SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes fell to Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 on Wednesday night at PayPal Park. The result snaps the Quakes' three-match winning streak but sees them remain in second place in the Western Conference.
Seattle took the lead in the 18th minute when a short clearance fell to Cristian Roldan, who would take a left-footed shot and send it past JT Marcinkowski. It would be Seattle's only shot on goal during the match.
The back-and-forth contest saw a dramatic ending when Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei was injured late, forcing midfielder Alex Roldan to replace him. Despite a flurry of chances, and five shots on goal in the second half, San Jose could not find the equalizer.
The Earthquakes will now play their second of three straight home matches on Saturday, May 15 vs. the Portland Timbers, presented by Rotten Robbie. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PHOTOS OF THE MATCH
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD POSTGAME SOUNDBITES
GAME NOTES
The Earthquakes now hold a 3-2-0 record (9 pts.) during the 2021 MLS regular season and are currently in second place in the Western Conference.
San Jose has conceded just one goal in four consecutive matches.
MLS Regular Season
San Jose Earthquakes 0 - 1 Seattle Sounders FC
May 12, 2021 - PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif.
Scoring Summary: SEA - Cristian Roldan (unassisted) 18.
Misconduct Summary: SEA - Raul Ruidiaz (caution) 39; SJ - Chris Wondolowski (caution) 73; SEA - Stefan Frei (caution) 78; SJ - Luciano Abecasis (caution) 80.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: JT Marcinkowski; Marcos Lopez (Luciano Abecasis 69), Tanner Beason, Florian Jungwirth, Tommy Thompson (Shea Salinas 58); Eric Remedi, Jackson Yueill; Carlos Fierro, Chofis (Chris Wondolowski 65), Cristian Espinoza; Cade Cowell (Andy Rios 65).
Substitutes not used: Judson, Benji Kikanovic, Paul Marie, Jack Skahan, Daniel Vega.
SHOTS: 5; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 9.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Stefan Frei; Xavier Arreaga, Nouhou, Yeimar Gomez Andrade; Cristian Roldan, Jordy Delem (Shane O'Neill 8), Alex Roldan, Kelyn Rowe (Brad Smith 83), Ethan Dobbelaere (Fredy Montero 46), Danny Leyva (Joao Paulo 60); Raul Ruidiaz.
Substitutes not used: Will Bruin, Reed Baker-Whiting, Spencer Richey.
SHOTS: 17, SHOTS ON GOAL: 1; FOULS: 13; CORNER KICKS: 2.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MATIAS ALMEYDA
On the result:
"I'm very happy because we went up against the best team in the league and showed important things in respect to the sport. I can't just takeaway the result when the opponent had a single shot at our goal. I take away the number of chances we created against an excellent team with a really good defense. We had our chances but this time we were unable to complete them. We would have liked to tie the game, that would have been fair. The first 25 minutes were back and forth. We were beginning to improve, and we were doing things right for a couple of moments."
On the team's approach to chances created throughout the match:
"I am pleased with the team's production while they were looking for the tie, and ultimately the win if they had tied the game. That's the way soccer goes. You prepare, you get there and for some reason you can't put them away. You play against a team of this pedigree and they only needed one shot to score a great goal. I will highlight the path we took in trying to tie the game, that intensity, getting through on the sides, the mobility and the pressure. We saw a lot of good things."
On facing the Portland Timbers on Saturday:
"We will have to make a thorough analysis of Portland. For us, every team in the league is challenging, not just Seattle and Portland. We respect everyone but we know we have to be doing very well to compete against anybody. We will analyze Portland, and then we will assess who has recovered from this match and determine if changes are necessary in order to renew energy."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER JACKSON YUEILL
On tonight's performance in comparison to previous matches vs. Seattle:
"I think since my time here, four or five years [ago], they've been one of the consistent teams in MLS. They're a very good side for a reason, they have really good players, and they have a system that they're all bought in to. For sure they're a challenging team to play against. You saw why tonight. We made them suffer a lot, and we pressed them hard, and they were able to win and do that against many other teams. I think this is a right step for us. I think, regardless of the result, the effort was there, the attitude at the end, and the second half for the team was in the right direction. It was just about finishing our chances and coming out ready to play at the beginning of the game. I think we gave away the goal early on, and we were a little slow at the beginning. I think that's something to be improved on. But I think there were a lot of positives to take from this game and there is a lot of season to go so we'll get our chances again."
On playing alongside Eric Remedi so far this season:
"I think Eric is a great addition to the team. He's very similar to myself and Judson in his mobility, his work rate, being on the ball, his aggression, and his sacrifice for the team. He cares a lot about helping the guys around him, so I think those are all really, really good qualities. I think he's really talented with the ball. He's able to get us out of situations when we're building up from the back. He's always wanting the ball, he's always asking for the ball, so he's a guy to kind of relieve pressure from the rest of the team, especially myself. I've really enjoyed getting to know him better and I think his influence on the team has been really good. The more he gets into the game and incorporates Judson, I think we're really strong midfielders who will be a hard combination no matter who's in there to play against."
