Francisco Calvo found the net with two late headers – including an equalizer in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time – as the 10-man San Jose Earthquakes rallied from a two-goal deficit to salvage a wild 3-3 draw against the Columbus Crew Saturday at PayPal Park.
Calvo's brace matched that of Columbus playmaker Lucas Zelarayan, whose gorgeous free kick from distance gave the Crew a 3-1 lead with 17 minutes plus stoppage time remaining.
But twice Calvo met set-piece deliveries from Jan Gregus, the first on a free kick from the left wing and the second on a last-gasp corner kick from the right, to give the Quakes their first point of the 2022 campaign.
Cristian Espinoza converted an early penalty to give San Jose an early lead, a spot-kick awarded by referee Guido Gonzalez Jr. following a Video Review.
The game tilted the visitors' direction on another Video Review when Jamiro Monteiro was dismissed in the 33rd minute for his studs-up challenge into Darlington Nagbe's leg.
That set off three consecutive Crew goals, with substitute Gyasi Zardes' first of the season sandwiched by Zelarayan's pair before Calvo came up with the late heroics for the Quakes.
Goals
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Let's step back from the wildness for a moment to appreciate the continued, mesmerizing artistry that is how Zelarayan strikes a ball. Only Toronto legend Sebastian Giovinco has produced at a similar rate from direct free kicks in MLS. Zelarayan had five such goals last season before adding his first of 2022 – and his third of the season overall as the second of a wonderful brace.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It seemed impossible less than a half-hour earlier when Zardes put the Crew up a goal and up a man, and even more unlikely after Zelarayan's second belter. And yet the Goonies ... erm, the Earthquakes have a bit of a habit of pulling off these kinds of miracles.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Francisco Calvo. Was he as influential to the overall run of play as Zelarayan? Definitely not. But he made a play that could be season-defining for a team staring back-to-back home defeats squarely in the face to open a new season. Here's his earlier goal:
Next Up
- SJ: Saturday, March 12 at Philadelphia Union | 7:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
- CLB: Saturday, March 12 vs. Toronto FC | 1:30 pm ET (MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada)
