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SAN JOSE — With suspended leading scorer Chris Wondolowski reduced to a cheerleader role Wednesday, the San Jose Earthquakes took a one-goal lead, lost it, and left Avaya Stadium on the bad end of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Union.
The Union stunned the Wondo-charged crowd on goals by Alejandro Bedoya and Kacper Przybylko in the 70th and 76th minutes. Then came a foul in the box on the Union’s Aurelien Collin that after review was deemed not a penalty, and San Jose couldn’t come up with an equalizer despite seven minutes of stoppage time.
The Quakes (13-14-5, 44 points), without red-card suspended Wondolowski and assists leader Cristian Espinoza for the crucial match, have now lost four in a row and seven of their past eight matches overall. They fell to eighth place in the Western Conference and trail Portland and FC Dallas by a point for the final playoff spot.
The Quakes had chances for more than one earlier after Danny Hoesen set up Jackson Yueill with a pass from the endline for the game’s opening goal in the 35th minute. San Jose’s Carlos Fierro almost scored in the 42nd minute but the rebound was cleared off the line.
The Quakes also saw a second-half goal overturned following video review.
The Earthquakes still would reach the postseason if they win their last two games, home against Seattle on Sunday and at Portland on the final day of the season, Oct. 6.
Bedoya tied the match in the 70th minute. Raymon Gaddis beat his defender around the right corner and then found Bedoya near the penalty spot with a low pass. Yueill slipped while defending Bedoya, who took a couple touches and then finished past Daniel Vega.
Przybylko put the Union in front six minutes later with his sixth goal in his past eight matches. Jamiro Monteiro curled an in-swinging cross toward Przybylko, who outleaped Guram Kashia and drove his header past Vega from close range.
Magnus Eriksson thought he’d doubled San Jose’s lead in the opening moments of the second half. However, the goal was overturned following a review, with referee Baldomero Toledo ruling Hoesen had been offside in the buildup.
Toledo also wiped out his decision to award San Jose a late, potentially game-tying penalty kick after consulting replay. He originally ruled that Aurelien Collin had fouled Andres Rios.