It was not especially pretty, but Dominic Kinnear had readied himself for that earlier in the day as he negotiated the notorious Bay Area traffic on his way to Avaya Stadium.
“I don’t want to get philosophical,” the Earthquakes coach said after the gritty 2-0 victory over New York Red Bulls, “but as I was driving to the game I was thinking that there’s no such thing as a bad win. There’s good wins and sometimes bad ties.”
It was a thought not lost on Chris Wondolowski, a fellow commuter from the East Bay, although his reflections came in a victorious post-game locker room, rather than in the front seat of his car.
“New York does a great job of pressing and I think they made it very difficult for us,” said the evergreen striker, who registered his fifth goal in six games to move joint fourth on the MLS list of all-time scorers.
"You look at the DC United game (a 1-1 draw) - I thought we played prettier there and got a tie but I’ll take these games and three points all day.”
Wondolowski cut a happy figure following the victory, which keeps San Jose (3-1-2) at fourth in the Western Conference.
While as humble as ever, the 33-year-old at least acknowledged that when the dust settles after the third win of the season, he will reflect on joining Ante Razov on 114 career goals.
"It’s pretty cool,” said Wondolowski. "Just to be mentioned with some of those names. I remember watching Razov. He was one of the best, a deadly finisher. It’s pretty amazing and a bit surreal. It’s one of those things that’s going to sink in later. I’m very proud of it.”
On an evening when the resolute Earthquakes stuck their chests out to deny periods of heavy New York pressure, both Wondolowski and Kinnear had words of admiration for Matias Perez-Garcia.
The Argentinian playmaker appears to have developed an appetite for defensive work. And while he remains a potent attacking weapon, his efforts on the other side of the ball have not gone unnoticed.
"He won the ball back and gave it to Shea for the second goal,” said Wondolowski of his header that doubled San Jose’s lead following Fatai Alashe’s deflected opener.
"We scored that goal because of his work ethic. It’s something he has worked on and takes pride in. Its nice to see and I’m proud of him.”
Kinnear was also impressed. “I didn’t really know him before he came here,” the coach said. "I knew he was, from watching him train, technically very, very gifted, probably the most technical player we have on our team. I think the attitude has grown throughout the team that we have to work hard on both sides of the ball and I think he’s showing that.”
Thoughts now switch back to the road. A week comprised of Bay Area commutes and a return journey to Texas will end with another trip – this time up to Oregon to face the Portland Timbers.
All appears to be pointing north for San Jose.
