Crew try to continue run vs. San Jose
Quakes host MLS leaders in second game at Buck Shaw
MLSnet.com Staff
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BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
May 10, 2008 | 7 p.m. PT (CSN-BA; ClbSN)
WEEK # 7 | GAME # 46
The San Jose Earthquakes are opening up their Buck Shaw Stadium for the second successive weekend and have a real challenge ahead, as the MLS overall leader Columbus Crew come calling. The Earthquakes have won just once on the season and scored just a pair of goals, inaugurating their new Santa Clara home with a scoreless draw last weekend. The Crew have won four consecutive games in rising to the top of the MLS table, their only loss on the season coming in one of their two road trips.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Emiliano Monje; JAR (opposite): Greg Boles; 4th: Richard Heron
MLS Career: 72 games; FC/gm: 28.1; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 15; pens: 25
INJURY REPORT: SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: DF Jay Ayres (facial fracture); QUESTIONABLE: DF Ryan Cochrane (concussion); FW Gavin Glinton (sports hernia) ... COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: MF Duncan Oughton (R leg bone spur); MF Adam Moffat (R knee meniscus tear); PROBABLE: DF Gino Padula (L knee MCL sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: SJ: Matt Hatzke (U.S. national futsal team)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CLB: Frankie Hejduk
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (27 meetings): Earthquakes 11 wins (3 shootout), 42 goals ... Crew 15 wins (2 shootout), 50 goals ... Ties 1
AT SAN JOSE (14 meetings): Earthquakes 9 wins (3 shootout), 27 goals ... Crew 4 wins (0 shootout), 24 goals ... Ties 1
• This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season, with both encounters coming over the span of less than a month's time. This is the first ever meeting at Buck Shaw Stadium; the Earthquakes will make their lone trip to Columbus on June 7.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
Did not meet
• When the teams last met, in 2005, the Earthquakes' last year in MLS, San Jose won both matches, taking a 3-1 win in Columbus and a 3-0 victory at Spartan Stadium., But the year before that, the Crew won both meetings, capturing 1-0 results in both stadia.
• In their history, the Earthquakes have managed just two victories in 13 trips all-time to Columbus. Before the win at Crew Stadium on July 9, 2005 - their only win on Black & Gold Boulevard - the last win for the Earthquakes in the Ohio state capital came in their first-ever visit, July 20, 1996 at Ohio Stadium. The Crew won all 11 of the meetings at home in the intervening years (two by shootout).
• Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. DAL: P12 W5 L5 D2 ... Sigi Schmid v SJ: P18 W9 L5 D4
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes made their debut in their new, "permanent" home, and in front of a sellout crowd played to a scoreless with FC Dallas on Saturday night. The Earthquakes still sit tied for sixth place in the Western Conference with four points from five matches, level with the Houston Dynamo, just five points out of the top spot in the division and with a game in hand.
LAST MATCH
• At Buck Shaw Stadium, the facility on the campus of Santa Clara University was playing host to the Earthquakes' first game at their main home; their only other home game on the season was at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland.
• FC Dallas were returning to action following a 10-day layoff, after seeing their four-game unbeaten streak to open the campaign put to an end at home by New England. The Earthquakes were coming off a two-game road swing that began with the club's first victory since its return to MLS, before ending with a loss in New York.
• The Earthquakes had also been exposed in a 4-0 loss at Real Salt Lake in midweek in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match, but even with center back Ryan Cochrane injured in that match, San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon had little to do beyond a pair of pedestrian saves. FC Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala was the busier of the two, credited with one save on the evening.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that lost 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls the previous Sunday. With Ryan Cochrane injured in the midweek Open Cup loss, Jason Hernandez moved inside into central defense and Eric Denton started at left back.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - James Riley, Nick Garcia, Jason Hernandez, Eric Denton - Ronnie O'Brien (Shea Salinas 75), Ramiro Corrales, Ned Grabavoy, Ivan Guerrero (Ryan Johnson 87) - Gavin Glinton (Peguero Jean Philippe 55), Kei Kamara. Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, John Cunliffe, Jamil Roberts, Joe Vide
• "Take out not scoring and it was a terrific performance by us. We did everything right but score, and I do not want the guys to start to get anxious because that will come," Yallop said. "It was a great performance by us and I think that if we perform like that we are going to win a lot of games."
TEAM NEWS
• For the fourth time in five games the Quakes were held without a goal. Their two goals - both coming in their lone win, a 2-0 victory against Colorado - are the fewest of any of the 14 teams in MLS.
• "It's always frustrating when you don't get the goal, and you don't get the three points," said midfielder Ramiro Corrales. "But we still have a long way to go. It's a long season, so we can't panic or anything like that. It's too early for that. It's a new team, we're getting to know each other. It's a building process and I saw a lot of positives tonight."
• Kei Kamara has one of those two goals, and felt he should have added to that total against FCD. "As a forward, I'm not going to have that many chances, and when I do, I've got to make use of it," said Kamara. "I would have loved to have given the fans one, so they could cheer. I can't call myself unlucky. I've just got to work harder next time to get something from the hard work that I did for 90 minutes."
• Even with the first change in the back four on the season, it was the second clean sheet in three games for the Earthquakes. With Ryan Cochrane's injury, Jason Hernandez moved to a center back role and Eric Denton made his San Jose debut on the field where he played his college soccer.
• "You cannot get mad because the team is creating chances and we are only five games in. What I like about our team is that we are solid in the back and we have a good unit out there. I think that scoring is the last thing to come in this game and it has proven to be that."
