The San Jose Earthquakes head back on the road Saturday, Sept. 17 for their first matchup against the Colorado Rapids since they defeated the Western Conference side in their season opener at Avaya Stadium on March 6. The match will be broadcast live on CSN Plus and 1370 KZSF.
The Quakes are undefeated in their last 13 matches against the Rapids with a 7-0-6 record, and will look to make it 14 on Saturday. San Jose hasn´t lost to Colorado since Aug. 13, 2011.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, the Quakes drew 1-1 against Seattle Sounders FC at home. Chris Wondolowski scored San Jose’s lone goal in the match to become the first player in MLS history to score 10 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons. Defender Jordan Stewart also earned his first assist of the season and third of his MLS career.
THIS WEEK
OPPONENT INFORMATION
Earthquakes vs. Colorado All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 28-18-14
Home: 15-8-7 (50 GF, 35 GA)
Away: 13-10-7 (37 GF, 36 GA)
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 87, Colorado – 71
Last Game vs. Colorado
Earthquakes 1, Colorado 0; March 6, 2016; Avaya Stadium, San Jose, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes opened their 2016 Major League Soccer campaign with a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids at Avaya Stadium behind Chris Wondolowski’s second-half header. The victory helped San Jose move to 7-10-2 all-time in season openers and marked the club’s first win on opening day since 2012. Three Quakes players made their MLS debut during the match – midfielders Alberto Quintero and Matheus Silva and defender Kip Colvey – and head coach Dominic Kinnear improved to 86-6-24 when his side scores first at home. The Earthquakes nearly took a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute, as forward Quincy Amarikwa broke downfield to set up a one-on-one with Rapids goalkeeper Zac MacMath. Before Amarikwa could get his shot off, defender Jared Watts made a last-ditch tackle and swiped the ball from under his feet. The Quakes took the lead within seconds of the start of the second half. Amarikwa sent a pass out wide to Quintero, who chipped the ball into the box. Wondolowski’s header beat MacMath to the near post. It marked Wondolowski’s 110th career MLS goal and Quintero’s first career assist. Quintero is the first Earthquakes player to tally a goal or an assist in his MLS debut since Matias Perez Garcia scored against the LA Galaxy on August 8, 2014. Wondolowski scored the Quakes first goal of the season for the second straight year and third time in his career. With the goal, the Quakes have now scored at least once in each of the past 14 matches dating back to August 8, 2015, the longest active streak in Major League Soccer. The Rapids nearly equalized in the 85th minute. Defender Eric Miller drilled a shot to the top-right corner of the net from outside of the box, causing goalkeeper David Bingham to leap and fully extend to tip the ball over the bar. Bingham made several key saves throughout the match to help him tally his 13th career shutout.
History of the Quakes – Colorado Rivalry
The two teams played for the first time in 1996 and the Quakes swept the four-game season series, outscoring Colorado 9-3 in the process … Ramiro Corrales’ first career start came against Colorado on May 8, 1996 … In 1997, Colorado won three of four and swept the Quakes in two games at San Jose … Colorado dominated again in 1998 and had a memorable win at Stanford where they edged the Earthquakes 4-3 in penalty kicks … The Earthquakes returned the favor and beat Colorado 4-3 in penalty kicks in the first match of 1999 and they split the season series 2-2 … 2000 saw the teams split the series again with the Earthquakes winning the first two meetings … on August 25, 2001 the Earthquakes scored three goals in four minutes for their second win of the year against the Rapids. Manny Lagos scored his second goal of the match on an assist from Junior Agogo. Two minutes later Landon Donovan scored on an assist from Ian Russell. Then in the 40th minute Donovan assisted Agogo for the fourth goal. The Quakes added one more and then cruised to a 5-2 victory … In 2002 the teams split the series … In 2003 the Quakes opened the season at Colorado and Brian Ching scored 53 seconds into the match and the Quakes were victorious 2-1 … 2004 began an unbeaten streak in which the Earthquakes did not lose to the Rapids from 2004-2010. The Quakes were 8-0-4 during the streak before losing 1-0 on August 7, 2010 … The two teams met again in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, but the Rapids beat the Quakes 1-0 on their way to winning the