SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Matías Pérez García’s first touch on the ball Saturday night was a gently delivered kiss.
His second was kissed into the net.
Pérez García, one of two healthy Designated Players on San Jose’s roster, came off the bench in the 70th minute with the Quakes setting up for a free kick just a few feet off the Seattle Sounders’ end line. His bending delivery was met smartly by the head of Fatai Alashe, who directed a shot past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei and into the side netting for the opening goal of a 1-1 draw at Avaya Stadium.
“It was awesome,” San Jose center back Clarence Goodson said. “Great ball in. Immediate impact. Good substitution.”
It was only the second appearance off the bench this season for the 30-year-old Argentine playmaker, whose availability has wavered as he dealt with a balky left hamstring. Pérez García missed four of five matches before putting in an 82-minute shift against Philadelphia Sept. 5.
Pérez García and Adam Jahn were both warming up in the latter stages of the second half when the perfect opportunity presented itself; Quakes winger Cordell Cato had been pushed over by Oniel Fisher near Seattle’s area, setting up a free kick in need of a quality left foot.
“We were going to bring him in anyways,” San Jose coach Dominic Kinnear told reporters after the game. “It just sped up the process. We had those guys at the bench, and then when we saw that it became a set piece, we were like, ‘Well, let’s try and do it now.’ We were telling guys to hold off so we could get those two guys on the field.”
Pérez García was on the bench because Kinnear went with a pivot pairing of Anibal Godoy -- still unbeaten in MLS play though five games -- and Marc Pelosi in the center of his midfield, with Quincy Amarikwa and Chris Wondolowski up front, and Cato and Shea Salinas on the wings.
Kinnear demurred when asked if Pérez García -- who has only played the full 90 minutes three times in his last 15 league appearances -- might be better suited for a substitute’s role, given the way in which he gets hacked by opposing defenses. Pérez García ranks third in the league in total fouls suffered and averages 3.80 calls per 90 minutes.
“I don’t know,” Kinnear said. “Tonight, I thought that the midfield we had out there against LA [in a 1-0 victory against the Galaxy] was fantastic that night, so I wanted to give those guys another game.”
It remains to be seen what changes Kinnear might make when the Quakes host Montreal Wednesday in the second of a three-games-in-eight-days stretch. It’s not hard to envision Pérez García starting against the Impact and then being held in reserve when San Jose travel to Yankee Stadium on Saturday to face New York City FC.
“I think that’s always a good thing to have, especially late in the game,” Wondolowski said of Pérez García’s presence on the bench. “He brings a spark, and we need that. You never know what you’re going to get during games, and especially tonight, I thought it was a good thing. You have 0-0, and you can bring in such a class player and someone that can really bring that spark. I think he did well. That’s never an easy role, but I thought he embraced that well and showed well.”