• Said goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who was credited with three saves, but none really testing: "It's nice to have no goals at home. I think we did well defensively. The shutouts are always great, the defense is great. We just need the forwards to get some goals; the guys up front will get one next game."
• Yallop was also pleased with the play of the midfield, saying it compared favorably to their only other home game, a 1-0 loss to Chicago where the Quakes controlled most of the run of play.
• "I think it was a similar performance, maybe a little better. I think our wing play was better and we got behind them in crossing decent balls, but could not get the end of one of them," Yallop said. "It was disappointing because I thought the guys worked hard and should have gotten something out of it. We should have won the game to be honest, but we will look forward to practice and Columbus next week."
COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew remained the league's hottest team, winning for the fifth time in six starts and remaining atop not only the Eastern Conference but also the MLS overall table, getting a 2-1 victory against a 10-man Kansas City Wizards last Saturday night at Crew Stadium. The Crew have 15 points from six matches, riding a four-game winning streak, are are two points ahead of the second-place Chicago Fire.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew came into the match atop the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2004 season, with three victories on the trot, while the Wizards were facing the third game of a six-game road swing following a win and a loss in the first two.
• The Crew have made their home performance a special emphasis this season and they got off to a terrific start, opening the lead after just four minutes. Guillermo Barros Schelotto swung a free kick from the right all the way to the other side, where Chad Marshall headed it back across goal. Adam Moffat got up at the back post to nod it over the line for his second goal on the campaign.
• The home side doubled their lead in the 34th minute. After an interception from a throw-in, an overhead kick from Alejandro Moreno found Robbie Rogers streaking down the left side. He slipped in front of a defender and poked the ball past Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman as he came off his line, sending it trickling into the goal.
• Just two minutes later, the Wizards were left down a man when Roger Espinoza was sent off in a homecoming of sorts, after a clash with Crew fullback Frankie Hejduk. Espinoza played his college soccer in Columbus at The Ohio State University.
• Even shorthanded, the Wizards came back into the game and pulled a goal back 11 minutes from the end. Danny O'Rourke pulled down K.C. striker Scott Sealy as he tried to spin past him just inside the area, and Claudio Lopez finished from the spot -- the first of three penalty kick attempts to beat Crew 'keeper William Hesmer this season.
• Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made one change to the team that defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0 at home the previous Saturday. Ezra Hendrickson came in at left back for the injured Gino Padula.
• Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-1-1): William Hesmer - Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke, Ezra Hendrickson - Brian Carroll - Robbie Rogers, Adam Moffat (Emmanuel Ekpo 54), Eddie Gaven (Brad Evans 73) - Guillermo Barros Schelotto - Alejandro Moreno (Nicolas Hernandez 86). Substitutes Not Used: Jason Garey, Andy Gruenebaum, Andy Iro, Stefani Miglioranzi
• "It's great to be 5-1. I think we made the second [half] a little more dangerous than we needed to, though I felt like we played fairly well," Schmid said. "I thought that we deserved to be up 2-0. We did a good job, as we have in the last couple of weeks, of blocking shots and getting in front of things."
TEAM NEWS
• The Crew maintained their perfect record at home, now with four victories in four matches on Black & Gold Boulevard. The Crew are the only team not to have dropped any points on their home turf this season.
• "Obviously, it was a goal we set for ourselves as a team, something we talked about an awful lot in preseason, that we wanted to make sure that we were better here at home," Schmid said. "The fans have been great and the team has responded to that. It helps spur us on; we become a different team at home, which is good."
• The Crew also scored another goal from a standard situation, getting the fourth-minute opener from a free kick. It was the third of 11 goals on the season from a deadball.
• "We have talked a lot in the last couple weeks of getting goals off of set pieces. So we got another goal, Chad Marshall did a good job with the header, but we really talked about opening the game up and trying to get them on the weak side. I thought in the first half, we had a couple of good chances," Schmid said.
• Through the opening six games of the season, Schmid has been able to run out a remarkably consistent team. Stefani Miglioranzi started the first two games at left back, until Gino Padula came into the team once his visa was secured. But Padula was out injured for the Wizards match, and Ezra Hendrickson made his first start of the season. The other 10 starters have remained the same for the entire season.
• "My number got called and I was ready," said the lanky defender of his first start of the year. "I've been actually waiting to play."
• There will be a change this week, as Adam Moffat is listed as out after suffering a tear to the meniscus in his right knee. Emmanuel Ekpo showed some real signs of quality after coming on for Moffat in the Kansas City match, playing the final 36 minutes.
• "I think it will take some time, but obviously, he's a talented player," said Alejandro Moreno. "I think we've been doing OK, we've been doing pretty good in terms of our organization on the field, so it's something that perhaps, he has to adapt to."
• In addition, the Crew once again held onto a lead after going ahead early and seeing Kansas City claw back to pull the game within one. In 2007, on eight occasions the Crew saw their opponents score late goals to gain a result, whether pulling back into a tie or breaking a tie with a late winner.
• "I think it's a change in attitude, a change in terms of our organization on the field. I think that we're a little more disciplined," said Moreno. "Today in the second half, we probably could have done a little bit better with how we managed the game, but in the end, we were able to get three points at home and that's what matters."
• The 15 points after six matches ties for the third-best start in league history after six games. The Los Angeles Galaxy had 18 points after six games in winning their first six games ever; the 1998 Galaxy, 2000 Wizards and 2005 Revolution all had 16 points after six games. The Crew's 15 points matches the start of the 1999 Chicago Fire, who also began 5-1-0.
