Quakes Bounce Back to Draw Top Seed Toluca

Alan Gordon scored a stoppage time equalizer to draw Mexican side Toluca (sjearthquakes.com)

Stop me if you've heard this one: A team favored to beat the Earthquakes makes the trip to Buck Shaw Stadium, takes the lead, then seemingly has it all wrapped up going into stoppage time.  Of course, then this guy named Alan Gordon shows up, puts the ball in the back of the net, and the rest of us have to hear about "Goonie Magic" until the Quakes play again.

Well that's exactly what happened to Mexican side Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League play last night.  Toluca came in as the top seeded team in the knockout phase of the tournament and figured to have somewhat of an easy ride against the Quakes.  Toluca has had a pretty good 2014 Clausura campaign in Liga Mx as well, sitting second only to Cruz Azul.  I'll even admit that I didn't give the Quakes a chance at all in this tie.

I don't want to give the impression that the Quakes just showed up in stoppage time though.  They actually acquitted themselves fairly well for much of the match, but it was a mistake that cost them the lead in the first place.  In the 67th minute Jason Hernandez attempted to clear the ball from the Quakes' end, but saw his kick go only as far as Raul Nava, who is NOT the guy you want to gift the ball to at the edge of the box.  Nava deftly volleyed the ball past Jon Busch to give Toluca the 0-1 lead.

Fortunately for the Quakes fans, their club continued to press,  If you've watched MLS and the Quakes over the last couple of years, you know they don't give up, it just doesn't seem to be in their DNA, even after they changed coaches midway through the 2013 MLS season.  In the 79th minute Steven Lenhart headed a cross from Shea Salinas off of the crossbar.  Both JJ Koval and Alan Gordon had chances to tie the match on the rebound from this opportunity, but neither could get the ball through all the traffic in front of the Toluca goal.

So it seemed like that might be all she wrote as the match entered second half stoppage time.  Of course as it turns out, the Quakes had Toluca right where they wanted them.  In the fourth minute of added time, Salinas again provided a dangerous cross into the box.  This time it was Gordon who got his head to it first, and he didn't miss, bouncing his header in off the post to knot the match at 1-1, which was also the score at full time.

All in all the Quakes did a pretty good job last night, but Toluca are still going to be in the driver seat in this tie.  Next week the two sides will head down to Mexico and Toluca's Estadio Nemesio Diez to settle the score.  I don't think the Quakes will be able to rely on "Goonie Magic" in Mexico.  They'll have to finish their chances and more importantly keep the high flying Toluca side out of the goal as well.  It's just really hard to see San Jose coming away with a win in Mexico, but then again, you can never count this team out until the final whistle has sounded.