With the Copa America Centenario around the corner, Major League League soccer rosters are in the beginning stages of feeling the effects of international obligations.
The San Jose Earthquakes aren’t immune to the effect and visibly suffered from it during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with FC Dallas. With over one third of their usual starters on international duty, and another handful of players still battling injuries, the Quakes were short-handed and lacked any real offensive punch. Those two things were big factors in the scoreless draw.
“The squad is a little depleted with the call-ups and some injuries,” said San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear. “The next two games, we’re really going to have to stick together. Doesn’t matter who’s playing or who’s not, the expectation should always be the same. We expected to win the game tonight, which we always do. The effort from everyone was 100 percent. It’s what I was hoping for and it’s what I was expecting.”
The result does keep San Jose unbeaten at Avaya Stadium this season.
“You want to win,” Kinnear said. “We’re still unbeaten at home, which is good. We shut out a very good attacking team. Sometimes we conceded position, but we didn’t give too many chances away. It’d been nice to be a little more patience in front of goal. All in all, I’m not terribly thrilled, but I’m not digging a grave either.”
David Bingham was credited with the shutout, his fourth of the season. The goalkeeper recorded two saves on five FC Dallas shots.
San Jose didn’t rain shots on the Dallas goal either. For the game, they produced three shots on target. The Quakes’ best and clearest opportunity came late in the match when Tommy Thompson cleanly struck a Kofi Sarkodie cross with his head only to have Chris Seitz easily corral the attempt.
MAN OF THE MATCH:
It was going to be a tough go offensively for the Quakes — that much was evident when the lineups were announced. So in order to get something about positive from the game, Bingham had to be steady for San Jose. He’ll be credited for two saves, but in a game where you aren’t getting many touches as a keeper, a lack of action can be damaging. Bingham stayed focused throughout the match to pick up his fourth clean sheet of the season.
STADIUM BUZZ:
In a game that lacked any real excitement, the loudest cheers of the match came at halftime. It’s then that Avaya Stadium tuned its jumbotron to the final stretch of the Golden State Warriors Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fans at Avaya stayed focused on the end result even as the first couple seconds of the game’s second half began.
ATTENDANCE:
Reported attendance at Avaya Stadium was 18,000.
INJURIES:
Matias Perez Garcia took a shot to the back early in the first half and he was substituted for late in the game. No additional information for offered about a potential injury. Cordell Cato saw his first home action of the MLS season in his route back to full form.
BOOKED:
Dallas: Ryan Hollingshead (53’, yellow). San Jose: Tommy Thompson (67’, yellow).
UP NEXT:
It’s a short week for the Quakes. They’ll travel to Portland and take on the reigning MLS champion Timbers on June 1. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. You can catch all the action on CSN California.
