Jack Jasinski's Late Header Earns Earthquakes 2-2 Draw With Rapids and a Home Playoff Game

Ten men against ten men, seven minutes from full time, with a piece of club history waiting at the far post. Niko Tsakiris whipped in a corner, Jack Jasinski rose at the left side of the six-yard box, and his header nestled into the bottom left corner while PayPal Park came unglued.

The San Jose Earthquakes and Colorado Rapids drew 2-2 on Wednesday night, a result that required two red cards, eight minutes of announced stoppage time and a rookie right back who apparently does not believe in quiet evenings. For San Jose, the point carried real weight: according to the club, it clinched the Quakes their first home playoff game since PayPal Park opened in 2015.

Four Goals, Two Reds, Zero Chill

San Jose struck first off a set piece. Timo Werner forced Nico Hansen into a save in the 14th minute, and on the corner that followed, Werner served and Reid Roberts headed home from point-blank range for a 1-0 lead in the 15th.

Colorado needed 11 minutes to answer. Wayne Frederick slid a pass to Morgan Whittaker in the middle of the box, and Whittaker's left foot found the bottom right corner in the 26th minute. That made it goals in back-to-back matches for Whittaker, who headed home the late winner against Vancouver on Oct. 24.

The rest of the half was a scrappy grind. Jasinski headed a corner wide in the 37th, Vítor Costa drew a save from Hansen in the 39th, and before the break Werner fired over from outside the box while Whittaker pulled a shot wide from the right side of the area.

After halftime, San Jose leaned on the door. Daniel Munie's header was saved in the 50th minute, Jasinski steered another header wide in the 58th, Preston Judd's header was saved by Hansen in the 64th, and Werner was denied again in the 70th. Then the game flipped twice in four minutes. Werner was shown a red card in the 71st, and two minutes later Darren Yapi, on as a 63rd-minute substitute for Whittaker, met Georgi Minoungou's cross and drilled a right-footed finish into the bottom left corner. Colorado led 2-1 and had the extra man.

The lead was two minutes old when Kosi Thompson was sent off in the 75th; the Quakes' match report says Judd had been fouled on a breakaway. Bruce Arena threw on Tsakiris, Ian Harkes and Jamar Ricketts in the 79th, and four minutes later Tsakiris delivered the corner that Jasinski buried.

Jasinski Steals the Show

Jasinski finished with four shots, tied with Judd for the team lead, and the goal was his third of the league season and of his career, per the club. It also capped a night that, by his coach's telling, got better as it went.

"He had a very good game. I think it was a little rough in the first half, but the second half was really good. He played very well in the last 20 minutes, and obviously, the goal was critically important," Arena said.

Tsakiris needed four minutes on the field to make his mark; the club says the assist was his team-leading 12th of the league season. Roberts, meanwhile, scored his fourth league goal of the year, and Werner's corner was his 10th league assist, according to San Jose.

On the other side, Hansen was the reason Colorado ever held a lead. He made six saves, including stops on headers from Munie and Judd, and gave his team a chance to steal all three points. Yapi's goal was his fifth of the season and Minoungou's assist was a career-high third, per the Rapids. Frederick's helper on the opener was his sixth of the year, extending his single-season career high.

The Four Minutes That Decided It

Werner's red card should have been the moment the night tilted toward Colorado, and for about four minutes it was. Yapi's goal turned a home push into a road heist in progress. But Thompson's dismissal handed back the numbers and, with them, the momentum. With ten against ten, San Jose's set-piece volume finally told: the Quakes won 11 corners on the night to Colorado's five, and the 83rd-minute equalizer came from one of them.

Arena was blunt about what losing Werner cost his side. "He was dangerous throughout the night, and it's a shame we couldn't see him play 90 minutes," he said.

San Jose even had chances to win it. Judd missed narrowly from very close range in the 88th minute and put a header just over the bar in the 90th, and Roberts dragged a left-footed shot just wide in the 10th minute of stoppage time. Colorado's best late look was a Rob Holding header that flew high and wide.

Numbers From a Wild Wednesday

• Shots: San Jose 17, Colorado 11. On target: San Jose 8, Colorado 3.
• Saves: Nico Hansen made six for Colorado.
• Possession: Colorado held 55 percent of the ball.
• Corners: San Jose 11, Colorado 5, and both Quakes goals came from corners.
• Discipline: One red card each, plus five yellow cards for Colorado and two for San Jose.

Home Playoff Soccer Is Coming to San Jose

San Jose moved to 13-10-9 with 49 points, fifth in the Western Conference per the club, and has now played to draws in four of its last five league matches. The Quakes have not won since beating Portland on Sept. 26, but the important box is ticked: they will host at least one playoff game. Their regular-season home finale, against Real Salt Lake, was set for Saturday, Oct. 31.

Colorado moved to 12-7-13 with 43 points, seventh in the West according to the club, and extended its unbeaten run to five league matches. The Rapids' final regular-season home game, against Chicago Fire FC, was set for Saturday, a night the club billed as a chance to clinch a playoff spot.

A Work in Progress, and Proud of It

Arena did not pretend his team is a finished product. "We're not a team positioned to be MLS Cup favorites at the moment, but we're getting better," he said. Fair enough. Contenders tend to win the games where they outshoot the opponent 17 to 11. But a team that keeps finding a Jasinski when the script goes sideways is not a team anyone will enjoy visiting in the postseason, and at least one postseason trip will now run through PayPal Park.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes and club notes as reported by the San Jose Earthquakes (sjearthquakes.com); additional notes from the Colorado Rapids (coloradorapids.com).