April 9, 2011 MLS--Dawkins Rescues Point For Quakes Against Reds (from MLSsoccer.com)
Dawkins rescues point for Quakes against Reds
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Toronto FC’s Alan Gordon and San Jose’s Simon Dawkins each scored for the second consecutive week as the Reds and Earthquakes played to a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.
For the second consecutive week, the Quakes went down early, then fought back with an equalizing goal. But San Jose couldn’t find the score needed to nose in front – even though Chris Wondolowski had a golden one-on-one chance against Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei in the second half.
It turned out to be another tie for San Jose, who haven’t yet led in three winless matches at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Toronto also have back-to-back ties, although they’ll be happier to come away with a road point from a rugged match best summed up by the eight yellow cards handed out by referee Ramon Hernandez.
TFC jump-started the match after an uneventful opening 25 minutes by taking advantage of a miscue by San Jose’s defense. Toronto defender Danleigh Borman, having made a long run to the Quakes’ endline, saw his cross blocked by San Jose’s Bobby Convey.
But as Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch rushed out to grab the ball, holding midfielder Sam Cronin – apparently unaware of Busch’s move – headed the ball towards the center of the field. It fell to earth four yards from goal, where Gordon pounced on it.
Tottenham Hotspur loan item Dawkins, meanwhile, continued to show his quality. The midfielder knifed between a trio of Toronto defenders before sliding the ball off to Wondolowski at the top of the box. Wondolowski, who had only one assist in 2,308 minutes of play last season, played a perfect first-touch ball back to Dawkins, who held off Ty Harden and jabbed his shot past Frei.
Wondolowski, who received his 2010 Golden Boot trophy before the match, almost put the Earthquakes up in the 51st minute. Set free by a neatly chipped pass from Khari Stephenson, he penetrated the box but Frei snuffed out the forward's shot from 13 yards and Wondolowski’s attempt on the rebound was blocked by Harden.
Frei was in the mix again in the 60th, when he came sliding out and broke up Ryan Johnson’s attempt to run onto a long through pass from Brandon McDonald, who had dribbled through much of Toronto’s midfield on a quick counterattack. Johnson tried to maneuver around Frei with his first touch, instead losing control of the ball and his body on the play.
The Quakes next travel to New York on April 16 to take on the Red Bulls, while Toronto return home to host D.C. United on the same day.
Scoring Summary: TOR -- Alan Gordon 2 (unassisted) 27 SJ -- Simon Dawkins 2 (Chris Wondolowski 1) 38 Misconduct Summary: TOR -- Tony Tchani (caution; Dissent) 35 SJ -- Sam Cronin (caution; Dissent) 36 TOR -- Nana Attakora (caution; Reckless Foul) 41 SJ -- Ike Opara (caution; Reckless Tackle) 55 TOR -- Julian de Guzman (caution; Reckless Foul) 79 SJ -- Ramiro Corrales (caution; Dissent) 84 SJ -- Chris Wondolowski (caution; Dissent) 87 TOR -- Jacob Peterson (caution; Reckless Foul) 93+ Comparison SAN JOSE TORONTO FC Shots 16 10 Shots on Goal 5 3 Saves 2 4 Fouls 13 17 Offsides 3 2 Corner Kicks 0 0 Lineups: Toronto FC -- Stefan Frei, Ty Harden, Nana Attakora (Julian de Guzman 46), Adrian Cann, Danleigh Borman, Maicon Santos (Joao Plata 65), Jacob Peterson, Tony Tchani, Javier Martina, Alan Gordon, Alen Stevanovic (Gianluca Zavarise 63). Substitutes Not Used: Oscar Cordon, Dan Gargan, Mikael Yourassowsky, Milos Kocic. San Jose Earthquakes -- Jon Busch, Jason Hernandez, Brandon McDonald, Ike Opara, Ramiro Corrales (Joey Gjertsen 85), Bobby Convey, Sam Cronin, Simon Dawkins, Khari Stephenson (Matt Luzunaris 80), Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski. Substitutes Not Used: Anthony Ampaipitakwong, Bobby Burling, Chris Leitch, Brad Ring, Andrew Weber. Referee: Ramon Hernandez Referee's Assistants: Kermit Quisenberry; Mike Kampmeinert 4th Official: Daniel Fitzgerald Weather: Sunny and 61 degrees Attendance: 8,928
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