SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes tied La Liga side Real Valladolid 1-1 in an international friendly on Tuesday night at Avaya Stadium.
After Real Valladolid took the lead on a free kick from distance in the first half, Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski put away Paul Marie's cross in the 60th minute to level the score at one apiece. The Earthquakes had a chance to take the lead late, but Wondolowski's penalty kick hit the crossbar.
The Quakes held an introductory press conference for new signing Carlos Fierro and unveiled the Mexican midfielder to fans at halftime.
San Jose resume MLS action when they take Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place on Saturday, July 20. Saturday's MLS fixture is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZF.
MATCH NOTES:
San Jose now holds an 11-11-11 all-time record in international exhibitions, and a record of 1-1-2 against Spanish teams.
International Friendly
San Jose Earthquakes 1 - 1 Real Valladolid C.F.
July 16, 2019 - Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif.
Attendance: 10,279
Scoring Summary: RV - Sandro Castillo (unassisted) 34;SJ - Chris Wondolowski (Paul Marie) 60.
Misconduct Summary: SJ - Francois Affolter (caution) 25; RV - Jorge De Frutos (caution) 26; SJ - Harold Cummings (caution) 33.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Andrew Tarbell; Nick Lima (Vako 57), Francois Affolter, Harold Cummings (Guram Kashia HT), Marcos Lopez; Luis Felipe (Judson 68), Kevin Partida (Jackson Yueill 57), Eric Calvillo (Magnus Eriksson 57), Paul Marie, Shea Salinas (Siad Haji 81); Danny Hoesen (Chris Wondolowski 57).
SHOTS: 9; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 14; CORNER KICKS: 3; OFFSIDES: 0.
REAL VALLADOLID C.F.: Josip Lopez [Samu Perez 33 (Jose Caro HT)] Fernando Calero (Nacho MartÃnez HT), JoaquÃn Fernández (Diego Alende 40), Federico Barba (Javier Moyano HT), Antonio Regal (Ruben Alcaraz HT); Laureano Villa (Kike Perez HT), Fede Emeterio (Alvaro Aguado HT), Michel Herrero (Waldo Rubio HT), Jorge De Frutos; Sergi Guardiola (Oscar Plano HT), Sandro Castillo (Chris Ramos HT).
SHOTS: 10;SAVES: 1; FOULS: 9; CORNER KICKS: 1; OFFSIDES: 0.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH MATIAS ALMEYDA
On the team's performance:
"I thought it was a good match for any of our players that have not been getting regular minutes. They still performed the same way against a European opponent. We made ourselves equal to them, so the match went well. The match shortens our week, looking ahead to the next match, but we were able to give minutes and play the game the way we planned."
On the importance of the match:
"Every match we play is important, whether it's a friendly or a match with points at stake. We're still looking for an identity and have everyone know what they play for. That's what this match was about, and for a moment it looked as if we reflected that."
On shifting the team's focus to Saturday's MLS match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC:
"Firstly, our focus was on this match. Communication and dialogue are fundamental for us. Agustin [Zalazar] plays a big role in our communications. We play every match with high intensity and a lot of passion. We make it a priority to defend this jersey, regardless of whether the match is friendly or competitive. Starting tomorrow, we will begin to prepare for a difficult match we have on Saturday."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SHEA SALINAS
On the team's culture:
"Our culture has been a huge part of our success. All of us care about each other and every person is treated the exact same and it's evident. [Matias Almeyda] treats everyone the same, the staff treats everyone the same, the players treat everybody the same. We want to fight for each other, we want to be tough to play against. If the team succeeds, individuals succeed."
On the match:
"It's a fun game. I think it's tough to play a midweek game in the middle of the season but it's really good for us guys that haven't had many minutes lately to stay fit, to stay sharp. So, I think it was important. It was good for a lot of guys."
On Wondolowski's goal:
"We expect Chris Wondolowski to score goals, don't we? I think it was a great build up. Magnus [Eriksson] played Paul Marie in. Paul had a great final pass. Wondo is where he needs to be. It's typical."
On the importance of tonight's game:
"The last thing you want is guys getting injured, guys to get overworked. There's been a bunch of guys that have put in a lot of minutes lately, it was good for them to get 20 or 30 minutes tonight. But for us that haven't played more than 20 or 30 minutes in a long time, it was good. A lot of us got 60,70 or 80 minutes under our belts tonight. It just keeps you sharp, keeps you fit. It's tough to stay game fit when you're not playing games. Tonight, was about keeping guys fit."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES FORWARD CHRIS WONDOLOWSKI
On the team's culture:
"It's a tough thing to do. You can always speak on the culture, you can always say the right things, but to have someone instill it and for us to actually do that and for him to do it day in and day out and we see it through his leadership, I think it just trickles down."
On Matias Almeyda:
"He's been amazing. I think a lot of it is what he's done. His game plan is one that's kind of getting all the shine, but just what he's brought to this locker room, the camaraderie, the family, the togetherness, the belief. I think his philosophies are really what are driving us and inspiring us. It's a joy to play for him. He makes you smile, makes you work hard and makes you enjoy life in the game. It's a cool thing."
On the performance of the team overall:
"I think it's great. It's always kind of a Catch-22 with these games. They're always kind of midweek, in the heart of the season, but at the same time, it's a great opportunity, especially for some of these guys to get some quality minutes. I thought a lot of guys stepped up and played well."
On being the talk of the league:
"It's good. I don't think we're flying under the radar anymore, which is a whole other thing, but at the same time, it has been a lot of hard work. It started in the preseason, we didn't get the results in the way that we wanted to play, but it's good to finally see the results and see the direction we wanted to go. Confidence is a funny thing, it kind of snowballs. Once you see the ball hit the back of the net, once you get three points, you want it again. You want to taste that again and I think right now we're hungry for that and it's a good thing in our locker room."
