San Jose overpowers Chicago to secure knockout berth

The San Jose Earthquakes beat the Chicago Fire 2-0 on Sunday night to guarantee themselves the top spot in Group B and a place in the knockout stage of the MLS is Back Tournament.

Cristian Espinoza scored on a left-footed rocket from distance, and Chris Wondolowski registered his MLS all-time best 161st goal 30 seconds after coming on late in the second half to secure the result.

In the opening half, it seemed like both teams were prepared to settle for a point.

Matias Almeyda's Earthquakes knew a draw would ensure progress to the next phase of the tournament, and the side controlled the ball often in a first half largely short on opportunities.

The affair sprung to life 10 minutes after the interval when Jackson Yueill's pinpoint pass found Espinoza in stride, setting the stage for a thunderous left-footed strike from outside the area.

The Fire promptly turned up the heat, with Robert Beric testing Earthquakes shot-stopper Daniel Vega from 20 yards out moments before Przemysław Frankowski narrowly missed on a curling effort.

Wondolowski capped a deserved victory for San Jose in the 83rd minute with his second touch of the match. The 37-year-old scored on a casual unmarked header for his second goal in as many matches.

San Jose joins Portland, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Orlando in the round of 16, while Chicago remains second in the group on three points with a match in hand.