Ebobisse’s Second-Half Heroics Hand Quakes First Win Of Season

March 24, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes defeated Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 on Saturday night at PayPal Park in front of 16,109 fans to earn their first victory of the season.

San Jose struck first blood in the 42nd minute when a Jackson Yueill cross and subsequent Bruno Wilson header found Vítor Costa, who promptly scored his second goal of the season. One minute later, San Jose doubled the advantage when Cristian Espinoza tapped in the rebound from a Preston Judd attempt that deflected off Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

However, the visitors would pull one back in the 72nd minute via a Raúl Ruidiaz penalty kick and drew level in the 81st minute from a Danny Musovski strike. But only one minute later, second-half substitute Jeremy Ebobisse would have the final say for San Jose, as he slid in the box to direct Jack Skahan’s cross into the net to give the hosts the game-winner and a crucial three points.

The Quakes will go on the road for their next match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, March 30. Kickoff from Shell Energy Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as on local radio via AM 810 The Spread (English) and AM 1370 La Kaliente (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

The Quakes and Sounders FC, both founded in 1974 and originally members of the North American Soccer League (NASL), are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this season.

To honor this tradition, Saturday’s contest commenced the 16th edition of the Heritage Cup, an annual competition between the Earthquakes and Sounders FC based on their regular-season games. The Quakes are the reigning champions, keeping the silverware for three consecutive seasons. Since the tradition started in 2009, San Jose has possessed the trophy seven times, while Seattle has owned it for eight. The return leg in Seattle is September 18.

The Earthquakes now have a 15-15-9 record against Sounders FC across 39 MLS regular-season matchups, including a 7-5-5 record at home.

With his first-half goal, forward Cristian Espinoza continued his superb career numbers against Sounders FC (6g/4a), including his only hat trick which he earned in a 4-3 victory on April 23, 2022. The 2023 MLS All-Star also clinched the all-time club assist record last season against Seattle, tallying the 51st in his career.

The Quakes’ two goals happened 1:36 apart, which is the quickest span in MLS this season, eclipsing…