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MLS San Jose Earthquakes

San Jose Earns Point at Home to Snap Two-Game Losing Streak

May 26, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


San Jose Earthquakes on game night
San Jose Earthquakes on game night
(San Jose Earthquakes)

SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes drew 1-1 with Austin FC on Saturday night at PayPal Park in front of 13,744 fans.

San Jose found the back of the net early when Jeremy Ebobisse finished Cristian Espinoza's cross in the 10th minute. The visitors then drew level via Brendan Hines-Ike's header off a set piece right before intermission. Despite both clubs attempting to find the go-ahead goal in the second half with a late blast from Earthquakes midfielder Hernán López hitting the crossbar, the match would end in a draw, snapping a two-game losing streak for San Jose in MLS play.

The Quakes will now prepare for a road match with New York City Football Club on Friday, May 31. Kickoff from Yankee Stadium is set for 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as on local radio AM 810 The Spread (English) and AM 1370 La Kaliente (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

The Quakes are now 2-1-6 against Austin FC in MLS regular season play and still unbeaten at home (1-0-3).

Tonight's draw snapped a two-game losing streak for San Jose (three in all competitions).

San Jose has now led at some point in 11 of 17 games in all competitions (9 of 15 in MLS play).

Jeremy Ebobisse's fourth goal of the season also tied him with Landon Donovan for third on the all-time club list for goals scored (32). He also netted his fifth time in seven career games against Austin.

Cristian Espinoza notched his ninth assist of the season, good for fourth in MLS. It was also his sixth career assist in nine games against Verde. The winger now has 65 career assists in total to extend his club record.

MATCH INFORMATION

San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Austin FC

Saturday, May 25, 2024 - PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.

Weather: 59° Sunny

Attendance: 13,744

Match Officials:

Referee: Chris Penso

AR1: Chris Elliott

AR2: Eduardo Jeff

4th Official: Alyssa Nichols

VAR: David Barrie

AVAR: Jozef Batko

Scoring Summary:

SJ (1-0) - Jeremy Ebobisse (Cristian Espinoza) 10'

ATX (1-1) - Brendan Hines-Ike (Owen Wolff) 45'

Misconduct Summary:

SJ - Bruno Wilson (caution) 41'

SJ - Cristian Espinoza (caution) 43'

ATX - Sebastian Driussi (caution) 48'

SJ - Carlos Akapo (caution) 57'

SJ - Vítor Costa (caution) 64'

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: William Yarbrough; Vítor Costa, Rodrigues, Bruno Wilson, Carlos Akapo; Carlos Gruezo (Niko Tsakiris 56') , Jackson Yueill (C); Hernán López; Cristian Espinoza, Amahl Pellegrino (Jack Skahan 77'); Jeremy Ebobisse .

Substitutes not used: Jacob Jackson (GK), Tanner Beason, Ousseni Bouda, Preston Judd, Paul Marie, Daniel Munie, Alfredo Morales.

POSS.: 48.5%; SHOTS: 23 ; SOG: 7; CORNERS: 8; OFFSIDES: 1; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 10; xG: 3.5

AUSTIN FC: Brad Stuver; Brendan Hines-Ike, Hector Jimenez (Ethan Finley 72') , Jon Gallagher, Julio Cascante; Dani Pereira (Jhojan Valencia 86'), Alex Ring, Owen Wolff; Sebastian Driussi (C) (Gyasi Zardes 81'), Jáder Obrian (Zan Kolmanic 86'), Diego Rubio .

Substitutes not used: Stefan Cleveland (GK), Guilherme Biro , Matt Hedges, Emiliano Rigoni.

POSS.: 51.5%; SHOTS: 6 ; SOG: 2; CORNERS: 1; OFFSIDES: 2; SAVES: 6; FOULS: 12; xG: 0.7

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH LUCHI GONZALEZ

On his reflections pertaining to tonight's match:

"I thought we played with a lot of urgency. I thought the guys were up for the game. We say in the locker room that we want to get PayPal back. We want to make this the place that teams suffer like they did most of last season, and I thought Austin suffered a lot tonight. We had 20-plus shots and created a lot of opportunities. I loved how we played brave to attack, to play forward and get numbers in the box and create chances. That's a positive.

