The San Jose Earthquakes maintained their unbeaten run at Avaya Stadium this season with a 1-1 draw against Orlando City SC on Wednesday.
The goals didn't come until the final 10 minutes, when Carlos Rivas opened the scoring for the Lions and Chris Wondolowski answered for the Quakes three minutes later to share the points.
Goals
Three Things
- SUBS REVIVE ATTACKS: All things considered, the draw was a fair result on the night on balance. But the game was a gritty, defensive affair until the respective coaches made attacking substitutions in the second half. Jason Kreis brought on Rivas and Kaká simultaneously in the 63rd minute, and the players connected on Orlando's goal, while Tommy Thompson made a significant impact within a minute of his entry for the Quakes, with his shot off a corner kick heading into Wondolowski's path for the redirect on the equalizer. The assist is Thompson's first career point in MLS, and San Jose will hope it kickstarts a run for the Homegrown midfielder.
- OCSC PICK UP ROAD POINT: With two new starters on the backline in PC and Leo Pereira, Orlando City could be forgiven for having an off night, on the road, in a busy stretch of games. Instead, the defense nearly held on for the shutout, and more importantly, picked up a point on the road in a midweek match. It's only the second result Orlando have notched on the road so far this season, and while they're doing very well at home, picking up results on the road will help ensure they stay above the red line for the duration and reach the playoffs.
- FORTRESS AVAYA STAYS INTACT: On the other side, San Jose remain unbeaten at home for the season. Should they be concerned that three of their six home results have been draws? In a vacuum, yes, although it's worth noting they have come back in each of those games to get the tie. They're still in good shape above the red line, but aside from keeping their home unbeaten run going, they'll likely look to push for more wins in the weeks ahead.
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