MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Espinoza Scores Sixth Goal of the Season; Quakes Face Monterey Bay F.C. on Tuesday

Published on April 23, 2023 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


San Jose Earthquakes' Cristian Espinoza battles Real Salt Lake's Bryan Oviedo
San Jose Earthquakes' Cristian Espinoza battles Real Salt Lake's Bryan Oviedo
(San Jose Earthquakes)

SANDY, Utah - The San Jose Earthquakes fell to Real Salt Lake 3-1 on Saturday night at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. Forward Cristian Espinoza scored his sixth goal of the season and is now tied with Eric Wynalda for ninth most goals in club history (21).

Real Salt Lake opened the scoring towards the end of the first half through Jasper Loffelsend. The Quakes found the equalizer in the 49th minute via free kick taken by Cristian Espinoza, before the Utah side added two more goals later in the second half.

The Earthquakes will now return to San Jose to face Monterey Bay F.C. in the Third Round of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, April 25 (7 p.m. PT) in Seaside, Calif. The match will kick off from Cardinale Stadium at 7:00 p.m. PT and will be streamed on the Bleacher Report (B/R) app and the B/R Football YouTube channel.

GAME NOTES

The Earthquakes now hold a 4-3-2 record (14 pts.) during the 2023 regular season and currently sit in fifth place in the 14-team Western Conference.

The Quakes are now 14-14-12 all-time vs. Real Salt Lake, including a 5-8-7 record on the road.

Forward Cristian Espinoza scored his sixth goal of the season and 21st of his MLS career. He is now one goal away from tying his all-time career high (7). Espinoza has scored one goal in each of the last three matches. He is now tied with Eric Wynalda for ninth most goals in club history (21).

MATCH INFORMATION

2023 MLS Regular Season

Real Salt Lake 3 - 1 San Jose Earthquakes

Saturday, April 22, 2023 - America First Field in Sandy, Utah

Attendance: 16,666

Scoring Summary:

RSL (1-0) - Jasper Loffelsend (Danny Musovski) 39'

SJ (1-1) - Cristian Espinoza (unassisted) 49'

RSL (2-1) - Jefferson Savarino (Carlos Gomez) 54'

RSL (3-1) - Carlos Gomez (Bryan Oviedo, Jefferson Savarino) 80'

Misconduct Summary:

RSL - Pablo Ruiz (caution) 45'

REAL SALT LAKE: Zach McMath; Brayan Vera (Bryan Oviedo 32'), Justen Glad, Bode Hidalgo (Emeka Eneli 82'), Marcelo Silva; Pablo Ruiz, Jefferson Savarino, Carlos Gomez, Jasper Loffelsend (Braian Ojeda 82'); Rubio Rubin (Maikel Chang 82'), Anderson Julio (Danny Musovski 25').

Substitutes not used: Tomas Gomez, Damir Kreilach, Diego Luna, Justin Meram.

SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 6; FOULS: 13; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 2

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: JT Marcinkowski; Paul Marie (Miguel Trauco 84'), Rodrigues, Jonathan Mensah, Carlos Akapo; Jamiro Monteiro, Carlos Gruezo (Judson 84'), Jackson Yueill (C) (Ousseni Bouda 84'); Cade Cowell (Benji Kikanović 65'), Jeremy Ebobisse, Cristian Espinoza.

Substitutes not used: Tanner Beason, Michael Baldisimo, Daniel (GK), Jack Skahan, Tommy Thompson.

SHOTS: 10; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 7; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 3

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH LUCHI GONZALEZ

On tonight's performance:

"I thought we were in it. I thought we responded well the second half getting the early goal. For moments, I thought they showed some moments of quality and were putting away their chances, whereas we didn't. We didn't put our chances on target and created danger. We create a place that we're dangerous but the end product lacks quality and action. We felt short. A positive is that we can compete against anybody, anywhere, any day. But to win these kinds of games away in a venue like Salt Lake, we have to execute, kill in our chances and we did not. Let's work, let's keep getting better at it. Our foundation is very good and we know we can do that against anybody, but it didn't happen tonight. Congrats to Salt Lake. I would say expected goals were the same until the 79th minute, where I thought we could've tied the game 2-2. We created some quality chances before the third goal but it didn't bounce our way."

On facing Monterey Bay F.C. in U.S. Open Cup competition on Tuesday:

"The approach is clear. It's a cup that we value a lot, we take a lot of pride in. We want to compete and win it. We know it's going to be very difficult. It's an exciting cup when we get to play the clubs from the different levels. There is going to be a lot of motivation obviously behind Monterey Bay F.C., a local team. We played them in preseason, and it was a very challenging game. Frank Yallop is the coach and an icon of San Jose, so it'll be an honor to coach against him again in an actual game that counts. We're looking forward to it. We're not happy with tonight, but we want to have a short memory and move forward and respond on Tuesday and show our depth. There will be some adjustments, not clear what they are yet. We have to assess our guys here after this game, but we are going to put a team on the field from start to finish that we believe can win and get us to the next round. We're going to show a lot of importance and urgency next game against Monterey Bay."

On the team's performance on the left side:

"It's easy to see from an analytics standpoint in terms of production, but it's important. We're human beings. This is a team, it's about the collective. Cade [Cowell]'s performance last week was fantastic in terms of setting up teammates and being decisive. Benji [Kikanović] is working hard and earning his opportunity. We're going to keep working, we're going to keep believing. This is our group, this is our team, and it's not about who gets the glory, but we definitely want to continue to work on being more efficient and turning expected goals into actual goals. I think home we've been efficient, and we'll continue to do that with our fanbase and our fortress and our family at home. Away we want to show the same, we want to show that the game is the game, 11 players against 11 players, one ball, and how can we have the same level of confidence and conviction to put away our chances, whoever it is. We'll keep working. Those are young players. Their intentions are good. They're trying to do the right thing and if they keep doing that, those habits can turn into an end product, and we believe in them."

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER JACKSON YUEILL

On the challenges tonight:

"I think it's one of their strengths. They have fast forwards, they look to rapidly and I think we knew that. I think we could have been better in those moments. We pride ourselves on being a compact team, a team that doesn't allow chances to be created through those this year, but they were able to find a way to do it. I think it's about keep doing what we've been doing. I know it was a little bit too spacious. We could've been tighter between our lines and maybe could've prevented it, but I think they have fast players and good players that can hurt you in those moments."

On the team's spacing:

"With [Rubio] Rubin's ability to pass the ball it's difficult to get pressure on him because he can hit the long balls and spread a team out and they were able to find Savarino in the pocket on a few occasions. I think overall we could've been more compact in between our lines That's how they broke us through the goals. That will be something to look at, but I think this year we have been very positive in that way, not allowing central passes and denying a lot of these opportunities. Definitely one to look at because I think we did some mistakes in some of our press, and they capitalized on those moments."

On their upcoming match vs. Monterey Bay F.C.:

"We played them in a preseason game. It's a good stadium. They're going to be a hard opponent. They're going to be up for it. We're going to have to recover in these next two days to get guys on the field and be as prepared as we can. We're going to take it very seriously because it's an important tournament as always and it's another opportunity for guys to get minutes to play, and a good opportunity to respond after this. We're excited for a new tournament to start."

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San Jose Earthquakes' Cristian Espinoza battles Real Salt Lake's Bryan Oviedo
San Jose Earthquakes' Cristian Espinoza battles Real Salt Lake's Bryan Oviedo
   



Major League Soccer Stories from April 23, 2023


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