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Djalo sparks Earthquakes to first win of season

Yannick Djalo

By IVES GALARCEP

The San Jose Earthquakes were in desperate need of a victory, and through 45 minutes of Saturday’s match against Chivas USA, it didn’t look like they would find that elusive first victory of 2014.

Then Yannick Djalo took the field at halftime, and gave the Earthquakes the spark they sorely needed.

Djalo scored the lone goal of the match, finishing off a Shea Salinas pass in the 66th minute to help give the Earthquakes a 1-0 victory at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday night.

The speedy Portuguese winger gave Chivas USA trouble all evening, but made his mark when he volleyed home a perfect Salinas cross to net his first MLS goal.

San Jose’s defense made that goal stand up against a Chivas USA side that struggled to create dangerous chances even before Dan Kennedy’s straight red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area reduced the Goats to 10 men in the 77th minute.

The loss pushes Chivas USA’s winless streak to seven matches, while the win helped snap San Jose’s own five-match winless skid to start 2014.

Here are the match highlights:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INn5F1QXaBU?list=UUSZbXT5TLLW_i-5W8FZpFsg]
What did you think of the match?

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Comments

  1. Even with little possession and many bad turnovers the Quakes showed they have the best CB parting in the league and maybe the best defense overall. If Yannick can help the possession and create dynamic play the goals will come and so will the wins.

    Reply
    • Agreed. San Jose’s weakness is in midfield. It makes you wonder what they’d have by starting Shea and Cato on the wings with Djalo inside. Replace Cronin at some point and then you’d have quite a dynamic midfield.

      Reply

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