The San Jose Earthquakes nearly walked away from their match against the Chicago Fire at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday. The Quakes continue to sit atop the MLS board after the draw on Saturday and avoid allowing second place Real Salt Lake to pull to within a point. The Fire, on the other hand, have to be disappointed after thinking they might be able to come away with a much needed three points in their efforts to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Fire took an early lead over the Quakes when forward Chris Wolfe scored a goal in the 37th minute. The Quakes tried furiously to find the back of the net the remainder of the game, but Fire goal keeper Sean Johnson had a solid game with ten saves. However, despite his solid play, the Quakes continued to come at the Fire putting up 24 shots, before substitute extraordinaire Steven Lenhart slotted a goal in the 98th minute, bringing the Quakes even just barely before the end of the match.
Up next for the San Jose Earthquakes does not see MLS action again until August 11th when the host the Seattle Sounders at Buck Shaw Stadium.