SAN JOSE, Calif. - Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham looked every bit the leader as he stood in the locker room after a 1-1 draw with the Montreal Impact Wednesday night.
The former Cal keeper took responsibility for the win that got away.
"This one is on me tonight," Bingham said. "There are 10 other guys on that field busting their butts the whole game."
Clearly, Bingham wasn't solely to fault for the tie, in which the Quakes squandered an early lead for the third straight time at Avaya Stadium.
"We didn't play well enough today to get the result," center back Fatai Alashe said.
On Montreal's tying goal in the 65th minute, Dominic Oduro passed to Johan Venegas on the right, and he outfoxed Marc Pelosi and Shaun Francis. The ball deflected off Francis to an unmarked Kyle Bekker, who had time to comfortably fire a 22-yard shot into the near corner with his left foot.
It was a poor goal to allow, especially since the Quakes were playing with a man-advantage.
Bingham got caught leaning on the play and didn't cover the near corner. Damage done. The goal gave the defensive-minded guests just what they needed.
But there's no time to look back now in the final playoff push.
The Quakes have a quick turnaround game against Frank Lampard and New York FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday. San Jose is just one point out of sixth place, the final playoff spot, with five games remaining, including four against Western Conference foes.
Despite Wednesday's disappointment, the Quakes are 4-1-2 in their past seven matches, including winning four in a row, all by shutout, in August.
The Quakes ran out a 4-4-2 formation against the Impact, with Matias Perez Garcia returning to the starting lineup, this time at right midfielder. The Argentine was his pesky self with bursts of speed, even drawing a red card on defender Ambroise Oyongo for a reckless challenge in the 49th minute. The ejection seemed to clear the path for the Quakes, who led 1-0 after Chris Wondolowski's 14th goal of the season in the 25th minute.
But the add-on goal never came. Two minutes after he scored Wondolowski hit a curling shot from distance, but keeper Eric Kronberg made a leaping saves with the ball heading for the upper corner.
In the 69th minute, after Shea Salinas blazed down the left wing he threaded the needle with a pass through the back line to Wondolowski, whose sliding shot was a few feet past the far post.
"We had good chances to certainly score another goal, and I think when you're up a man you need to do that," center back Clarence Goodson said. "Any time they're only down one goal they're still in the game."
Goodson dismisses the notion that the Quakes have been less-than formidable at home.
"We've been dominant I think the last two games," he said, also referencing a 1-1 draw with Seattle. "I think we've been the better team by far. Two kind of fluke goals: Obafemi Martins just throws his leg up and scores a goal, and then tonight it's a bad goal to give up. So I think that we have been good at home, but we haven't gotten the results that would show that, and that's unfortunate."
Kinnear described the draw as "very frustrating, especially in the manner it happened."
He said he will see how his guys are feeling physically, and then trust them to get the job done in New York.
"I didn't go in there and throw anything or point fingers," Kinnear said of his postgame talk. "My point was, 'Hey, we all have to want this together in a real bad way, and let's get ready for Saturday.' At 1-0 and a red card, should we have killed the game off? I think probably everyone in this room would say yes, you probably should have.' It didn't happen. The turn-around is too quick for us to look back and go, 'Well, we should have done this.'"
What did he tell the players right after the game?
"We have a game on Saturday. Let's go win," Kinnear said.
