SAN JOSE — Hardly any Earthquakes players lingered in the locker room Wednesday night after another disappointing effort that resulted in a 1-1 draw against the Montreal Impact.
Goalkeeper David Bingham was not among those who chose to avoid reporters in the aftermath of a third consecutive collapse at home.
The former Cal star took the blame for a downright frustrating tie against the short-handed Impact in a Major League Soccer game at Avaya Stadium.
“This one’s on me,” Bingham said. Ten “guys ahead of me busting their butts the whole game and then my mistake cost us two points tonight.
“There’s no beating around the bush here: It sucks.”
It wasn’t entirely Bingham’s fault the Quakes (11-11-7, 40 points) failed to hold off Montreal in a game rescheduled from April 25 so the Impact could prepare for the CONCACAF Champions League final.
But Kyle Bekker caught the keeper off his line for the equalizer in the 66th minute with a shot from beyond the penalty area.
“He whipped it in, and he got me,” Bingham said. “It was not good enough.”
Coach Dominic Kinnear agreed with the latter part of that statement. But the Quakes’ leader said defenders should have marked Bekker better to deny him the space to take the shot.
However they review it, the Quakes head to New York City FC on Saturday after gaining only two points in three consecutive home games.
In essence, the Earthquakes are playing themselves out of the MLS Cup playoff race. The team couldn’t hold the lead despite playing much of the second half with a man advantage in front of an announced sellout crowd at Avaya Stadium that had quite a few empty seats.
“It’s a big bump in the road,” Kinnear said.
Adding to the disappointment, Montreal coach Mauro Biello had sent many of his stars home before the game to rest as the Impact is playing four times in 10 days.
Montreal (9-11-6, 33 points) played without striker Didier Drogba, Argentine midfielder Ignacio Piatti, Justin Mapp and others.
The draw spoiled a big goal by Chris Wondolowski in the 35th minute. Wondolowski’s 14th goal of the season came after goalkeeper Eric Kronberg tried to clear a ball that fell to Quincy Amarikwa.
The Quakes’ striker slipped it to his right 18 yards from the goal where Wondolowski scored his 100th career goal since 2010.
Wondo almost doubled his tally two minutes later. The Quakes forward got on another sitter 24 yards away. This time, Kronberg, a Cal alum like Bingham, dived to knock away the ball headed to the upper left corner.
San Jose got a big break two minutes into the second half when referee Allen Chapman ejected defender Ambroise Oyongo for a studs-up challenge of Matias Perez Garcia.
But San Jose couldn’t take advantage of its fortune. Not only did it allow the score-tying goal, but the Quakes failed to put away a game winner.
“We let ourselves down, let them off the hook, by letting our fans touch the ball instead of the goalkeeper or the net,” Kinnear said of too many wayward shots sprayed over or wide of the goal.
“When you’re not hitting the target you’re letting guys off the hook.”
Kinnear took more time than usual before talking to reporters after the game while talking to his players.
He said he didn’t yell at them or throw anything. The coach told the players, “We all have to want this together.”
Now the Quakes might need to win four of their final five games to advance to the postseason in the tight Western Conference.
That’s what happens when a team blows leads game after game.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/elliottalmond.
Saturday’s game
Earthquakes (11-11-7) at New York City FC
(8-14-7), 4 p.m. CSNCA
