Quakes and Whitecaps Draw 0-0 in San Jose

Not much of anything.

The San Jose Earthquakes dropped crucial points at home against Vancouver following a lackluster 0-0 draw. The Quakes entered the game sitting in 10th place with a playoff berth still within reach. Their opponents sat at the bottom of the Western Conference but were looking to spoil the party for the Quakes on a warm Summer night in San Jose.

Matias Almeyda sent out a 4-4-2 for the home side with newly acquired striker Jeremy Ebobisse making his first start with the Quakes. On the other end of the pitch, Vancouver played with a 4-1-4-1 defensively but stretched out to a 4-3-3 when they had possession.

The Quakes struggled to create chances in the first half despite having most of the possession. The double pivot of Judson and Yueill gives them physicality and control in the midfield but they lack an offensive-minded “10” that can break the lines. The role was meant for Chofis who played more as a 10 with Ebodisse as the target man looking to hold the ball up. The issue was that Chofis was extremely careless with the ball in the first half and would constantly make wrong decisions that would lose possession. On top of that, Ebodisse’s strengths are not exactly his hold up play. The French striker is much more dangerous running into space behind the defenders or dribbling directly at the defense.

Vancouver had a solid chance in the first half when they cut through the Quakes’ midfield and exposed their lack of speed in the back. Apart from that chance, the Canadian side didn’t trouble the Quakes’ backline for most of the game. Meanwhile, the hosts had a handful of good looks that came from corners but failed to create danger from open play.

In the second half, the Quakes looked for a spark off the bench and brought on Cade Cowell, Carlos Fierro and Chris Wondolowski. Cowell gave the team more verticality and became a pest for opposing defenders with his speed. Fierro provided the speed on the wing but with Judson playing as the right back behind them, the strikers never got the final ball they were looking for. 

In the end, the scoreline read 0-0 in a lackluster game. The Quakes are still very much a transitional side that’s trying to figure out what their best lineup is. Playoffs are still within reach but they need to capitalize against teams like Vancouver if they want to squeeze into the playoffs.

Martin Pantoja

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