San Jose Earthquakes Fall 2-1 to Real Salt Lake Amid Controversy
The San Jose Earthquakes extended their winless streak to six matches following a controversial 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on August 5, 2023, in Sandy, Utah. The decisive goal came in the 81st minute when Real Salt Lake midfielder Braian Ojeda scored his first goal of the season, exploiting a situation where San Jose was temporarily down a player due to a substitution infraction.
The turning point in the match occurred shortly before Ojeda’s goal. After being substituted for Ousseni Bouda, Earthquakes forward Cristian Espinoza was penalized for taking too long to exit the field. This led to a brief period where San Jose had only ten men on the pitch. Taking advantage of the numerical advantage, Ojeda received a pass from 30 yards out, surged towards goal, and struck a low shot that found the back of the net, sealing the victory for Real Salt Lake.
Following the match, Earthquakes coach Bruce Arena expressed his frustration regarding the officiating. He stated, “The Professional Referee Organization should look at the game and let them critique it. What bothered us was on the winning goal, they didn’t allow our substitute to come on the field while three other players went on, and they scored a goal with us playing with 10 men.” San Jose has not won an MLS match in over a month and currently sits in 10th place in the Western Conference with 29 points.
The Earthquakes initially took the lead in the 51st minute when former Real Salt Lake player Chicho Arango created a scoring opportunity. After Arango caused a turnover, Espinoza regained possession and set up Josef Martinez, who scored with a header from close range, marking his 10th goal of the season.
Real Salt Lake quickly responded to equalize in the 57th minute. A low cross from Diogo Goncalves on the left wing resulted in an unfortunate own goal by San Jose defender Jamar Ricketts, leveling the score at 1-1.
The Earthquakes now face a two-week break before their next MLS match against the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on August 9, 2023, at PayPal Park. Espinoza addressed the team’s recent struggles, emphasizing the need for improvement: “It’s really frustrating, to be honest. We’re working really hard, but it’s not enough. Everyone has to step up a little bit more, including myself. We have to try to do things better and go back to the basics.”
As the Earthquakes prepare for their upcoming game, the focus will be on regaining momentum and rectifying their recent performance issues. The players and coaching staff are committed to returning to the intensity and teamwork that characterized their early season play.
