Mextranjero Carlos Fierro Scores in Loss to Vancouver

It was a game of two halves for the San Jose Earthquakes as Matías Almeyda’s men fell to the Vancouver Whitecaps 1-2 Saturday night at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. 

The Quakes jumped to a lead in the 24th minute after Mextranjero Carlos Fierro volleyed a Cristian Espinoza cross into the back of the net. But two second half goals from the Whitecaps proved too much to overcome for the Earthquakes. 

A 51st minute freekick golazo out of nowhere from defender Ali Adnan sparked some life into Vancouver after San Jose dominated possession in the first half with 63% of the ball. With the momentum on their side, Whitecaps scored six minutes later as forward Tosaint Ricketts scored a tap-in goal, which eventually became the game winner. 

San Jose and Vancouver came into this game needing all three points in order to solidify playoff spots in a dense Western Conference. By the end of the night, the Earthquakes dropped from seventh to eighth in the conference and the Whitecaps jumped from ninth to seventh. 

As of now, a mere five points separate fourth place and ninth place in the Western Conference with only a few weeks left in the MLS season. 

For San Jose, some positives can be taken away from this game as the team regroups for its coming game against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. 

The Quakes put on a defensive masterpiece in the first half as they held the Whitecaps to three shots. Stand-out performers include Espinoza, who terrorized the Vancouver back line in transition all night, and Fierro, who is solidifying himself as a consistent starter for Almeyda. 

Vancouver, on the other hand, showed immense resilience after being muzzled by San Jose in the first half. Once the Whitecaps took the lead, they never looked back as the Earthquakes didn’t have an answer and looked flat footed for the rest of the game. 

The Whitecaps look to take this momentum into their next game against the Seattle Sounders on Tuesday.