Major League Soccer Playoffs, Leg 2: Convey Brace, Wondo Winner Sees New York Out Of Playoffs

The one player who the San Jose Earthquakes have relied upon most this season came through once again when his team needed him most.

Chris Wondolowski scored an 81st minute goal off an assist from Bobby Convey, who had scored two goals earlier in the match as the Quakes beat the New York Red Bulls 3-2 on aggregate.

On the winning goal, Wondolowski was able to get free of Red Bulls defender Roy Miller and headed the ball past goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

That goal capped a wild five-minute sequence that also featured the Earthquakes grabbing the aggregate lead in the 76th minute on Convey's second goal and the Red Bulls pulling even on a Juan Pablo Angel goal in the 78th minute.

By overcoming a deficit on the road, the Earthquakes became just the second team in the seven-year history of the current MLS playoff format to pull off that feat. They are the first team to overcome a road deficit on the road and win in regulation.

The Red Bulls certainly can't be accused of not being aggressive enough. They fired off 23 shots, although only four of them were on target.

If there was one bright spot for New York, it was the emergence of Juan Agudelo. The 17-year-old was one of the Red Bulls' best players and made a perfectly placed pass on Angel's equalizer.

The winner of the Columbus Crew-Colorado Rapids matchup will play the Earthquakes in the Eastern Conference finals. The Rapids currently lead 1-0 and travel to Columbus on Saturday.

After 165 minutes of relatively eventful play, the tie has been blown wide open with three goals in six minutes. San Jose has scored twice with Bobby Convey once again at the center of their attacks, while Juan Pablo Angel scored for New York.

The first goal came in the 75th minute after a spell of possession for San Jose. The ball eventually got to Bobby Convey after a sloppy flurry of passes. Convey turned Tim Ream, got himself free, and finished past Bouna Coundoul to give San Jose an advantage on aggregate.

It took only two minutes for Juan Pablo Angel to strike back, heading in a cross from Juan Agudelo after the 17 year old beat a couple of defenders and delivered a fantastic ball. Right before the goal, New York was looking to bring Thierry Henry on for Juan Pablo Angel. Henry has since entered the game, but under much different circumstances.

That's because Chris Wondolowski has scored the goal that, as of right now, would be the eventual winner. In the 81st minute, Convey delivered a perfect cross to Wondolowski, who was cutting into the box from his right midfield position. He rose above Roy Miller and headed the ball into the back of the net.

New York then made three substitutions, bringing Henry, Jeremy Hall, and Salou Ibrahim on for Carlos Mendes, Chris Albright, and Juan Agudelo. Both Henry and Wondolowski have had great chances since, both barely missing the target.

Bobby Convey’s 6th minute goal tied the aggregate series 1-1 and it has stayed that way for the remainder of the first half.

The two sides have traded opportunities for much of the half. The best chance came off the foot of 17-year-old Juan Agudelo, but after getting free inside the six-yard box, his shot rung off the near post. Dane Richards’ pass had sent Agudelo in, but it was a little late and forced Agudelo to take an extra touch that cut off his angle.

Earthquakes defender Ramiro Corrales was injured around the 45th minute and has been replaced by Eduardo.

The Earthquakes are fighting a bit of history in their attempt to overcome a deficit on the road. Five teams have trailed after their home leg and only one of them has managed to advance. That team was the 2006 Colorado Rapids, who lost their first match 2-1 and eventually came back to beat FC Dallas in a penalty kick shootout after going down two goals in regulation and falling behind in overtime.

History may not be on the side of the Earthquakes, but history means very little in this game.

Bobby Convey collected a free ball about eight yards out and easily scored it past Bouna Condoul to tie the series 1-1 in the 7th minute.

Convey was able to jump on a ball that Ryan Johnson had deflected off a cross into the box. Convey has scored just two goals in his last two MLS seasons.

Only one team has ever come back after losing the first leg at home, but there have only been two teams to trail by one goal. Of the 10 teams that have been tied or trailing by one goal, four of the road teams have pulled out the victory.

The Earthquakes have definitely been the aggressor in this match at the 12-minute mark, controlling much of the play.

The atmosphere at the match has been impressive, with chants ringing out throughout the match.