"Defensively I thought in the run of play, we were quite sound. It was great work rate by the 11 players on the field to defend in their mid-block, build pressure, sprint and recover behind the ball when Austin tried to counter. I loved the effort. I thought we let them off the hook. We let them off the hook. We didn't put away some clear chances, and for maybe three minutes, we're giving away silly set pieces around our box at the end of the first half. Things that we can avoid. Fouls we can avoid with a little more discipline and a little more control defensively, push them back and not gift them free crosses into our box, and it caught up to us. That was a disappointing few minutes of the game, but when we play with this sense of urgency and this desire to push the game and score and attack, I know we'll earn points and win more games over the course of time."

On the Quakes' attack starting to jell midseason:

"[Amahl] Pellegrino's a really dangerous winger who can score and set up teammates. He's working really hard. I really love what I'm seeing in terms of his work rate, to be connected to us defensively. We can still even use him more with his runs in behind, but he'll continue to score goals in this league. I'm really happy that [Jeremy Ebobisse] got a goal tonight. He played with a lot of conviction and energy. His hold-up [play] was excellent, switching fields for us, drawing fouls. Really good connection with Hernán [López] in the press. And then Hernán could've had two goals and two assists. It's him continuing to do his thing. He's a high-risk player. There are moments where he can lose balls and he and the team needs to know that the risk-reward ratio is a little higher with him, but when he pulls things off, he's super-dangerous, and we're really glad to have him. Cristian [Espinoza] does what Cristian does, with volume of crosses. I think he'd like some of those left-footed shots and get them on frame because he hits them with good power. But I think we have a dynamic attack and I think we'll continue to be dangerous."

On being unable to sustain the lead:

"It's disappointing. ... The margins in this league are so close, from winning, losing, even tying. This is the 11th game in 17 [in all competitions] where we've had leads. But this tough moment, which has lasted longer than we'd like, it's going to make us tough. I'm going to keep working, doing my best, and these guys are going to keep working, and that's the only way we can turn those leads into points."

On using the defensive performance tonight as a reference point heading into next Friday's road game vs. NYCFC:

"We allowed six shots, and two on goal. That's really good for a defensive performance in our league, especially a very good team like Austin who's doing well. They're winning games and attacking well. So yes, this is a good standard and reference for us defensively."

EARTHQUAKES GOALKEEPER WILLIAM YARBROUGH

On his overall thoughts of the game (translated from Spanish):

"I think, from my personal point of view, this is the best game that we have had collectively at home. It seemed like we dominated most of the game. We created quite a few goal opportunities, and that is what calms us down a bit. If we continue down that path playing like we did today, we'll win and we'll win more than we'll lose. Obviously, defensively it was a notable improvement today. Practically spaces weren't left open. That speaks highly of how well the 10 players in front of me were doing. ... To not get the results we want is frustrating, but if we continue this way it will go well."

On earning the point at home but wanting more:

"I want to win every game. When you're at home with your fans, seeing that they're making the effort to come to these games. ... Playing the way we did tonight and not being able to give them three points, which we feel like they deserve and we deserve, it's a frustrating feeling. Knowing where we are in the standings and playing the way we did tonight, we felt like we deserved three points, but this game isn't about deserving; it's about going out there and taking the points. Tonight, unfortunately it didn't work that way for us, but I am at peace of mind knowing that if we continue to play the way we did tonight, sooner or later things will turn around for us."

On finishing the third straight week with two games on the schedule:

"We train very hard to make sure that we have the legs to play as many games as we need to, whatever time span that it is. We have a good group of guys and I feel like we have enough depth to where we can have a competitive squad for 90 plus minutes. If it has to be every three, four days, so be it. At the end of the day, we're professional athletes. We have to take care of our bodies on and off the pitch.

"I know that there are times where we can sense a bit of that fatigue, and that's just where we need to step it up mentally. That's where you have to show a little bit of that extra concentration so that when that fatigue steps in you know you can still focus and not become sloppy on the ball and in decision making. That is 100 percent just concentration. It is a frustrating feeling. What do we do? We soak it in. We analyze the video. We learn from what we did right, what we did wrong, and use that in training. Let it out in training."

On the biggest takeaway from tonight heading into next Friday's road game vs. NYCFC:

"The intensity. You saw guys throwing themselves in front of shots. When [Austin FC] were circulating the ball and getting into those wide spots how quick we were to shift and close the space down. A lot of times when they got into our final third it felt like they didn't have much time to think about what their next option was going to be. The intensity that the guys showed tonight-that's what I stick with.

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San Jose Earthquakes on game night
San Jose Earthquakes on game night
   



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