SANTA CLARA, Calif. – What comes to mind first are the last-minute goals to complete the improbable comebacks.
But though the Goonies might forever own the Buck Shaw Stadium highlight reels, it’s easy to forget that on May 3, 2008, when the reborn San Jose Earthquakes played their first home game on the campus of Santa Clara University as an expansion team, the match against FC Dallas ended in a 0-0 tie.
So maybe it’s fitting that the Quakes, in their scheduled Buck Shaw finale before moving to a soccer-specific stadium in 2015, would author another scoreless draw on Saturday, this one against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
“Historically, we’ve made it tough for other teams to come in here and play,” Quakes center back Jason Hernandez said. “I’m glad we can at least finish on that note.”
Record-setting striker Chris Wondolowski will always be the face of the franchise for its Buck Shaw period, but only Hernandez played for San Jose in all seven of their seasons there. He started both the opener and the finale as well, testimony to his staying power even as the club has brought in center backs over the years with what appeared to be an eye towards dislodging him.
“It seems like full circle,” Hernandez said. “I’m very honored to be part of this club for that long. I’m very honored to leave this stadium with some good memories and also to leave in the company of some really great and historic players for this club. Ready for the next chapter.”
The final chapter at Buck Shaw featured a Vancouver side that came in on a three-match winning streak and in position to all but eliminate Portland in their pitched battle for fifth place in the Western Conference. The Quakes, with interim coach Ian Russell in his fourth day on the job, clamped down on the Whitecaps, who had only one shot on goal all evening, in the 75th minute.
“I was super happy with the players’ energy tonight,” Russell said. “I thought they really brought it. I’m super proud of them. … The whole back four was just fabulous.”
The Quakes came out in a 4-1-4-1 formation, a look they used – at least in theory – on a couple of earlier occasions this year under fired coach Mark Watson. The difference Saturday was that Sam Cronin, serving as the defensive screen, was given specific instructions to shadow Vancouver playmaker Pedro Morales. Morales, who leads the Whitecaps with 10 goals and 11 assists, eventually came off in the 71st minute, having been muted almost entirely.
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“I had a more defined role of sitting in front of the back and taking him out of the game,” Cronin said. “I thought for the most part, we limited his space and time on the ball.”
Russell agreed: “The main thing we stressed was closing down space, limiting them, and they did it tonight. They made it very, very difficult for Vancouver.”
The only thing missing was a little bit of that stoppage-time magic that used to appear so frequently at Buck Shaw in recent years. The Quakes didn’t force a save out of Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted after the 59th minute.
“I was thinking it would be fitting if we would have scored late there to win, and have a little bit of a walk-off like we’ve done so many times,” Cronin said. “But it wasn’t to be tonight.”
