Two red cards, and a Jasinski goal that rescued a point for San Jose

San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids drew 2-2 at Avaya Stadium, after both sides were reduced to ten men in the final quarter of an open game.

Timo Werner was sent off in the 71st minute, leaving San Jose Earthquakes a man short, and Darren Yapi put Colorado Rapids ahead two minutes later. That lead lasted only until the 75th minute, when Kosi Thompson was also sent off, so the closing stages were played with ten players on each side. Jack Jasinski levelled for San Jose in the 83rd minute, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 2-2 draw. Anyone who left at half time would have written a different report, so both red cards need to be kept in mind for everything that follows.

Expected goals, a measure of how good each chance was judged to be, gave San Jose 2.17 for the match. Their average at home is 1.09, so the quality of what they created was roughly double their usual level. Their shot count was also higher than normal, with 16 attempts against an average of 12.4 at home, but the bigger change was in how good those chances were. San Jose were not simply busier than usual; they were getting into better positions to shoot than they normally do.

Colorado were on the other side of that picture. Their expected goals of 1.03 sits well below the 1.79 they average away, and they took 11 shots against the 14 they usually manage on the road. Scoring twice from a smaller pile of chances means their finishing was sharp, and Morgan Whittaker, who scored the first Colorado goal, finished the game with a rating of 8.1. The goalkeeper N. Defreitas made six saves, which stopped the scoreline from becoming more lopsided.

Possession is where the match looks ordinary for Colorado but not for San Jose. Colorado had 55% of the ball, which is almost exactly what they average on the road at 55.8%. San Jose had 45%, below the 49.9% they usually hold at home, so they had less of the ball than their norm while creating more dangerous chances. That combination is less common than it sounds, and it explains why the xG figures tell a clearer story than the possession figures.

Four goals is more than the league averages per match, which is 3.4, so this was an open game by the standards of the division. The late goal mattered more than it would have in a match with eleven against eleven, because San Jose were pulling level against a side with exactly as many players as they had. Jasinski's finish came when both benches were already working through their changes, and it was the last moment that could change the points.

San Jose have now drawn four of their last six home matches, and they sit fourth in the table on 48 points. Colorado are eighth on 42, and a share of the spoils keeps both clubs close to where they started the day. For San Jose, the pattern at home is becoming more draw than win, and this result fits that picture.

Player of the matchM. Whittaker1 goal8.1

N. Defreitas6 saves7.8

D. Yapi1 goal7.7

R. Roberts1 goal7.4