SAN JOSE, Calf. – The San Jose Earthquakes (4-20-8) dropped another match at Avaya Stadium, 3-1, to the New York Red Bulls (20-7-5), Saturday Night, but veteran forward, Chris Wondolowski, moved within one (144) of the MLS All-Time goal scoring record.
“They are a very good team. They are in the Supporters’ Shield race for a reason: they are really good. They were better than us tonight. They were better on the field and better coaching. Obviously, I think I could have done some things differently. We should not have been surprised. We talked about it all week that they were going to press, and we played right into it. We didn’t turn around enough and we have got to do better.” SJ Interim Coach Steve Ralston, explains the overall game.
The visiting “Big Apple” team was shutting out the home squad for more than half the match, until the Bay Area legend entered off of the bench.
“I want him to get the record, but I also have to coach the team and try to juggle and balance 20-something guys. I wanted to play the same shape we have been playing recently, and I wanted to give Danny [Hoesen] a game because I felt that they were going to high press. I thought with Danny’s speed that maybe he could get in behind them a little bit better. Wondo [Chris Wondolowksi] is going to play again in these next couple of games and get more chances to score.” Ralston, explained why Wondolowski wasn’t in the starting lineup.
The Red Bulls ended a nearly 30-minute scoreless battle, when forward, Alex Muyl tallied on a short tap in, off of a rebound at the 29’ mark.
A few minutes later, teammate and fellow forward, Bradley Wright-Phillips kicked in a goal on an obscure angle, also via a rebound (32’), to put the East Coast guests up 2-0. That conversion gave the London native 20 MLS goals thus far in 2018, and 106 (8th) for his career.
BWP became the first MLS player to record at least 20 goals in three separate seasons, but still has respect and reverence for “Wondo” and his accomplishments:
“Wondo is a Legend! I had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times, and I’ve watched a lot of his goals. I’m happy for him. He’s done well. Massive accomplishment in the league. It goes without saying; everyone knows he’s a good player and great striker.”
New York defenseman, Aaron Long, added another digit to the scoreboard with a 50’ header off the crossbar, and just over the fingertips of San Jose Goalkeeper, James Marcinkowski. (3-0)
Quakes forward, Chris Wondolowski enters the fray at 54’ and has two close opportunities to hit the back of the net, to no avail. However, he cracked the goose egg with a header off of a free kick, almost 30 minutes after running on to the pitch, and to the delight of the over 17,000 South Bay faithful. (3-1)
“I think that it’s a role that I’m starting to be better at. I’m used to playing 90 minutes and going for that marathon and sometimes when you come on as a sub, you fit the 90 minutes in those five minutes and you get more tired than the guys. It’s more spacing yourself out, but still using energy, wanting to bring energy off the bench.” Wondolowski adjusts to an unfamiliar role.
Chris also hit another unprecedented plateau, as he reached 10 goals for nine consecutive seasons. A mark that he is extremely proud of:
“To be honest, I know there’s that big number that everyone keeps asking about, but to be honest, this is the one I really wanted. Obviously, I want to get a couple more, but to have double-digit goals means a lot right now and I’m hoping to have one again next year. It’s pretty cool. It shows how good my teammates have been and also a little luck to stay healthy, but I appreciate the many teammates I’ve had through those nine years.”
The Quakes will host Mexican side Cruz Azul in an international friendly at Avaya Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 13. Their next MLS match is against the Colorado Rapids, also at Avaya Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 21.
The Red Bulls head to the City of Brotherly Love, October 21, to take on Philadelphia Union, and host Orlando City SC, in the Empire/Garden State, October 28.
San Jose made a move for the 2019 season, by hiring Matias Almeyda as head coach, October 8, 2018.
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