With the return of Chris Wondolowski for the San Jose Earthquakes and Rafa Márquez, Luke Rodgers, and leading scorer Thierry Henry out for the New York Red Bulls, the 41,028 MLS fans that packed Stanford Stadium Saturday night thought they were in for three points. But New York's Joel Lindpere had something to say about that, scoring an 85th minute equalizer and his second goal of the match, silencing the record breaking crowd for a 2-2 draw.
The Red Bulls (5-3-10) recorded their seventh tie in their last nine matches, despite being on the attack for most of the match. Lindpere broke through early with goal in the 7th minute, the team's eighth goal inside of 15 minutes on the year. Khari Stephenson responded in the 37th when Red Bull keeper Bouna Coundoul mishandled the ball, leaving Khari open for a volley strike.
Steven Lenhart broke the tie for the Quakes in the 68th minute, but it would not hold up after Lindpere struck again in the 85th minute. Lindpere was the recipient of a ricochet off a San Jose defender for a left-footed far posted blast that silenced the crowd and finished off the match in a draw. Chris Wondolowski had an opportunity in the 67th minute, firing a strike off the right post, but to no avail.
Saturday marked the Quakes' first match at Stanford Stadium since being revived as an expansion team in 2008. They last played there during as a doubleheader with the Women's World Cup on July 4, 1999, edging D.C. United 3-2 in a penalty shootout.
With the draw the Quakes move to 5-5-6 on the year, sixth place in the Western Conference.
The Quakes will head down to Los Angeles Wednesday to face Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. with coverage on CSN California, KZSF 1370 AM, and KDOW 1220 AM.
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