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The San Jose Earthquakes are now win-less in their last three matches with a crucial midweek battle coming up in Los Angeles. Matias Almeyda wil be without Judson who is suspended due to yellow card accumulations but Anibal Godoy is back from his injury and ready to push the Quakes into the playoffs.
Quakes lose again on the road
The San Jose Earthquakes continued their summer road trip with a visit to Sporting Kansas City that didn’t go the way Matias Almeyda wanted. The Quakes came in as healthy as they’ve been all season with the return of Anibal Godoy from an abdominal injury as for the first quarter of an hour the Quakes were imposing their will on KC as they have done to others this season.
Right at the 25-minute mark, the dynamic duo of Cristian Espinoza and Chris Wondolowski struck again, and it looked like the Quakes would be off to the races. The assist is number 10 in the season for Espinoza, and he is the first Quakes player since 2012 to reach the double-digit mark when Marvin Chavez had 13 for the Supporters Shield winners. Wondo who was on the receiving end of Espinoza’s assist earned what I am calling a “deca-record,” with his 10th goal this season he now has at least ten goals per season the last 10 seasons. Did you get all that?
The home team was determined to get points against the Quakes, and the second half was a different game with Sporting coming out and playing a style similar to the Quakes aggressive quick passing ways. Five minutes into the second half Benny Feilhaber evened things up on a beautiful play started by Johnny Russell. From that point, Kansas City controlled the pace of the match. Even though the Quakes had a slight shot advantage of 7-6 in the final 20 minutes, it was the home team that ended up finding the game-winner when Ghramam Smith was in the right spot to clean up a Russell free-kick that bounced off the woodwork.
Not a time for Quakes fans to be looking for the panic button but this team needs some points now that they have gone winless in their last three matches. Luckily they get two attempts at points this week. Unfortunately one of those attempts is in Los Angeles against Carlos Vela and LAFC.
Next on the Schedule: LAFC
The Quakes have a chance at redemption after getting steamrolled at home earlier in the season. Since their March 30 meeting at Avaya, the Quakes were able to find their footing under Almeyda and have been playing some of the best soccer in the league. LAFC has been playing the best soccer in the league since week 1, and they are looking to prove that nobody is going to threaten their run at the MLS Cup. They are also looking to maintain their perfect 3-0-0 record against the Quakes who are looking to keep pace in an ever closer Western Conference playoff race. Luckily for Quakes fans, it seems like the roster is back to full-strength.
Andres Rios makes debut, Godoy back in the lineup
Anibal Godoy was back in the Quakes lineup after missing six weeks due to abdominal surgery to remove some scar tissue that was impeding his ability. The 29-year-old Panamanian is in his final season in San Jose as it was announced a couple of weeks ago that he would be joining Nashville FC next year.
One of the Quakes new summer signings made his debut on Saturday. Andres Rios came on in the 68th minute for Judson with the hopes that his abilities might create some offensive opportunities for the Quakes. Unfortunately, it was a quiet debut for Rios, and although he did have two key passes, he was not able to get a shot on goal.