MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Rally from Two-Goal Deficit to Draw Real Salt Lake 3-3 in Second-Half Stoppage Time

Published on March 16, 2014 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes rallied from a two-goal first-half deficit to tie Real Salt Lake 3-3 in the club's MLS opener on Saturday at a sold-out Buck Shaw Stadium.

Honduran center back Victor Bernardez provided the spark with a pair of second-half goals, the latter of which came in the 95th minute. The Earthquakes now have 17 second-half stoppage-time goals in all competitions since 2012, 15 of which have been of the game-tying or game-winning nature.

Chris Wondolowski put San Jose on top early with a close-range finish from his thigh. Shea Salinas whipped a free kick into the box where Bernardez flicked the ball toward goal and right in front of Wondolowski, who calmly directed a shot past Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando.

Real Salt Lake came roaring back with three straight goals. The first was a blast from long range via Kyle Beckerman. RSL's captain struck his shot from 30 yards out with his left foot, banging it off the post and in.

Joao Plata was the next RSL player to find the scoresheet, working a give-and-go with Luis Gil in the area. Plata fed Gil, who returned the pass to Plata on a horizontal run across the box. Plata whiffed his first attempt, but collected and fired to the near post to make it 2-1.

Offseason signing Luke Mulholland capped the scoring for RSL with a put-back attempt from close range in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage. Ned Grabavoy tried his luck from just inside the box, but Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch punched the ball away. Unfortunately for Busch, Mulholland found the blocked shot first and fired from the doorstep to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage.

San Jose head coach Mark Watson altered the game plan at halftime and inserted Alan Gordon and JJ Koval into the match in the 63rd minute. As a result, the Quakes peppered RSL with 17 shots in the second half, seven of which were on target. The Earthquakes out-shot Real Salt Lake 27-12 on the night.

Bernardez pulled one back in the 75th minute, smashing a header past Rimando. Salinas picked up the assist with another set piece, this time providing service from a corner kick. Bernardez wriggled himself free at the near post and powered his shot into the net for his first goal of the season.

The Honduran national teamer scored the game-tying goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Shaun Francis sent a high-arching cross into the mix, forcing Rimando to try and bat the ball away from trouble. However, Rimando wasn't able to send the ball where he wanted thanks to pressure from Gordon. Bernardez was the benefactor, taking one touch before booting his shot to the lower corner.

The Earthquakes will hit the road for their next two matches, the first of which is a decisive second leg against Deportivo Toluca FC in CONCACAF Champions League. San Jose enters the game tied at 1-1 with Toluca FC holding an advantage thanks to their away goal. Toluca FC hosts the Quakes on Wednesday, March 19 at Nemesio Diez Stadium with kickoff at 5 p.m. PT on FOX Sports 2 and Univision Deportes Network.

San Jose's next MLS match is Saturday, March 22 against defending MLS Cup champion Sporting Kansas City. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet Plus, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.

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Major League Soccer Stories from March 16, 2014


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