MLS Cup … The Quakes were unable to beat the Rapids in 2011, with the Rapids defeating the Quakes 2-1 on August 13, 2011 at Buck Shaw Stadium, and the sides tying 1-1 on September 24, 2011 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park … The Earthquakes swept their three games vs. Colorado in 2012, outscoring the Rapids 10-3 in the process … Chris Wondolowski’s scored a hat trick against Colorado on October 6, 2012 … The Quakes and Rapids tied 1-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium in their first meeting of 2013 … The Earthquakes followed with a 2-1 win at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on June 15, the club’s first road win of the season and the first game on the sidelines for interim head coach Mark Watson … San Jose capped their 2013 involvement with Colorado with a 1-0 win at Buck Shaw Stadium on Oct. 9 thanks to a goal from Chris Wondolowski … The Quakes and Rapids tied 0-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park on April 19 in their first meeting of 2014 … The San Jose Earthquakes picked up their third shutout of the season in a 0-0 draw against the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium on Wednesday, May 7 … The Quakes and Rapids finished two consecutive matches in 1-1 draws (9/27/14; 5/8/15) with both being played at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park … San Jose extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games against Colorado with a 1-0 win at Avaya Stadium on August 14, 2015 … The Quakes opened their 2016 MLS campaign with a 1-0 home victory over the Rapids on March 6, 2016.
Earthquakes – Colorado Connections
Earthquakes forward Quincy Amarikwa and defender Marvell Wynne both played for the Rapids … Earthquakes midfielder Cordell Cato and Rapids defender Marc Burch played together for Seattle Sounders FC during the 2012 season … Quakes forward Chad Barrett and Burch played together on the United States U18 team in 2003 … Rapids defender Bobby Burling played for the San Jose Earthquakes from 2009–12 … Rapids midfielder Sam Cronin played for the Earthquakes from 2010–14 … Quakes midfielder Simon Dawkins and defender Jordan Stewart, as well as Rapids defender Sean St. Ledger are all from England … Both Stewart and Ledger also played at Leicester City during their career … Earthquakes midfielder Cordell Cato and Rapids defender Mekeil Williams are both a part of the Trinidad and Tobago National Team … San Jose forward Henok Goitom and Colorado defender Axel Sjoberg were both born in Sweden.
EARTHQUAKES IN THE COMMUNITY
Wells Fargo Financial Literacy
Who: Earthquakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell
What: Financial Literacy Workshop for local high school students
Where: Foothill High School in San Jose
When: Tuesday, Sept. 13, 1:30 p.m.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Second Meeting
San Jose and Colorado opened their 2016 MLS seasons with a clash at Avaya Stadium on March 6, with the home team earning a 1-0 victory behind Chris Wondolowski’s goal.
Keep the Streak Alive
The Earthquakes are currently riding a 13-game unbeaten streak against the Colorado Rapids and haven´t lost a game in the series since Aug. 13, 2011, including a 1-0-1 record last season. The Quakes hold a 7-0-6 overall record against the Rapids over that timespan.
Fatai Looks for 50
With a start this Saturday against Colorado, Fatai Alashe will earn his 50th MLS start, all with the Earthquakes. Alashe made his 50th career appearance against Seattle on Saturday, Sept. 10.
Perfect 10
Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski has scored 10 career goals against Colorado, which matches the most he has scored against any MLS team (Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Chivas USA). The 10 goals are also tied for fifth all-time against the club.
History of Scoring Late
San Jose has scored 22 of their 87 goals against Colorado all-time in the last 15 minutes of their matches against Colorado, and 50 overall in the second half. By comparison, the Quakes have scored 22 total goals in the first 30 minutes of all matches against the club.
Low Scoring Affair
The Earthquakes have conceded more than one goal to the Rapids just once over their last 29 meetings, while keeping 11 clean sheets (two goals on Aug, 13, 2011).
Wondo Sets Another Record
On Saturday, Chris Wondolowski scored his 10th goal of the season and 119th of his MLS career. He became the first player in MLS history to score 10 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons. No other player has ever accomplished the feat in six consecutive seasons and only Carlos Ruiz (2002-06) and Juan Pablo Angel (2007-11) have done so in five.
