes will now hit the road to face FC Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 11. The match kicks off from Toyota Stadium at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
GAME NOTES
The Earthquakes now hold a 6-8-8 record (26 pts.) during the 2021 MLS regular season and are currently in 10th place in the Western Conference.
The Quakes saw their unbeaten streak snapped at 10 matches (3-0-7). It marked the club’s first unbeaten stretch of 10+ matches in a single season since July-Oct. 2005 (11-0-3). The 10-match unbeaten streak was the third longest in Quakes history (2005 – 14; 2001 – 12).
San Jose is now 30-24-18 all-time against the Colorado Rapids, including 17-9-9 record at home and 4-1-2 record at PayPal Park.
The Quakes have now allowed one or fewer goals in 10 consecutive matches, conceding a total of eight goals in that span.
MLS Regular Season
San Jose Earthquakes 0 – 1 Colorado Rapids
Sept. 4, 2021 – PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
Attendance: 14,142
Scoring Summary: COL – Dominique Badji (Nicolas Mezquida, Jonathan Lewis) 89.
Misconduct Summary: COL – Lalas Abubakar (caution) 4; SJ – Eric Remedi (caution) 61; COL – Nicolas Mezquida (caution) 81; SJ – Oswaldo Alanis (caution) 84; COL – Jack Price (caution) 85.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: JT Marcinkowski; Tanner Beason (Chris Wondolowski 62), Oswaldo Alanis, Nathan, Luciano Abecasis (Cristian Espinoza 46); Judson, Eric Remedi; Shea Salinas (Paul Marie 63), Jackson Yueill, Chofis (Carlos Fierro 72); Jeremy Ebobisse (Cade Cowell 6, Andy Rios 78).
Substitutes not used: Jack Skahan, Tommy Thompson, Daniel Vega.
SHOTS: 11; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 10; CORNER KICKS: 0; SAVES: 3
COLORADO RAPIDS: William Yarbrough; Danny Wilson, Lalas Abubakar (Drew Moor 6), Lucas Esteves (Steven Beitashour 90+3), Jack Price, Keegan Rosenberry, Collen Warner (Nicolas Mezquida 72), Braian Galvan, Michael Barrios (Dominique Badji 89), Cole Bassett, Andre Shinyashiki (Jonathan Lewis 63).
Substitutes not used: Clint Irwin.
SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 5; FOULS: 15; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 2
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MATIAS ALMEYDA
On the result:
“The game itself was even and we played it well. It’s clear that you win football matches by scoring goals. In the first half we had a clear chance, and in some other plays, we just needed to sharpen up the final pass. Everything that we planned and explained was happening in the match. It’s difficult when you’re not putting away your goals. At halftime and even before the match, I told the players that they only had one way to hurt us, which was on the counter and if we’re not marking while attacking. It’s clear that we forgave them, and Colorado did not forgive us.”
On the impact from the substitutions:
“I think the subs played well. The match was even, and it was controlled, but that moment in the 89th minute was unfortunate, and they took advantage of it. They had a one-on-one, and they scored. We had a clear one-on-one and we hit the ball out.”
On the importance of upcoming matches:
“All games are must wins. Today we played to win. It was reflected in the subs we made that we wanted to win. We didn’t want to tie.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SHEA SALINAS
On the game plan:
“Yeah, it’s tough. The game changes a ton when Jeremy [Ebobisse] goes out. He’s a very different player than Cade [Cowell] and so the game plan changes. Jeremy’s a hold-up player, lays it off, and then wide guys can get up the field and get in behind. Cade’s more of a runner, more of the type to run in behind. The game plan changes when Cade comes in. We had a difficult time holding the ball up, which would allow us to transition and get into their final third. So, it ended up becoming more of a back-and-forth game and unfortunately they got us on the counter there at the end.”
On the mood in the locker room:
“There’s two feelings. There’s a feeling of frustration knowing this is a big game. Looking at the table, three points would have helped us a ton, and a point would have been a little better. There’s a feeling of frustration and disappointment, but we know there’s 12 games left. We have a big game against Dallas next week. A lot of these games are head-to-head West Coast games, so we have to put another run together.”
