Shirtless, Suspended Wondo leads cheers for Quakes - From the Stands

Chris Wondolowski cheers the Earthquakes goal against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. Chris Wondolowski cheers the Earthquakes goal against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. Photo: MLS Photo: MLS Image 1 of / 10 Caption Close Shirtless, Suspended Wondo leads cheers for Quakes - From the Stands 1 / 10 Back to Gallery

Over his ten-year career in San Jose, no one can question Chris Wondolowski's passion in leading the Earthquakes to victory.

Unfortunately for his team, a red card suspension kept Wondolowski off the field for their crucial home game against the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday night. Determined to contribute, he shared his energy and passion by joining the team's most devoted supporters, the San Jose Ultras in the stands. Between cheering on his teammates, he also was invited onto the capo's perch to help lead the fans chants as well.

Wondo was serving the suspension after earning the red card for "Foul and Abusive Language," yelling at a referee from the bench in their last game against Atlanta United. It was his first-ever red card in his professional career.

The Earthquakes entered the game hanging onto the final Western Division MLS playoff spot by their fingernails.

The night started well. In the 35th minute, Wondolowki celebrated teammates Jackson Yueill's opening goal in true Ultras fashion: cheering like crazy and ripping his shirt off.

Early in the second half, it looked like the party would continue for the Quakes fans when Magnus Eriksson put in the team's second goal. However, the goal was disallowed after a video review showed the Quakes were slightly offsides.

Wondo then felt the helpless pain of all sports fans feel when Philadelphia scored two unanswered goals to take the lead. It appeared that San Jose earned a penalty kick late in the game but that call was also overturned upon video review.

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With the loss, San Jose found themselves falling into eighth in the standings and out of a playoff position. They still have two games left, a home match against the Seattle Sounders on Sunday, and a final road match against the Portland Timbers.

Fortunately for the Quakes, they will have Wondolowski back on the field where he can make a difference in their chase for the postseason.

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Online Photo Editor Douglas Zimmerman oversees SFGATE's Instagram and covers the Bay Area soccer scene on SFGATE's Beautiful Blog. View his latest stories and send him news tips at dzimmerman@sfgate.com. Follow on Twitter @zimpix

