San Jose prepares to shuffle lineup, again
New wave of injuries leaving Earthquakes squad depleted
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Defender Jason Hernandez, who has played just five games so far this year, suffered a recurrence of the left calf injury that has plagued him for most of the season. Midfielder Arturo Alvarez will also be a spectator after suffering a groin injury. Add in forward Cornell Glen's inability to re-enter the U.S. due to visa problems, and it leaves one to wonder what soccer deity the Quakes have angered.
"I can't believe it," said Yallop of the team's latest injury glut. "I've known it when it has been bad, but never to key guys like this. It's one thing when the interchangeable guys get hurt, but when the key guys are out, it's like 'Uh oh.'"
Fortunately, Hernandez did not suffer a full scale relapse of his injury, meaning his recovery time could be much shorter than his previous bouts with the ailment. But that won't help San Jose this weekend.
"It could be tiredness or weakness from the previous injury, but we can't risk him," said Yallop of Hernandez.
That leaves the San Jose manager to engage in another bout of lineup shuffling. Brandon McDonald, normally a midfielder, will likely partner Aaron Pitchkolan in the center of defense, while Antonio Ribeiro will get another start in the center of midfield. That means Darren Huckerby and Bobby Convey, who is recovering from a hamstring injury of his own, will man the wide midfield spots.
About the only bit of good news is that the Quakes will be facing an LA side that will be without the considerable attacking influence of David Beckham and Landon Donovan. Beckham isn't eligible to return from his loan stint with AC Milan until next month, while Donovan remains on international duty with the U.S. at the Confederations Cup.
Eddie Lewis will also miss the match due to the red card he received last week against Real Salt Lake. But with Donovan assisting on LA's equalizer the last time the two teams met on April 18, his absence in particular is one the Quakes are welcoming.
"Landon's huge just because he's so active," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "And he always seems to find his space and create things out of nothing."
But if the Galaxy have proven anything this season, it's that they are very tough to break down, as head coach Bruce Arena has fashioned a side that is much tougher defensively than last year's sieve-like outfit.
"I think Bruce [Arena] has made it where they're not giving away too many easy shots like they used to," said Cannon. "The quality of the shots now are a little more difficult, and they have a goalie [in Donovan Ricketts] who is very consistent. That helps."
The attack, especially without Donovan, has struggled a bit more, but with players like Edson Buddle and Mike Magee in the lineup, the Galaxy does have players capable of hurting opponents if given the chance.
"I think [the Galaxy] support their forwards pretty well, and they've been dangerous on set plays and we've been fragile, so that's going to be a key to the game too," said Yallop.
Given the fact that the Quakes have yet to record a shutout this season, keeping LA's under-strength attack quiet will still pose an immense challenge.
But Yallop is banking on his side building upon their last home outing, a 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake on May 30. In that match, San Jose had much better balance between attack and defense, although given the recent injuries and roster alterations the team has gone through, replicating that form will be difficult. Yallop isn't giving into that excuse, however.
"We've really got to turn the screws at home now," said Yallop. "I thought we had a great home game against Salt Lake. Our general play was good and we have to get back to that. We want to make sure we are dynamic and not give any goals up. That's the big thing, keep a clean sheet."
That's true no matter who is in the lineup.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
