Crushing defeat has silver lining
Despite loss, Quakes alive in playoff race
SAN JOSE >> The Earthquakes suffered a gut-punch of a loss Sunday, but it came with a silver lining. Because of other results, the Quakes are still alive for a playoff berth heading into the final day of the season.
Former Stanford star Jordan Morris scored in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to give the Seattle Sounders (15-10-8, 53 points) a 1-0 win in the final home game of the season at Avaya Stadium.
With the top seven teams qualifying for the playoffs, the Earthquakes (13-15-5, 44 points) remain in eighth place with one game remaining, one
point behind FC Dallas (1212-9, 45 points) and two points behind Portland (1313-7, 46 points).
FC Dallas lost on Sunday and Portland drew, keeping the Quakes in the playoff hunt despite their fifth straight loss. San Jose will make the playoffs by winning at Portland Sunday, or by tying the Timbers and having FC Dallas lose to visiting Sporting KC, which has already been eliminated. All games Sunday will start at 1 p.m.
“On the first day of the preseason if they brought in a contract where they said we would have had a chance to make the playoffs the last game, we all would have signed that contract,” said coach Matias Almeyda, who took over in San Jose after the Quakes went a league-worst 4-21-9 last season. “This team has changed a lot.”
The Quakes outshot Seattle 23-9 but couldn’t beat Stefan Frei (10 saves). Florian Jungwirth’s bicycle kick was tipped over the bar by Frei in the 62nd minute, while Danny Hoesen’s free kick from just outside the box hit the post in the 73rd minute.
Both teams were down to 10 men in the second half. Quakes fullback Tommy Thompson was issued a straight red card in the 56th minute for stomping on the thigh of Sounders defender Xavier Arreaga. Arreaga was sent off 15 minutes later for his second yellow card when he tripped Hoesen.
The Quakes have received three red cards in the past three games after captain Chris Wondolowski and midfielder Cristian Espinoza were sent off last week.
“I think we’re one of the teams that hits the least amount,” said Almeyda, who has received two red cards this season. “I have more sendoffs then the players and I also don’t know why.”
Morris broke the deadlock when he ran past Jungwirth and chipped the ball past Daniel Vega (five saves). It was the 10th goal of the season for a player who won the Hermann Trophy and led Stanford to the NCAA Championship in 2014.
After starting the season with four straight losses, San Jose beat Portland 3-0 at Avaya to jumpstart a 12-game home unbeaten streak that catapulted them to second in the conference.