COLUMBUS, Ohio – A challenging push toward the playoffs for the San Jose Earthquakes got more difficult on Saturday night, as the club lost three points and their starting goalkeeper.
The Earthquakes never quite found their footing at MAPFRE Stadium, winning just 42 percent of possession and putting only two shots on target in a 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew SC. San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear was visibly frustrated after the match.
“We just didn’t play well,” Kinnear said. “They played well. We didn’t. Pretty simple.”
San Jose have been struggling with long-term injuries all season, and added forward Quincy Amarikwa to their list of walking wounded this week. Things only got worse on Saturday night, as star goalkeeper David Bingham went to the ground writhing in pain and holding his back late in the first half. He attempted to play through the pain initially, but was substituted in the 45th minute after collecting a ball.
“He hurt his back,” Kinnear said of the injury. “That’s pretty much all I can tell you right now. He’s still lying down in [the locker room].”
San Jose were forced to use another substitution on center back Victor Bernardez early in the second half, leaving Kinnear to say it just wasn’t his team’s day.
“To make two defensive subs when you’re hoping to bring on attackers and freshen it up, it was just overall a downhill night for us,” he said. “A couple times we maybe could have got ourselves up the hill, but it was just too much for us.”
Kinnear added that his Earthquakes need to be "100 percent" better than their 1-6-6 pace on the road, and that every game in a tight playoff race is crucial.
And San Jose will be watching on Sunday when Seattle and Portland – two of four teams battling for the Western Conference’s final playoff spot – meet at Providence Park. The Earthquakes will be hoping for a draw in that one.
“Every game you need points from; it doesn’t matter who you play or where you play it,” Kinnear said. “We’ll watch Portland and Seattle tomorrow. One is going to drop points, hopefully it’s both. That makes the week a little better for us.”
