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Fans' Rating San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 Kansas City Wizards: Hosts Hold On For Win
Wondolowski goal returns 'Quakes to winning ways.
By Nick Rosano
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- A lone first half goal from Chris Wondolowski proved the difference in a tightly contested affair at Buck Shaw Stadium. It was game of two halves as San Jose controlled play in the first half while Kansas City looked more lively in the second. In the end, it came down to quality finishing and some tenacious defending from San Jose, especially after the home side were reduced to ten men following a late red card to Jason Hernandez.
First Half
Both teams showed attacking initiative from the get-go, with Arturo Alvarez firing over in the fifth minute, while Kansas City were extremely unlucky not to score after Bobby Convey nearly gifted them a goal. Convey was shifted to left back to replace the injured Ramiro Corrales and played a soft backpass, which was intercepted by Bunbury, but Joe Cannon came out well to save. Bunbury should have atoned for the miss seconds later when Arnaud played in the rebound, but Bunbury incredibly headed wide from just a few yards out.
After the early scare, the home side started to take the attacking initiative, keeping the Wizards' defense guessing with a mix of direct play and balls from out wide. New signing Khari Stephenson and Cornell Glen both had shots saved by Nielsen. Kansas City was looking to exploit the flanks of San Jose's makeshift defense and Ryan Smith looked especially dangerous on the left wing.
The game really started to pick up around the midway mark in the first half, with Arturo Alvarez and Bobby Convey switching flanks and giving the Kansas City full backs a lot to think about, while the midweek acquisition of Stephenson was clearly making the difference for the Quakes in the center of the field.
Convey gifted Kansas City another chance when he fouled Davy Arnaud on the edge of the area, but Ryan Smith could only fire into the wall. San Jose utilized this opportunity to break in a 2-on-1 situation, but Glen opted to take the ball down the field himself and fired just wide of Nielsen's near post.
Chris Wondolowski was reinstated into the starting lineup after being dropped against Seattle and looked keen to prove he belonged, coming deep to get balls while also putting pressure on Kansas City's back line. His hard work paid off in the 35th minute, when a perfectly chipped cross from Stephenson found him free at the back post to volley the Earthquakes into the lead.
Wondolowski and Stephenson continued to threaten, with Stephenson hitting hitting the crossbar from a free kick and Wondolowski nearly bagging a brace after his shot flashed just wide of the far post, leaving Jimmy Nielsen understandably livid with his defense as the first half came to a close.
Second Half
The second half began where the first left off, with the Earthquakes looking strong on the attack but unsure in the defense. Convey had an especially hard time dealing with Kei Kamara on the left side of defense, but nothing came of it for the Wizards.
Cannon made a number of good saves to deny the Wizards' players, stopping Teal Bunbury on two separate occasions and making a great stop on Davy Arnaud, though the Wizards' captain was whistled offside. Arnaud also had two separate goals ruled out for offside; both calls from the far linesman appeared to be correct.
Kansas City slowly upped the pressure on the home side in search of an equalizer, but Joe Cannon and the San Jose defense held firm to deny them. Sensing the pressure, the Earthquakes opted to sit back more and look for chances on the counter. In order to facilitate this strategy, Ryan Johnson and and 17 year-old Omar Jasseh came onto the pitch, with head coach Frank Yallop looking to utilize Jasseh's pace and Johnson's holdup play.
Despite the changes, the Earthquakes did not get many looks at goal, with Ryan Johnson seeing two shots blocked and Jasseh's teasing cross not finding any San Jose players. On the other end, with Kansas City dominating the last ten minutes, Cannon remained superb in goal, while Brandon McDonald and Sam Cronin remained solid defensively.
Jason Hernandez earned a late red card for violent conduct after an altercation with Teal Bunbury, but there was not enough time left on the clock as San Jose held on for their first win in over a month.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
First Half
Both teams showed attacking initiative from the get-go, with Arturo Alvarez firing over in the fifth minute, while Kansas City were extremely unlucky not to score after Bobby Convey nearly gifted them a goal. Convey was shifted to left back to replace the injured Ramiro Corrales and played a soft backpass, which was intercepted by Bunbury, but Joe Cannon came out well to save. Bunbury should have atoned for the miss seconds later when Arnaud played in the rebound, but Bunbury incredibly headed wide from just a few yards out.
After the early scare, the home side started to take the attacking initiative, keeping the Wizards' defense guessing with a mix of direct play and balls from out wide. New signing Khari Stephenson and Cornell Glen both had shots saved by Nielsen. Kansas City was looking to exploit the flanks of San Jose's makeshift defense and Ryan Smith looked especially dangerous on the left wing.
The game really started to pick up around the midway mark in the first half, with Arturo Alvarez and Bobby Convey switching flanks and giving the Kansas City full backs a lot to think about, while the midweek acquisition of Stephenson was clearly making the difference for the Quakes in the center of the field.
Convey gifted Kansas City another chance when he fouled Davy Arnaud on the edge of the area, but Ryan Smith could only fire into the wall. San Jose utilized this opportunity to break in a 2-on-1 situation, but Glen opted to take the ball down the field himself and fired just wide of Nielsen's near post.
Chris Wondolowski was reinstated into the starting lineup after being dropped against Seattle and looked keen to prove he belonged, coming deep to get balls while also putting pressure on Kansas City's back line. His hard work paid off in the 35th minute, when a perfectly chipped cross from Stephenson found him free at the back post to volley the Earthquakes into the lead.
Wondolowski and Stephenson continued to threaten, with Stephenson hitting hitting the crossbar from a free kick and Wondolowski nearly bagging a brace after his shot flashed just wide of the far post, leaving Jimmy Nielsen understandably livid with his defense as the first half came to a close.
Second Half
The second half began where the first left off, with the Earthquakes looking strong on the attack but unsure in the defense. Convey had an especially hard time dealing with Kei Kamara on the left side of defense, but nothing came of it for the Wizards.
Cannon made a number of good saves to deny the Wizards' players, stopping Teal Bunbury on two separate occasions and making a great stop on Davy Arnaud, though the Wizards' captain was whistled offside. Arnaud also had two separate goals ruled out for offside; both calls from the far linesman appeared to be correct.
Kansas City slowly upped the pressure on the home side in search of an equalizer, but Joe Cannon and the San Jose defense held firm to deny them. Sensing the pressure, the Earthquakes opted to sit back more and look for chances on the counter. In order to facilitate this strategy, Ryan Johnson and and 17 year-old Omar Jasseh came onto the pitch, with head coach Frank Yallop looking to utilize Jasseh's pace and Johnson's holdup play.
Despite the changes, the Earthquakes did not get many looks at goal, with Ryan Johnson seeing two shots blocked and Jasseh's teasing cross not finding any San Jose players. On the other end, with Kansas City dominating the last ten minutes, Cannon remained superb in goal, while Brandon McDonald and Sam Cronin remained solid defensively.
Jason Hernandez earned a late red card for violent conduct after an altercation with Teal Bunbury, but there was not enough time left on the clock as San Jose held on for their first win in over a month.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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