Quakes boost playoff hopes with a K.C. masterpiece

Wondolowski, Cato lead 1st road win over franchise since 2004

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Earthquakes took a decade-plus of history in what has been a house of horrors for them and buried it about as deep as they could have ever imagined Wednesday night.

Striking early and often, the Quakes got a pair of goals each from Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato, and newcomer Anibal Godoy added a goal, resulting in a 5-0 smackdown of Sporting Kansas City at Sporting Park, a field on which the Earthquakes previously had never won. In fact, San Jose had not won a game in Kansas City since 2004, when the team in K.C. was the Wizards and they played in the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.

That dubious streak was snapped in emphatic fashion this time, as San Jose (9-10-5) won for the second straight game following a six-game winless stretch. The Quakes improved to with 32 points and moved to within three points of Seattle for the sixth and final playoff berth out of the Western Conference.

“If you’d told me walking into this stadium that we’d leave with a 5-0 victory,” said Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear, “I’d have smiled and said, ‘Probably not.’ ”

The sellout crowd announced at 18,866 had yet to settle in the seats when, in the third minute, Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas broke behind the Sporting K.C. defense, drove in deep on the left side of the penalty area and centered a pass to a breaking Cato, who buried his shot past K.C. goalkeeper Tim Melia.

Wondolowski’s first goal came on a penalty kick after Cato was fouled in the middle of the box by defender Chance Myers. The goal gave Wondo his 10th of the season, making him the first in MLS history to score at least 10 goals in six consecutive seasons.

“That’s pretty cool,” Wondolowski said. “This league has had some great strikers. I owe it to my teammates, who have given me some great balls to play inside the box.”

Godoy, playing his second game in a San Jose uniform, handed the Quakes a three-goal advantage in the 27th minute when he put a nice move on defender Kevin Ellis inside the box and fired past Melia.

Any notion of a K.C. comeback was dashed in the early minutes of the second half on a goal that looked much like the first, with Cato finishing off a nice drive and assist from Salinas.

Wondolowski finished things off with a thundering shot from long distance in the 61st minute. That goal was Wondolowski’s 104th — 100th for the Quakes — and moved him into a tie for sixth all-time in MLS. He is the active leader in the league in goals scored.

“We came out swinging and kept up the pressure,” Wondolowski said. “Soccer is a huge game of momentum. We played inspired soccer early. We just wanted to keep our playoff hopes alive.”