'Quakes Get Final Pre-Season Win; Attakora Rejoins Team
PORTLAND, Ore. (CBS SF) -– The San Jose Earthquakes closed their preseason with a 2-1 win against FC Dallas in the Portland Preseason Tournament on Saturday.
The Earthquakes wrapped up the round-robin event with a 1-0-2 clip, including a 3-3 draw against the Portland Timbers and a scoreless tie against AIK (Sweden).
Chris Wondolowski put the Earthquakes on the board early. Veteran defender Jason Hernandez lofted a ball over the FC Dallas back line that caught Wondolowski on the run perfectly. The reigning Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player smartly used his body to shield off a defender and elude a charging goalkeeper before sliding to tap the ball into an open net.
FC Dallas leveled in the 26th minute as Jackson blasted a shot from the top of the box that deflected off Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez and into the goal.
San Jose didn't wait long in the second half to find the decisive goal. Mike Fucito tallied for the second time in the tournament to take the lead back the 49th minute. The off-season acquisition capitalized on a deflected cross, collecting and firing past FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz to give the Earthquakes a 2-1 advantage.
With the lead in hand, Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch made one of the plays of the game with a penalty save in the 79th minute. Non-roster invitee John Bostock was whistled for a spot kick after making contact with FC Dallas forward Blas Perez in the box. Busch dove to his left to make the save on Perez and keep San Jose's 2-1 lead intact.
Meanwhile, the Earthquakes announced Friday that the club had signed Canadian national team defender Nana Attakora pending receipt of his P-1 visa. Per league and team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
Attakora, 23, played six games for the Earthquakes in 2011 after joining the team as part of a four-player trade with Toronto FC, the same move that brought Alan Gordon to San Jose along with Jacob Peterson in exchange for Ryan Johnson, allocation money and an international player slot. The athletic center back left MLS in 2012 to suit up for Finland's FC Haka, but has returned to San Jose for 2013.
"We're happy to have Nana back to add some depth to our center backs. We never wanted to see him go, but he looked sharp during his stint in Europe and we look forward to having him in an Earthquakes jersey once again," said Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop.
Attakora joined Toronto FC in 2007 and made 56 career appearances before departing for San Jose. Attakora has five career caps with the Canadian national team, his last coming in a 0-0 draw against the United States on Jan. 29. He has been a mainstay for Canada since his youth days with the U-17s.
"The club is excited to see Nana return to San Jose. We're looking forward to a great season on the field for him," said Earthquakes general manager John Doyle.
The Earthquakes open their regular season against Real Salt Lake on Sunday, March 3 at Buck Shaw Stadium in San Jose.
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