The Earthquakes entered Saturday night's game with a 2-1-1 record and tied for 4th in the Western Conference. Eager to keep pace, a game that went back and forth ended in a 2-2 draw. Alberto Quintero opened up his MLS account with a blast from just inside the 18-yard box, scoring his first goal in an Earthquakes shirt. Chris Wondolowski also continued his red-hot start with his fourth goal in five games. Postgame reactions from Coach Kinnear, Wondo, and Alberto Quintero follow below.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH DOMINIC KINNEAR
On whether he saw the result as a point gained from the draw or two lost:
“In between. We gave up the lead twice. They created chances, we created chances. They are a good team. Overall, I am happy to come away with a point. I thought we had some good moments.”
On San Jose’s performance
“
I thought we showed some great determination. We had a couple of chances late in the game (to win it). That’s not to say we were all over them. I’m not blind, I’m not stupid, I’m not that biased. But I’m happy the guys showed tremendous fight and they were not afraid to play tonight.”
On Quincy Amarikwa
“Quincy has been having a good season for us. His numbers show that. He was a handful. He can hold it up and stretch the defense. When he and Chris (Wondolowski) play close together good things happen for us.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On the game
“Soccer’s a funny game. They played well. They’re a good team and a very good team at home. But it’s always frustrating to lose the lead twice. You always think you let some slip, but at the same time, it’s alright to get one [point] on the road.”
On pressing for the winning goal rather than defending the point
“
That’s always our mentality. We always want to get three points. No matter where we are. There were times we could have just dropped back and tried to defend, but we kept pressing and looking for a winner. It showed in Dom’s substitutions – he brought in Innocent, Shea (Salinas) and Adam (Jahn) - offensive subs to try to make a difference. I love it. It’s frustrating we couldn’t get a winner, but it’s good we at least got a point.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES WINGER ALBERTO QUINTERO
On how it felt to score first goal for the Earthquakes:
“It felt very good. I am hoping to score many more for the Quakes and for the fans.”
On his mindset when his shot hit the back of the net:
“When it hit the back of the net I thought of my family because they are always following how I do in games.”
On scoring more goals now he has his first:
“Well, I hope to continue fighting for my place in the team and then we will take it game by game. I hope to continue scoring.”
On his performance and that of the team:
“The team is playing really well. This was an important game at a tough place away from home and we will take the point back with us. I think personally that I am getting better and better with every game that I am playing.”
