SAN JOSE — Josef Martinez came through just in the nick of time.
The San Jose Earthquakes striker saved the home team from an ugly result on Wednesday night at PayPal Park, avoiding a loss to bottom-of-the-table FC Dallas with a clutch 87th-minute header that erased a one goal deficit and secured a 2-2 tie for San Jose.
The Quakes had their hands full with Dallas forward Petar Musa, who netted goals late in the first half and in the 85th minute to power the visitors’ offensive attack.
The Earthquakes didn’t leave the game unscathed on the injury front either. Defender Vitor Costa, after picking up a yellow card during a collision in the 30th minute, left the field on a stretcher in the 34th and was replaced by substitute Dave Romney.
The Quakes went up 1-0 in the 21st after Ian Harkes finished a sequence where the ball touched six Quakes players in or around the 18-yard box. Martinez, who set up Harkes in an opening just outside the box, was credited with the assist after Harkes bent the ball into the top-right corner of the net.
Musa scored an equalizer for FC Dallas in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, finishing the play after Patrickson Delgado hit the crossbar after trying to chip the ball past Quakes goalkeeper Daniel with a wide-open net in front of him.
Daniel made a crucial save in the 64th minute, using his body to stop a point-blank attempt from Shaq Moore inside the box.
San Jose nearly took the lead in the 73rd minute on an own goal when newly minted MLS All-Star Cristian Espinoza served a ball in from the right wing and Dallas defender Lalas Abubakar volleyed it off the crossbar with his foot.
An announced crowd of 15,304 fans attended the midweek match, though many sections of empty seats were visible.
The Quakes are now ninth in the MLS Western Conference standings, occupying the final play-in spot in the West playoff field.
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