Dry as a whistle.

Is that a up cake in your pocket Kelly?

It was a positively balmy night compared to the season opener, with a game time temperature of around 60 degrees.  The Earthquakes' pre-game activities at the Epicenter included fussball (frenetic), face-painting (any color you want - as long as it's blue and/or black) and  player autographs with Tim Ward and Omar Jasseh.  Club ambassador Kelly Gray and play by play announcer John Schrader previewed the game from the stage, which they shrewdly located next to Kara's cup cake truck. It was a much easier night to be a fan after the brutally cold and wet conditions of  the Great Deluge of 2011.

Better weather and last week's victory brought much more eager chatter from the fans as Wondo kicked off the game - he was denied early on by veteran Kasey Keller’s save in the ninth minute. Brad Evans chipped in the opening goal for the Sounders from a Morales pass in the 17th minute. The equalizer came when recent arrival from Spurs, Simon Dawkins, converted an inch perfect pass from Bobby Convey.  Finally, Wondo’s consecutive Quakes goal streak was broken.  Dawkins, apparently still in search of a nickname, is quickly winning fans in the stands, and he received a standing ovation when he was subbed off later in the game - his great ball control and awareness of his team mates location on the field is definitely getting him noticed. Just before half time, Jamaican O’Brian White headed home Zakuani’s cross so the Sounders went in at the half leading 2-1.

Photo: Joe Nuxoll; Center Line Soccer

The Quakes own Reggae Boy Kahri Stephenson evened up the score in the 52nd minute with a spectacular 35-yard shot into the top right corner of the goal. Keller got his fingertips to the ball, but there was nothing much he could do about it – a truly spectacular shot in Keller's final appearance at Buck Shaw stadium. Suspended belief silenced everyone for a couple of seconds, including Khari himself, before we recognized that the ball was in the net.

Later in the second-half, Edvin Jurisevich (who would like to be a referee when he grows up) showed us all that he still doesn't yet grasp the concept of the penalty when he didn't call two fouls in the box: first on RJ then on Wondo. Quakes fans still remember the egregious second-half injury-time penalty he awarded in the match against Columbus a couple of years ago. I wonder if Jurisevich’s ears were still ringing from the post-game tongue lashing he got from coach Yallop after that game.

All in all it was a closely matched game and it was great to see the Quakes maintain the composure to come back from two deficits.  The crowd left somewhat happy, and perfectly dry after the whistle blew - only in California would the fans still be so traumatized by the one game in three years when it rained.

Center Line Soccer match report for this game can be found here.