Got Seattle’s Number
Wondo’s goal was his 10th all-time vs. Seattle, extending his lead as the all-time leading scorer against the club. The goal also marked the eighth consecutive season that the forward has scored against Seattle.
Stewart Joins Stats Sheet
Jordan Stewart’s assist against Sounders FC marked his first of the season, third of his MLS career and first since May 16, 2015 against Columbus.
On the Leaderboard
Among the Earthquakes that rank near the top in various statistical categories in MLS are:
David Bingham – 75.0 saves percentage (5th in MLS)
David Bingham – 84 saves (9th in MLS)
David Bingham – 1.09 goals against average (t-6th in MLS)
David Bingham – 6 shutouts (t-5th in MLS)
Alberto Quintero – 67 fouls suffered (2nd in MLS)
MLS Goals Since 2010
Chris Wondolowski has been by far the league’s most efficient striker since 2010, leading the league in goals during that time span:
1. Chris Wondolowski – 112 goals
2. Robbie Keane – 81
3. Alvaro Saborio – 71
4. Kei Kamara – 68
5. Bradley Wright-Phillips – 63
6. Sebastien Le Toux – 55
7. Fabian Espindola – 54
8. Thierry Henry – 51
T9. Dominic Oduro – 50
T9. Will Bruin – 50
Wondolowski Continues To Climb All-Time MLS Goals List
Chris Wondolowski knows how to find the back of the net. Here are the top-10 all-time goal scorers in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 144 in 334 games
2. Jeff Cunningham – 134 in 365 games
3. Jaime Moreno – 133 in 340 games
4. Chris Wondolowski – 119 in 252 games
5. Ante Razov – 114 in 262 games
6. Jason Kreis – 108 in 305 games
7. Dwayne De Rosario – 104 in 343 games
8. Taylor Twellman – 101 in 174 games
9. Edson Buddle – 100 in 304 games
T10. Roy Lassiter – 88 in 179 games
T10. Carlos Ruiz – 88 in 182 games
Wondolowski Near Top Of MLS All-Time Game-Winning Goals List
Chris Wondolowski has a flair for game-winning goals. Here are the top-five game-winning goal scorers in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 41 in 334 games
2. Jeff Cunningham – 40 in 365 games
3. Chris Wondolowski – 38 in 252 games
4. Ante Razov – 33 in 262 games
5. Jason Kreis – 31 in 305 games
Road Goals Leaderboard
Here are the top-five goal scorers on the road in MLS history:
1. Landon Donovan – 62
2. Chris Wondolowski – 60
3. Jeff Cunningham – 57
4. Ante Razov – 54
5. Jaime Moreno – 50
Goals for One Club
Here are the top-five goal scorers with a single club in MLS history:
1. Jaime Moreno, DC – 131
2. Chris Wondolowski, SJ – 115
3. Landon Donovan, LA – 112
4. Taylor Twellman, NE – 101
5. Jason Kreis, DAL – 91
MLS Cup Set for Primetime on FOX, UniMás, TSN and RDS, December 10
Major League Soccer announced that 2016 MLS Cup will be televised on FOX, UniMás, TSN and RDS on Dec. 10 at 5 p.m. PT, the first time in the league's 21-season history the championship match will be played on a Saturday evening. In addition, the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs dates have been set, with postseason action kicking off October 26-27 following the close of regular season play on Sunday, Oct. 23. Postseason matches will air live in more than 175 countries worldwide.
ACADEMY UPDATE
The Earthquakes Academy squads put on strong performances against De Anza Force last Saturday. The U16s and U12s each came out on top with 2-1 and 3-2 victories, respectively. The U18s (1-1) and U13s (0-0) both fought to secure draws in their matches, while the U14s suffered a 1-2 defeat.
"Overall we were pleased to see the performances of the teams,” said head coach Paul Holocher. “We are intent to play a style of soccer that puts player development at the forefront and this includes our commitment to building up from the back and through the midfield and teaching a way of soccer that values possession. This includes the ideas of collectively winning back possession when we don’t have the ball. The important thing is consistency and commitment to this way of playing and all the teams showed this intent this weekend. It was good to see them continue to learn and grow in this way of playing.”
The Earthquakes Academy teams will look to continue their early success when they face off against Juventus on Saturday, Sept. 17.
