The San Jose Earthquakes returned to winning ways on Sunday night as they beat the Chicago Fire 2-0 at PayPal Park.
An open contest throughout, both teams had several chances over the course of the 90 minutes. However, only a few were converted, and both of San Jose’s were converted by Benji Kikanovic. They came in very different fashion, as one was a rebound and the other was a wonderful curler, but what mattered was the fact that he was able to find the back of the net either way. Brian Gutiérrez halved the deficit late on, but it didn’t end up mattering as the hosts held on to the three points.
It was a solid win for the Earthquakes at home, and it was another tough pill for Chicago to swallow on the road.
Story of the match
Both teams had openings early on. First San Jose thought they should have had a penalty when Jeremy Ebobisse was seemingly fouled, but nothing was given by the referee or VAR. Then Boris Sekulić nearly picked out Chris Mueller with a cross for Chicago, but the ball was just a little too high.
Mueller was involved once again about ten minutes later. Kacper Przybyłko settled a ball into the box before laying it off to the aforementioned Mueller, who took a touch before going for goal. His strike was a good one, but it was blocked by a lunging defender.
Even though San Jose controlled proceedings for a bit, it was Chicago who had the next big chance. Federico Navarro made a late run into the area, and he got the ball in a dangerous position, but unlike last time out he was unable to finish. Moments later Mueller broke free down the wing, and he was denied as well.
The Earthquakes continued to be in control, and they came close on a few occasions, but they were constantly turned away.
That all changed minutes into the start of the second half when San Jose opened the scoring in remarkable fashion. They had a shot saved, then they hit the post, then a shot was blocked before another hit the post, and then finally the rebound was poked home by Benji Kikanovic.
After another extended spell of Earthquakes dominance, Chicago finally got back into the game. Przybyłko really should have done better after receiving a pass in the area, but he made a mess of things, and he barely got a shot off. Then Mueller cut inside and blasted a shot well wide soon after.
The Fire thought they were about to be given a penalty when Rafael Czichos went down following a shot attempt. However, the referee gave nothing at first, and despite an incredibly long VAR review, he stood by his initial decision. I don’t even know if it was the right decision myself after looking at the challenge time and time again, as the whole situation was just weird.
That decision proved to be crucial since San Jose doubled their advantage moments later, effectively sealing the result. Coming on the counter, Jamiro Monteiro played Kikanovic through, and he did the rest, cutting inside before curling a shot into the bottom corner.
Brian Gutiérrez grabbed a goal late on to pull one back for Chicago, but it was too little too late as the Earthquakes held on to secure the victory and the three points.
Takeaways
Arlo White should not have been a part of the commentary team for this match, and he shouldn’t be for the rest of the season. The Fire and WGN are standing by him, though, so Chicago fans are pretty much stuck with him.
I know the game had to happen at the time it did because of the difference in time zones, but the angle of the sun made things quite hard to see in the opening stages.
It is a real shame Francisco Calvo wasn’t able to play tonight.
Kacper Przybyłko does offer something in terms of possession and setting up others, but he’s just not clinical enough to lead the line anymore. He’s messed up a number of opportunities as of late, and it’s arguably cost his side at least a few points. Hopefully Jhon Durán will start next time out, especially after his wonderful assist in this contest.
The Fire let Gabriel Slonina keep playing after he hit a rough patch, and the decision has paid off since he’s improved drastically. He’s back to his best, and he made several saves on the night to keep the away side in the contest.
If San Jose can improve a bit defensively, then they might be a team to keep an eye on this season. They’re interesting going forward, and they’ve certainly got some talent on their roster.
Man of the match - Benji Kikanovic
The matchwinner on the night, Benji Kikanovic was seemingly the only player on either side of the field who brought his shooting boots with him.
In a game full of bottled chances, Kikanovic stayed cool and finished the ones that came his way. The first couldn’t have been any easier, to be fair, as a rebound fell right to him when he just a few yards out.
The second, however, was quality. Flying forward on the counter, the attacker kept his composure, cutting inside before curling a shot past the outstretched arms of the goalkeeper.
Those two goals were ultimately what gave San Jose the victory when all was said and done. If Kikanovic is able to keep converting like this, then his side might be in a good position going into the summer months.
