San Jose Earthquakes 1 Colorado Rapids 0 - Crap In, Crap Out

What, exactly, did you expect? The Colorado Rapids went into San Jose and saw a foul-filled, crap-ass game that featured a Chris Wondolowski goal and probably should have featured two or three more Quakes goals. It hardly mattered how many goals the Quakes scored in the end, as the Rapids failed to get a single shot on target the entire evening. In a season that has been filled with mediocre offensive performances, this was possibly the worst, and a big result for the Whitecaps in Seattle made it just that bit more difficult to swallow.

From the first kick, the Quakes were on the front foot. Knowing they needed a victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, San Jose had the majority of the ball and had some fantastic chances go wanting in the first 10 minutes. Colorado never seemed to get their footing in the first half, partially because whenever the ball approached the final third, Atiba Harris and Edson Buddle couldn't seem to hold onto it.

It was a minor miracle that Colorado went into the locker rooms with a 0-0 scoreline, in the end. Set piece defending and the play by the center backs were both big lowlights for the Rapids, as the Quakes seemed to be wide open in every situation they got themselves into.

Set piece defending would end up being a theme at the end of the match, as well. After two super saves on the goal line by Drew Moor and another big one by Clint Irwin, Chris Wondolowski scored an easy header off a corner kick in the 69th minute. Colorado's lack of firepower on the bench caught up with them after that, as Danny Mwanga and Nick Labrocca provided exactly as much attacking mettle as you would have expected coming in as the late substitutes.

The game on the 19th against the Whitecaps now becomes a must-win affair.