The San Jose Earthquakes and Vancouver Whitecaps played to a scoreless draw at Avaya Stadium in a game with no prize other than pride. The Western Conference rivals were officially out of contention for the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs ahead of their penultimate match of a difficult 2016 season for each squad. Both teams offered a glimpse of their respective offensive struggles, inflicting no major damage on each other.
The 'Quakes dominated possession in the first half and could've been up 2-0 early on, had it not been for Whitecaps goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi, who blocked an effort from Simon Dawkins in the 7th minute and followed with a spectacular diving save after a long-range shot from Cordell Cato. The Whitecaps recovered in the second half, mainly through Masato Kudo, who forced 'Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham to make two saves in quick succession to keep the game scoreless.
With the result, San Jose and Vancouver will head into Decision Day sitting in the eighth and ninth spots in the Western Conference, respectively, but both will have a large say in the final playoff verdicts with the opportunity to play spoilers next Sunday.
Three Things
- TORNAGHI KEEPS IT CLEAN: The Italian goalkeeper made his first regular season appearance for the Whitecaps after being in the squad for more than three years. The 28-year-old Tornaghi had played an exhibition game against Crystal Palace over the summer and featured in the CONCACAF Champions League for the 'Caps before claiming his first regular season clean sheet.
- UNDEFEATED CLOSER: The Quakes might be out of the playoffs, but they can take some consolation from the 0-0 result against Vancouver. The club has gone seven consecutive seasons without losing in their regular-season home finale, with a 4-0-3 record.
- NO LUCK IN SAN JOSE... AGAIN: The 'Caps will have to wait another season to defeat the Quakes in San Jose, as they've yet to win a game there after eight tries. Their record in the Bay stands at 0-2-6.
Box Score
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