Earthquakes Playoff Hopes Dimmed By Dominant St. Louis | OneFootball

Earlier in the afternoon, wins by FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo dropped San Jose out of playoff contention, from 9th to 11th place, even before the opening whistle. That added more pressure to what was already a must-win match.

But optimism was still high at PayPal Park as the sun set upon the hills. As Quakes faithful roamed the concourse level, hitting up food trucks, the party atmosphere was palpable. Recognizing the gravity of the game, Quakes staff brought in Crazy George, a Bay Area sporting legend who’s been rallying crowds for nearly 40+ years. With his signature tom drum and gravelly voice, George led the faithful in pre-game chants and roamed the stands keeping the crowd pumped up.

Sadly, all that energy, noise and good feeling vanished ten minutes into the game.

San Jose Earthquakes 1St. Louis CITY SC 3PayPal Park, San Jose, CA.

Striking St. Louis

Balding Brazilian striker João Klauss headed an arcing long ball back into the box, where right winger Brendan McSorley met it on the run. Daniel never had a chance against that header from five yards out. Ten minutes later, St. Louis sunk the dagger in deeper. San Jose’s failure to clear their line resulted in McSorley looping a loose ball towards Marcel Hartel. The center mid, with his back to goal, took the first touch, pirouetted and fired the ball home. It was an improbable shot, and deflated the crowd.

Down 2 – 0, Earthquakes suddenly responded with a spell of possession and pressure. In the 30th minute Cristian “Chicho” Arango earned a penalty when winger Celio Pompeu made a stab for the ball and caught his foot just inside the box. He drained the spot kick and gave the crowd a boost.

Despite six first half corners and seven shots, Quakes only got that one goal. And St. Louis would have another sucker punch waiting. Just before the end of regulation, wing back Conrad Wallem isolated Ousseni Bouda on the right side. He danced and made six cutback moves before passing back to Marcel Hartel, who powered in a dangerous cross. Once again, McSorley was there to receive, this time booting the ball suspended in the air from three yards out. A tricky shot, executed to perfection, for his second on the night.

For the second game in a row, Quakes headed into the locker room down 3 – 1.

Second Half Heroics

I’ll give the Quakes credit, they emerged from the dressing room fired up. Statistics tell one side of the story, but for the spectator, that second half was ALL San Jose. They had 70% possession, completed 60% more passes (213 to 86) and outshot St. Louis 12 to 6. Seven of those were on frame, and yet the Quakes put zero on the board. How?

Two words: Roman Bürki. The veteran Swiss keeper made save after save, some of them seemingly impossible, to keep his side up top. Particularly memorable was in the 87th minute when he palmed a nearly perfect header from Chicho off the line, then stepped up for a double save seconds later, denying Beau Leroux’s follow-up. That’s when you know it’s not your night.

Impressive Debut

Tonight was 23-year old Brendan McSorley’s first ever start for the St. Louis first team. He made five appearances and played a grand total of 81 minutes prior to this match after getting the call up from MLSNext Pro. And he delivered. Out of 22 touches in the game, three led to scores. That’s one hell of a debut.

“We had a very difficult time with our defending in front of the goal”

That was coach Bruce Arena in the post-game press conference. Bemoaning his defense’s inability to track the St. Louis attackers (and Mc Sorely in particular) was a recurring theme, but he delivered praise to debutante McSorley for his ruthless finishing. Asked if he would consider a formation change to include another fullback, he scoffed: “We could put ten back there, if they don’t mark anybody in front of the goal, it doesn’t matter how many you have.”

It’s important to note that San Jose aren’t eliminated. If they win out their next three, there’s still a very good chance they can regain that 9th place spot. Captain Cristian Espinoza expressed positivity about the side’s chances, but noted: “Defense is not just about defenders… everyone has to work hard and play as a team.” Amen to that.