San Jose Earthquakes 0–1 UANL Tigres: When Worlds Collide
The Leagues Cup has provided some great encounters between MLS and Liga MX clubs, and now it’s San Jose Earthquakes’s turn to experience that. Their opponent is not just any Liga MX club though: UANL Tigres are the defending champions so it would require a big time effort to win, especially since the 2–0 loss against Portland Timbers in the first match put them in an even bigger hole.
In a frustrating case of deja vu, San Jose Earthquakes started off strong and had a chance to go up 1–0 early with Cristian Espinoza’s effort going just wide. Then a defensive mistake by Rodrigues leads to a Fernando Gorriaran goal, Tigres gets the lead, and despite a lively atmosphere provided by Tigres and Quakes fans alike, there was a mutual understanding at PayPal Park that this was going the way most people expected it to.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be the worst first half ever. However, the San Jose Earthquakes were behind the eight ball to start with and now their chances were practically gone. At that point, all I wanted was a goal before exiting the competition. Unfortunately the Quakes couldn’t manage that. The Carlos Akapo point blank chance he missed in the first half was the closest the home side came all night.
The second half was a repeat of that of the Portland game without conceding a second goal. The most notable occurrence was Ayo Akinola making his San Jose debut. He showcased his play style as a viable option to be a target forward which means Jeremy Ebobisse won’t be needed to play 90 minutes every night. At this point, no attacker should be considered a 90 minute player except for Cristian Espinoza. Until someone else heats up, Luchi Gonzalez should have to keep fresh legs in the game in the hopes of breaking through on a counter to get that spark going again.
After the game, both coaches were positive albeit for different reasons. Tigres coach Robert Siboldi felt that his players have met expectations and they expect to compete as well in the Leagues Cup as they normally do in Liga MX and the CONCACAF Champions League. That’s the standard they set for themselves. Luchi Gonzalez on the other hand called for perspective: going away to Portland Timbers is never as easy task, and Liga MX opponents don’t get much tougher than Tigres. San Jose Earthquakes held their own against both opponents despite coming up short. To Gonzalez’s credit, Siboldi did say that when watching the Portland vs San Jose game in preparation for this match, they felt that the Earthquakes played well for long stretches of that game.
In the three years I’ve covered San Jose Earthquakes games for the Tectonic Takes Podcast and in writing articles, a bulk of my energy has gone toward selling moral victories. I understand the San Jose Earthquakes are a justifiably frustrated fanbase, and I’ve been a frustrated fan like everyone else since the 2012 Supporters Shield winners season. I also understand where Luchi Gonzalez is coming from though. He wants us to see the progress the Earthquakes have made even if the results aren’t happening. I recognize that work, but I still want this club to be better.
You can blame it on the tough draw, but that’s what happens when the 2022 season went as poorly as it did. The bottom team in the Western Conference isn’t going to get Necaxa and Charlotte in their Leagues Cup group. San Jose Earthquakes also entered this game winning 2–0 against the Seattle Sounders. It was an impressive result, but so far they haven’t built on it and now won’t have a chance to do so until August 20 when they travel up north to face the Vancouver Whitecaps. Any further transfers would require moving out of favor center back Jonathan Mensah and whether or not it truly moves the needle is doubtful.
When MLS and Liga MX Worlds Collide, the result is clubs from both sides rising to the occasion. Unfortunately the San Jose Earthquakes weren’t one of them, and if this is any indication of how this club will perform in the playoffs (should they make it), it’s hard to envision anything other than a first round exit. I still have faith that Luchi Gonzalez, Cristian Espinoza, and the rest of this group can continue to improve between now and then, but the ceiling for this core doesn’t feel as big as it did earlier in the summer.
