• by Aalok Patel, writing from the Bay Area

Having lost the 1st leg at Buck Shaw Stadium 0-1 thanks to a goal from Joel Lindpere, the dark horse playoff team pulled of a feat many thought to be unlikely if not impossible: beating the Red Bulls at home 3-1. The Earthquakes showed that it’s not a matter of how many chances you have, but rather how well you take them.

There were a number of factors going against the Earthquakes heading into this match. The Red Bulls had found a way to limit service to key player Wondolowski in the previous game. The Earthquakes’ last visit to Red Bull Arena resulted in a less than stellar performance and a 0-2 loss. Several Red Bulls players had recovered from injuries and were back in training. Many casual MLS watchers could easily write this off as a David-Goliath situation: one team boasted big name players such as Rafael Marquez and Thierry Henry while the other relied on a player who spent a good deal of his career in the now defunct MLS Reserve division. This juxtaposition also extended to their respective stadiums: Red Bull Arena is a jewel of a stadium that sets the precedent for world class soccer facilities in North America while the Earthquakes still play in a less than impressive college stadium. Nonetheless, Frank Yallop had faith that his players could get the result they needed and summed his feelings up perfectly with this pregame quote.

Yallop's pregame quote

As cheesy as that may have been, it clearly had an impact on the players. Bobby Convey must’ve taken those words to heart as he clearly stole the show with an impressive brace and assist. In the 6th minute Ryan Johnson crossed the ball into the box, which the Red Bulls defense was unable to clear away. Convey quickly acted on this mistake and slotted home the 1st goal of the match, tying the series at 1-1. As the 1st half continued, there were a few surprising performances from the Red Bulls. Normally reliable veterans such as Juan Pablo Angel and Rafael Marquez often looked out of place while youth academy product Juan Agudelo put out an impressive performance. Already with a plethora of injuries, the Earthquakes were able to add to this list as recently recovered captain Ramiro Corrales had to be subbed out of the game and replaced by striker Eduardo. This led to a number of tactical changes that saw Convey slide back to the left back position, which would logically lessen his presence in the attacking third.

With the 2nd half underway, it seemed that Hans Backe might have given his players a few motivational words in the same manner Frank Yallop had done at the start of the match. The Red Bulls were controlling much of the game and attacking like there was no tomorrow (which would actually become a reality for the losing team). It’s apparent that the name Jon Busch and the phrase “key save” should be automatically assumed to go hand in hand when we’re talking about the Earthquakes. The Earthquakes goalkeeper made a number of crucial saves, allowing his team to maintain their 1-1 aggregate score.

When it seemed that the game was doomed to head into overtime, Convey scored another goal to give the Earthquakes a 2-0 lead (2-1 aggregate). In the 76th minute, Arturo Alvarez fed the ball to Convey who did well to turn past Tim Ream and complete his brace for the night (an impressive feat for a player who had previously scored 10 goals altogether in MLS). Things were looking good for the Earthquakes, who were now less than 15 minutes away (regulation time) from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Red Bulls, however, were not willing to let their aspirations slip away so easily. Just minutes later, Juan Agudelo beat Jason Hernandez and delivered a perfect cross to wide-open Juan Pablo Angel who proceeded to score a header, making the score 2-1 (2-2 aggregate). In what is likely to be the Red Bulls’ captain last match, it was good to see him get on the score sheet. With little time left in the game and Thierry Henry warming up on the sidelines, the Earthquakes had two options: take a defensive approach and go into overtime or attack and hope for that late goal winner. They decided to go with the latter, which ultimately made for an incredibly exciting game.

The two most important players for the Earthquakes this season secured their place in the Eastern Conference Finals by playing the roles they’ve been so used to this year: Convey for his assists and Wondolowski for his goals. In the 81st minute, Alvarez was unable to find free space on the left wing and decided to play the ball to Convey who waited for his teammates up top to get back onside. Then, as if it were a drill he’d practiced countless times before, he floated a perfect ball into the penalty box. Wondolowski rose to the occasion (literally) and headed it into the upper right corner of the net, giving the Earthquakes a 3-1 lead (3-2 aggregate). With less than 10 minutes left, the Earthquakes would now have to contain the likes of fresh substitutes Thierry Henry, Salou Ibrahim, and Jeremy Hall. The Red Bulls focused all of their energy into the attacking third, and were almost gifted a goal through opportunities from Henry, but the Frenchman failed to finish. When the whistle was blown for full time, the Earthquakes stormed the field in celebration in front of a shocked, suddenly quiet Red Bull Arena.

For many reasons, 2010 was supposed to be the year of the Red Bulls. Hans Backe did a superb job of getting the best out of players such as Joel Lindpere, Dane Richards, and Tim Ream. With the addition of a truly gorgeous stadium and big-name signings, the New York based team was clearly the most hyped and media-covered franchise in MLS. While a MLS 2010 Cup Final in Toronto with the Red Bulls would have been great for national coverage, the Earthquakes victory was well-deserved and highlights why I embrace the playoffs system (regardless of how confusing it can be at times). The underdog clearly prevailed in this case and as cliché as it may seem, this came down to a few “one moment” situations that the Earthquakes exploited. Regardless of the regular season, the playoffs are a whole different kind of beast and every team has a shot at winning it all (hence the whole notion of parity that exists in MLS). You don’t need to look further than the previous year to see how true this is. Real Salt Lake was an 8th seeded team (like the Earthquakes) and as we all know, became eventual champions of the 2009 MLS Cup. For San Jose, being considered the underdogs is probably the best thing that could happen for them.

I’m going to sum this up with a Mastercard reference:

• Two DPs: $11 million/yr.
• Red Bull Arena: $200 Million.
• Losing to a team that has sparse resources in comparison: Priceless.

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