Photos by Jose Rocha
The seats at PayPal Park were painted in shades of yellow with spots of blue and black between sections. It was technically a home match for the San Jose Earthquakes, but Tigres UANL fans invaded the stadium and made it theirs.
“For me, it’s very satisfactory,” said Tigres Head Coach Robert Siboldi in the post-match conference. “[Mexican] fans who live in the United States have few chances of seeing Mexican soccer… and now they have their idols nearby.”
Beyond winning the match (which Tigres did, 1-0), Siboldi was content with the fans as well.
This was not the only opportunity for Mexican fans in the Bay Area to see a Liga MX team play in San Jose. Teams like Club America, Leon, Cruz Azul, and most recently Chivas and Pachuca have played in PayPal Park at some point in friendly matches, whether that was against one another or against the Earthquakes.
However, those matches mostly showcased B-rosters and not a whole lot of competition. Now, teams field their best players as they compete for a trophy.
“I think it’s [Leagues Cup] a complicated tournament,” said Fernando Gorriaran after the match. “There’s been a lot of surprises.”
It was a fierce competition between Tigres and San Jose. Coming into the match, San Jose had lost against the Portland Timbers 2-0 in Providence Park, meaning they needed to beat Tigres by a two-goal margin in order to advance from the group stage.
Starting XI
San Jose Earthquakes (4-3-3): Daniel; Miguel Trauco, Rodrigues, Tanner Beason, Carlos Akapo; Jackson Yueill, Jamiro Monteiro, Carlos Gruezo; Cade Cowell, Jeremy Ebobisse, Cristian Espinoza
Tigres UANL (4-2-3-1): Nahuel Guzman; Jesus Angulo, Samir, Diego Reyes, Javier Aquino; Rafael Carioca, Guido Pizarro, Fernando Gorriaran; Diego Lainez, Luis Quinones, Andre-Pierre Gignac
Physically, the Earthquakes matched the intensity of the Mexican side. The stadium witnessed fairly entertaining physical battles between the San Jose and Tigres players.
Tigres dominated the ball, as is their style of play. Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez and the squad adapted well to Tigres’ style of play, often pressuring high and taking advantage of counterattacks.
“At the end of a game we needed to push, we needed goals,” said Gonzalez. “We did get on the ball, we got wide overloads, balls in the box; I thought it was an interesting dynamic.”
San Jose was close to opening the score various times throughout the first half. Shots from Cristian Espinoza and Cade Cowell went either wide or straight at Nahuel Guzman.
San Jose held their shape until the 19th minute when Luis Quinones assisted Fernando Garriaran in the center of the box for the only goal in the entire match.
The second half experienced less action than the first half, though there were still moments of brilliance from San Jose, who ultimately failed to convert their chances.
“I am sad for the guys because I thought our players left everything on the field; I’m really proud of them,” said Gonzalez. “I thought we showed some high-level concepts, ideas, play, combinations, and pressing against one of the best teams in Central, North, and South America.”
Gonzalez made a final push for a goal in the second half by subbing in more offensive players such as Niko Tsakiris and recent acquisition Ayo Akinola, who made his debut.
Akinola, on loan from Toronto FC, did not have enough minutes to produce the leveling goal. Though, his displays showed promise.
“I think he already showed he’s got some physical qualities in terms of hold-up, turning defenders,” said Gonzalez. “He’s got power and speed; he’s versatile and he’s young and has a lot of room to still improve.”
For now, San Jose will take a lengthy break before their next match on Aug. 20 at Vancouver.
They are a team that can benefit from the break as they integrate Akinola into the squad and fight to protect their playoff spot.
The Leagues Cup, as Quakes GM Chris Leitch put it in a presser last week, “tests” MLS rosters. San Jose could potentially be looking at roster modifications as they’ve seen with Akinola’s arrival, though there are no reports yet of any targets.
For the Earthquakes, it’s back to the drawing board.
“It [Leagues Cup] just made it a great environment, a great event,” said Gonzalez. “If we keep showing that attitude, personality, that confidence to play, things will bounce our way in our league.”
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