Fire still can advance with win
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Cristian Espinoza scored his first goal of the season early in the second half, Chris Wondolowski provided the clincher moments after coming on as a substitute and the Earthquakes beat the Fire 2-0 on Sunday night to clinch a spot in the MLS is Back tournament round of 16.
The Fire (1-2-1 overall) lost midfielder Luka Stojanovic to an apparent left leg injury late in the first half. They had limited scoring chances all night, their best coming in the 59th minute, when Robert Beric’s shot was saved by goalkeeper Daniel Vega.
The Fire still can advance to the knockout stage with a win over Vancouver in their final group match Thursday. They opened the tournament with a surprising 2-1 win over Seattle.
San Jose (2-1-2 overall) clinched the top spot out of Group B after going 2-0-1 in its three matches in the group stage.
Espinoza won it in the 56th minute. Midfielder Jackson Yueill found him free from his defender, and Espinoza’s left-footed shot beat Fire goalie Kenneth Kronholm.
Then Wondolowski added to his all-time record for goals scored in MLS. One minute after coming on as a sub, he was unmarked in the penalty area and headed Carlos Fierro’s cross into the net in the 83rd minute. It was his 161st goal in his 364 MLS matches.
The Earthquakes will have a week off before their next match July 27 against one of the third-place group teams that advances.