San Jose Earthquakes vs Vancouver Whitecaps: Goalless Stalemate

Paolo Tornaghi kept a clean sheet in his first MLS start for Vancouver as the Whitecaps and the Earthquakes settled for a 0-0 draw on Sunday.

Paolo Tornaghi will likely remember this one. The 28-year-old Italian goalkeeper made his first MLS appearance in over three years and his first since joining Vancouver, as the Vancouver Whitecaps wrapped up their final road trip of the year in the rain at the Avaya Stadium against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Tornaghi may be the only one, however. Both teams have faced an uphill battle this year to put balls in nets, and their goalscoring issues were in clear view as they labored to a 0-0 draw.

Bright Start for San Jose

Goalkeepers often like to get in on the action early, so Tornaghi must have been ecstatic with the first 15 minutes. The Quakes set up camp in and around the Whitecaps box, and Tornaghi made several crucial saves, including a stretch to his right to tip a Cordell Cato shot around the post.

https://twitter.com/SJEarthquakes/status/787770151194066944

As the half progressed, the Whitecaps defense settled down, but San Jose continued to control the game. Vancouver’s left flank in particular was exposed, with Nicolás Mezquida struggling to stay in an unfamiliar position on the left of midfield, leaving Jordan Harvey to perform the defensive duties almost alone. Mezquida was one of several Whitecaps given a rare opportunity to start, alongside Fraser Aird, Cristian Techera, Andrew Jacobson, Masato Kudo, and of course, Tornaghi.

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Vancouver’s best scoring chance in the first half, from Tim Parker, was blocked in front of goal by Kudo.

Whitecaps Strike Back

In the second half, it was Vancouver’s turn to come out firing. In a ten-minute summary of the whole season, the Whitecaps carved out several good chances, but were let down by poor finishing. David Bingham made two saves from Kudo, and the Japanese striker hit the crossbar with a third shot. Bingham also stopped a long-range effort from Jacobson.

After the early flurry of chances, the second half slowly petered out. These were two teams mostly going through the motions, and it showed.

Next Week

The season’s not over yet, though. This game may have been meaningless, but both teams have roles to play in next week’s Decision Day. The Earthquakes travel to Sporting KC, currently hanging onto the final playoff spot by the narrowest of margins. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps will host Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers. The Cascadia Cup is still technically within reach. So is the opportunity to deliver some payback – the Timbers knocked Vancouver out of the playoffs last year.

Match Details

Final Score: San Jose Earthquakes 0-0 Vancouver Whitecaps

San Jose Earthquakes: David Bingham; Cordell Cato (Kofi Sarkodie 79), Marvell Wynne, Víctor Bernárdez, Jordan Stewart; Tommy Thompson (Shea Salinas 70), Darwin Cerén, Aníbal Godoy, Simon Dawkins; Chris Wondolowski, Henok Goitom (Chad Barrett 59).

Vancouver Whitecaps: Paolo Tornaghi; Fraser Aird, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Cristian Techera (Marcel de Jong 73), Matías Laba, Andrew Jacobson, Nicolás Mezquida (Giles Barnes 63); Masato Kudo (Marco Bustos 77), Erik Hurtado.

Bookings: Godoy (SJ, 44); Techera (VAN, 68)

Referee: Fotis Bazakos