SAN JOSE — A relentless attack and a surplus of golden opportunities never matured into a decisive goal for the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday night.
But for the sellout crowd at PayPal Park, the announcement shortly after the game was enough to send the stadium into a celebration.
By finishing their regular season with a 1-1 draw against Austin FC, the Earthquakes punched their ticket to the MLS playoffs for the first time since 2020 and just the third time in the last 11 seasons.
“We have mixed emotions,” said first-year head coach Luchi Gonzalez. “Being over the line is a great validation… But we’re actually quite disappointed. We had 20-plus shots, seven on frame and I thought we were unlucky not to score the winning goal.”
It was just last August that Gonzalez, the former United States Men’s National Team assistant, took the job as the Earthquakes head coach, inheriting a last-place team that needed a cultural makeover, and made this proclamation: “We must make the playoffs next year.”
Behind his defensive-minded approach, the Earthquakes turned themselves from a team that conceded the most goals in the Western Conference to a team that conceded the fourth-least. And while they struggled to close out games down the stretch, they finished with four consecutive draws to finish their season with just enough points (44) to squeak in as the No. 9 and final seed.
“There’s no champagne in that locker room because we have more ambition,” Gonzalez said.
Had they won on Saturday, the Earthquakes would’ve guaranteed that they’d be hosting the play-in game against Sporting KC, which will take place Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. PT. But by settling for a draw, they’ll now have to go on the road to play a KC team that has been on fire, winning seven of its last nine games, including a must-win against Minnesota on Saturday.
“This is a league where there are always upsets in the playoffs, there are away teams beating home teams,” Gonzalez said. “Do we want to be one of those teams? Why not San Jose? I dare anybody to take us lightly because we can keep going.”
The Earthquakes were unquestionably the better team against Austin.
They came out flying in the early going, creating several chances until they converted a beauty in the 16th minute.
It was their striker, Jeremy Ebobisse, who made the defensive play of the game to get things going. As the Quakes tried to win the ball back in Austin’s end, Ebobisse made a sliding tackle that knocked the ball free and left it in a tantalizing position for the Quakes’ best player, Cristian Espinoza.
The Argentinian winger took a few touches, then hammered home a low shot to the near post that put the Earthquakes ahead 1-0. PayPal Park erupted and, for a moment, the Quakes looked like they’d be in position to host a playoff game.
Their only defensive mistake of the game was hardly a mistake at all; it’s hard to say the Earthquakes could have done anything to stop it.
In the 32nd minute, Austin’s Owen Wolff scored a beautiful goal. It began with an unassuming cross towards the top of the box, but resulted in an unthinkable deflected header that looked like it was on a string, looping over the Quakes goalkeeper, Daniel, and tucking itself into the upper corner of the net.
The sellout crowd at PayPal Park went silent. What just happened?
The Quakes had hardly given Austin any chances all night. Their first shot on goal was their only shot on goal in the entire 90 minutes.
And for the rest of the game, the Earthquakes carried most of the possession and almost all of the offensive opportunities. They just couldn’t convert.
The rebuilt back line, starring Rodrigues and Jonathan Mensah in center back roles, was rock solid. Quakes’ homegrown center defensive midfielder and team captain, Jackson Yueill, played a commanding game in the conductor role, dipping and diving out of the midfield to control the pace and tempo like a seasoned veteran.
Espinoza created chance after chance, including a pair of crosses that landed on the foot of Ebobisse, but he launched one at the keeper and another that hit the inside of the post.
Mensah had the Quakes last chance, a bullet off his head that looked destined for the right corner but was stopped by Austin goalie Brad Stuver.
“We tried to push the game to win,” Espinoza said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t score. We hit the post and the keeper saved two or three clear chances.”
Things got weird at the end, when the Quakes looked unsure if they should aggressively pursue a victory or protect the 1-1 draw. At one point, their goalie, Daniel, started running up the field to try to participate in a corner kick before the coaching staff sent him back.
“Once we got to minute 80, we needed to find the right balance,” Gonzalez said. “Austin, at any moment, can hurt you in transition. We can’t give up the lead. We communicated that.”
If the Quakes can beat KC on Wednesday, they’ll advance to a best-of-three playoff against St. Louis City FC, the best team in the Western Conference. It would guarantee the Quakes a home playoff game for the first time since 2012, and the first time ever at PayPal Park.
“From the beginning of the year, I felt a different energy with the team,” Espinoza said. “That has made me very happy.”
