Even by MLS standards, when the Quakes are involved, expect the unexpected. The only certainty is that whichever team found the strength within would prevail.
On this ride on the San Jose rollercoaster, the incline began with the first of many key referee decisions. The home team benefited from a somewhat soft but reasonable penalty decision as Cristian Espinoza put the spot kick past Eloy Room within the opening 10 minutes.
But then at the half-hour mark, a 50/50 challenge by Jamiro Monteiro went wrong and suddenly he is sent off in a controversial fashion and Quakes have to battle a man down for almost an hour plus stoppage time. It seemed likely they would fold like a house of cards like in other recent efforts.
While it doesn’t matter to the referee, this sending-off was particularly unfortunate because it denied Jamiro Monteiro the opportunity to play against Philadelphia Union in front of his former home crowd who were devastated to see him leave this offseason.
It didn’t take long after for Steven Moreira to cut up the defense and set up a Lucas Zelarayán strike to equalize. The Argentine Armenian powered the Crew to a dominant 4-0 win over the Vancouver Whitecaps the week before, and with a brace completed through a direct free kick, it looked like the Crew’s best player would do the job once again.
San Jose Earthquakes found their strength when it mattered most
However, San Jose Earthquakes found the strength within through a collective team effort and the combination play of two new signings: Ján Greguš and Francisco Calvo. The Slovak and the Costa Rican respectively traded the Midwest for the Bay Area to help the Quakes cause in their first season post Chris Wondolowski, and after receiving much criticism from fans following their poor performance against the New York Red Bulls in Week 1, they combined on two set pieces to salvage a 3-3 draw within the final 12 minutes.
While the Columbus Crew looked primed to start off the season strong after a disappointing 2021 campaign which saw their 2020 title defense end by missing the playoffs, their shaky road form made a reappearance. There may also be an overreliance of Lucas Zelarayán which is good news for Fantasy MLS players, but the Crew still have many attacking options to combine with their top playmaker.
One such player to keep an eye on is Miguel Berry, who showed promise on loan for San Diego Loyal in the USL Championship, and it appears Caleb Porter’s plan is for Zardes and Berry to be interchangeable as starting striker and whoever doesn’t start would be the first goalscoring option off the bench.
The strength to win was something that willed the San Jose Earthquakes to win the Supporters Shield in 2012. A decade later, rediscovering that strength as a collective unit is key to changing the narrative that has plagued the Quakes most of those seasons since. Their next tests in Philadelphia followed by a trip to Minnesota will challenge the Quakes further. On the other side, the Crew will look to shake off that disappointing end to this game as they host Toronto FC.
San Jose Earthquakes vs Columbus Crew Reaction Match Info
PayPal Park, San Jose
San Jose Earthquakes (Matias Almeyda)
GK: JT Marcinkowski
RB: Paul Marie (FRA)
CB: Francisco Calvo (CRC)
CB: Jackson Yueill (c)
LB: Marcos López (PER)
CDM: Eric Remedi (ARG)
CDM: Ján Greguš (SVK)
RW: Cristian Espinoza (ARG)
CAM: Jamiro Monteiro (CPV)
LW: Chofis López (MEX)
ST: Jeremy Ebobisse (CMR/USA)
Used Subs
46’ Judson for Remedi
46’ Cowell for Chofis
72’ Kikanovic for Ebobisse
79’ Thompson for Marie
Columbus Crew (Caleb Porter)
GK: Eloy Room
RB: Steven Moreira
CB: Jonathan Mensah (Captain)
CB: Miloš Degenek
LB: Pedro Santos (POR)
CDM: Darlington Nagbe
CDM: Artur (BRA)
RW: Yaw Yeboah (CLB)
CAM: Lucas Zelarayán (ARM)
LW: Derrick Etienne (HAI)
ST: Miguel Berry
Used Subs
65’ Zardes for Berry
65’ Igbekeme for Artur
89’ Morris for Yeboah
90+1’ Anibaba for Zelarayán
Want your voice heard? Join the MLS Multiplex team!
Goal Scoring (and Red Card)
7’ Espinoza (penalty) 1-0
33’ Monteiro red card
40’ Zelarayán (assisted by Moreira) 1-1
68’ Zardes (assisted by Etienne) 1-2
73’ Zelarayán (direct from free kick) 1-3
84’ Calvo (assisted by Greguš) 2-3
90+6’ Calvo (assisted by Greguš) 3-3