This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Santa Clara, Calif. • These were the nights where Real Salt Lake had to snag points. There was no other alternative.
So in saying its likely goodbye to a venue that has treated the franchise with soaring highs and disheartening lows, RSL escaped awkward Buck Shaw Stadium with a 1-1 result that keeps the club within striking distance as the regular-season calendar of Major League Soccer begins to dwindle.
The task for needed points was made clear, which made the road point earned successful. With the Seattle Sounders and L.A. Galaxy surging atop or toward the top of the race for the Supporters' Shield and Western Conference, the season-long goal of being in contention for a conference title entering September is still a very real possibility.
"It's a Western Conference opponent, it's on the road and a point's a point," defender Nat Borchers said.
The 1-1 result in Northern California didn't catapult RSL (11-5-10, 43 points) back atop the standings — but it inched them closer to league-leading Sounders (15-7-3, 48 points), who have gone 2-0-1 since their 2-1 loss to RSL on Aug. 16.
It had been nearly six months since RSL last visited San Jose, and yet the script played out in similar fashion to the wild 3-3 draw on March 15. The Earthquakes found an early lead Saturday night, forcing RSL to climb back into the match.
"I thought it was just a choppy match," RSL coach Jeff Cassar said. "It was a team that was fighting for their playoff life with San Jose and it was a team that was pushing to move up the table. We fought hard. Both teams fought hard. Probably a due result."
It was San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin who delivered the first blow when his left-footed shot in the 14th minute went under Nick Rimando and into the back of the net.
Cronin's goal came after Kyle Beckerman sent an errant pass in the penalty box back toward defender Chris Schuler. Beckerman's pass instead found the foot of San Jose star forward Chris Wondolowski, who picked his head up and found an unmarked Cronin before the midfielder gave his team the early 1-0 lead.
But like in the draw in mid-March, RSL soon found life after going under.
Forward Olmes Garcia was taken down in the penalty area by San Jose defender Jordan Stewart in the 34th minute and referee David Gantar pointed to the spot. From there, Javier Morales, returned to action after missing back-to-back matches with a hip injury, equalized for RSL. The 34-year-old midfielder approached the ball and took a slow stutter-step, sending Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch the wrong way to stay perfect in penalty-kick attempts thus far in 2014. The goal was Morales' seventh of the season.
"I think we showed a lot," Schuler said. "They got the early goal and anytime you come back from a deficit, it's a positive thing.
Two minutes before halftime, Rimando kept San Jose from taking the lead when former RSL man Atiba Harris sent a low shot to Rimando's right. RSL's goalkeeper dived and barely got his right hand on the ball, enough so to keep it from trickling into the back of the net.
RSL and San Jose exchanged chances in the second half, but the Earthquakes, absorbing pressure from the visitors, nearly broke through on more than one occasion. Nineteen-year-old Tommy Thompson showcased his mobility in the attack, pestering the RSL back line. The youngster sent an off-balance shot at Rimando in the 70th minute and had another attempt on frame quelled by Schuler and Nat Borchers in the 83rd minute.
"They were sitting back, we were moving our players up the field and getting good possession and then if the play broke down, he would just drop into a space and pick it up," Cassar said. "[Thompson] had a great game. Both he and Wondo had good movement off each other. Sometimes they're going to be dangerous, but I don't think they got too many chances off the counterattack, to be fair."
The draw leaves RSL five points behind Seattle entering the 27th week of the MLS schedule as back-to-back matches against FC Dallas and at the Sounders a week later loom. More importantly, RSL is ahead of Dallas in the West and knotted with the Galaxy for second place.
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
RSL 1, San Jose 1
RSL 1 0 — 1
San Jose 1 0 — 1
First half » 1, San Jose, Cronin 2 (Wondolowski), 14th minute. 2, Real Salt Lake, Morales 7 (penalty kick), 36th.
Goalies » Real Salt Lake, Nick Rimando; San Jose, Jon Busch.
Yellow Cards • Pierazzi, San Jose, 61st; Hernandez, San Jose, 68th.
Referee • David Gantar. Assistant Referees—Anthony Vasoli. Jeremy Hanson. 4th Official—Tyler Ploeger.
Attendance » 10,525 (10,526)
LINEUPS
Real Salt Lake • Nick Rimando, Tony Beltran, Chris Schuler, Abdoulie Mansally, Nat Borchers, Luke Mulholland (Luis Gil, 83rd), Javier Morales (Cole Grossman, 90th+), Ned Grabavoy, Kyle Beckerman, Joao Plata, Olmes Garcia (Robbie Findley, 79th).kdsaj gkldsaj glkdsaj gl;kj sddsalk.
San Jose • Jon Busch, Jason Hernandez, Shaun Francis, Victor Bernardez, Jordan Stewart, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi (JJ Koval, 83rd), Tommy Thompson, Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato, 75th), Sam Cronin, Chris Wondolowski, Atiba Harris.