By Derrick Ow — Reporter
The San Jose Earthquakes went from joy to sorrow in Kansas City.
The Quakes saw their rollercoaster season end in a penalty shootout as Sporting Kansas City advanced to the Western Conference semifinals Sunday. Both teams were tied at 3-3 after regulation and Sporting KC shut down the Quakes with three goals in the shootout.
The star was Sporting goalkeeper Tim Melia. He denied Oswaldo Alanis, Jackson Yueill and Cristian Espinoza and sent the limited fans at Children’s Mercy Park into a frenzy. Melia is still a perfect 6-0 in penalty shootouts in his career.
Both clubs had each other on the ropes. In the 91st minute, Sporting KC thought it scored a game winning goal from midfielder Gianluca Busio. Buscio received a heel flick from Khiry Shelton and he blasted the ball to the back of the net.
Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski spoiled SKC’s premature celebration. The all time MLS goal scoring king delivered with his second career playoff goal on a cross from Espinoza. The crowd was dead silent in the 97th minute.
The goals were flowing like the Missouri River. Roger Espinoza put SKC on the board in the 4th minute. He ran towards the near post where he headed the ball past Quakes goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski.
The Quakes answered the bell like they have all season. In the 22nd minute, Espinoza got his first of two assists on the afternoon when he kicked into the SKC defense and Carlos Fierro got a gift wrapped goal off the rebound.
The Quakes grabbed the lead as Espinoza delivered his second helper to Shea Salinas who scored his first career playoff goal in the 34th minute.
SKC came out of the locker room fired up, They responded with a 47th minute goal courtesy of Illie Sanchez, tying the game up at 2-2.
The Quakes had 17 shots on goal while Sporting KC had 14. The Quakes possession heavy style gave Sporting KC problems as they had possession 60 percent of the time. The style works but might need some reinforcements in 2021.
The Earthquakes have many questions to answer as they head into the offseason. Chris Wondolowski is undecided on coming back for his 15th season in the MLS. Earthquakes manager Matias Almeyda could be lured by big pocketed soccer clubs in Europe and Mexico.
The Quakes made the playoffs for the first time since 2017. This could be the first step to becoming perpetual contenders in the Western Conference. They saw their MLS Cup dreams end on Sunday. They have become the most fascinating team to watch in Major League Soccer.
Sporting Kansas City will host Minnesota United in two weeks for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
Follow Derrick on Twitter @Derrickq42
