Quakes off to Real for Western duel
Confidence restored, both teams are seeking back-to-back wins
RIO TINTO STADIUM, Sandy, Utah
July 3, 2009 (WEEK 16) / MLS Game #117
8 p.m. MT (KUTV-2.2)
Real Salt Lake and the San Jose Earthquakes meet for the second time this season in a vital Western Conference matchup between clubs looking to move up in the standings. Real rolled to yet another big victory at home last weekend, a 3-0 win against Toronto FC that extended their unbeaten streak to four. The Earthquakes are looking to put together back-to-back wins for the first time in 2009, their last action a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy in Oakland two weeks ago in the second California Clasico of the year.
REFEREE: Michael Kennedy. SAR (bench): Corey Rockwell; JAR (opposite): Eric Boria; 4th: Tyler Ploeger MLS Career: 115 games; FC/gm: 30.7; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 22; pens: 46
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - DOUBTFUL: MF Javier Morales (L ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Robbie Findley (R ankle sprain); PROBABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (R patella tendonitis) ... SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: DF Ryan Cochrane (L ankle surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: RSL: Will Johnson (CAN; CONCACAF Gold Cup); Jean Alexandre (HAI; CONCACAF Gold Cup); Kyle Beckerman (USA, CONCACAF Gold Cup)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: RSL: Robbie Russell ... SJ: Aaron Pitchkolan
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Will Johnson, Clint Mathis, Javier Morales, Jamison Olave ... SJ: Quincy Amarikwa, Ramiro Corrales, Ryan Johnson
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Real Salt Lake 2 wins, 11 goals ... Earthquakes 3 wins, 13 goals ... Ties 3AT SALT LAKE (4 meetings): Real Salt Lake 1 win, 5 goals ... Earthquakes 1 win, 4 goals ... Ties 2
• RSL won two of the three meetings last season, with the third ending in a draw, including a 3-2 victory in the first ever game between the clubs at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• The teams also met earlier this year in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match in Salt Lake City last season, RSL claiming a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
• The teams met four times in Real Salt Lake's inaugural season - the last for the Earthquakes in the league - and San Jose did not lose, coming away with a victory and a draw in each stadium in their four meetings that season.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. SJ: P4 W2 L1 D1 ... Frank Yallop v RSL: P10 W3 L4 D3
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/30: SJ 2, RSL 1 (Glen 52; Alvarez 63 - Findley 80)
• In a meeting with teams riding lengthy winless runs, the San Jose Earthquakes ended a five-game losing skid with a 2-1 victory against Real Salt Lake on May 30 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• The Earthquakes finally broke through seven minutes after the halftime break. Mike Zaher, making his first start of the year, swung in a cross from the left and Cornell Glen, making his first start for San Jose, powered home a snap header from eight yards out.
• Eleven minutes later, San Jose doubled its lead through a stunning strike. Arturo Alvarez cut in from the right across the top of the area and smashed a wicked drive high inside the far upper corner for his third goal on the season.
• RSL got a goal back in the 80th minute. Robbie Findley finished off a neat one-two with Javier Morales before lashing home a left-footed shot for the club's first tally away from Rio Tinto Stadium, but couldn't find the equalizer.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Leitch, Nick Garcia, Jason Hernandez (Aaron Pitchkolan 84), Michael Zaher - Arturo Alvarez, Ramiro Corrales, Simon Elliott, Bobby Convey - Cornell Glen (Quincy Amarikwa 59), Ryan Johnson. Substitutes Not Used: Pablo Campos, Eric Denton, Shea Salinas, Cam Weaver, Andrew Weber
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Robbie Russell - Will Johnson, Kyle Beckerman, Javier Morales, Ned Grabavoy (Clint Mathis 64) - Luis Miguel Escalada (Robbie Findley 55), Fabian Espindola (Yura Movsisyan 56). Substitutes Not Used: Tony Beltran, Raphael Cox, Tino Nunez, Kyle Reynish
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake extended their undefeated streak to four games with yet another dominant home victory, rolling over Toronto FC 3-0 on Saturday. Real have 19 points from 15 matches on the season, sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference, now nine points off the pace set by Houston Dynamo.LAST MATCH
• Real had a win and two draws after losing four times in a six-game stretch, while Toronto FC were coming off back-to-back home wins against New York and riding a three-game winning streak in all competitions.
• RSL weathered an early storm, then took over the game in the 21st minutes. Picking off a weak back pass in the center circle, Yura Movsisyan raced in alone on goal before chipping the ball over TFC goalkeeper Stefan Frei for his fourth goal on the season and third in the last four games.
• Minutes after Frei robbed him with a remarkable save, Kyle Beckerman doubled the RSL lead in the 44th minute. Dancing around a defender on the byeline, Javier Morales slotted the ball back to the penalty spot where Beckerman made no mistake in side-footing home on the volley.
• Real finished off the rout in the 78th minute. Ned Grabavoy escaped a marker to race up the middle of the park, sliding the ball to Clint Mathis on the right, and he powerfully hit inside the far side netting on the run for his second goal on the campaign.
• Real coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo the week before. Jamison Olave was suspended and Will Johnson away on national team duty, so Robbie Russell returned from suspension into the back four and Ned Grabavoy came back into the midfield.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-1-3): Nick Rimando - Chris Wingert, Nat Borchers, Robbie Russell, Tony Beltran (Ian Joy 83) - Kyle Beckerman (Tino Nunez 91+), Ned Grabavoy - Javier Morales (Andy Williams 75) - Clint Mathis, Yura Movsisyan, Fabian Espindola. Substitutes Not Used: Raphael Cox, Robbie Findley, David Horst, Chris Seitz
TEAM NEWS
• After scoring his first goal of the season in the 6-0 rout of the New England Revolution on April 25, Yura Movsisyan went six games without a goal. He's since hit for three goals in his last four games.
• "I don't think I was forcing things earlier, I just wasn't getting lucky with some of the bounces. I think I'm doing the same thing, but now I've got a lot more confidence. It's a game, sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't," he said.
• After four losses in a six-game stretch, Real have now gone four games without a loss, winning two and tying two. The Toronto FC game started a stretch where they have five of seven games at Rio Tinto Stadium.
• "We put ourselves a little bit of a bad spot and now we got to take full advantage," Kreis said. "Every home game has to be three points from here on out."
• Mathis had scored his last goal in the record defeat of New England, though he had chipped in with six assists, one off the MLS lead held by Dynamo winger Brad Davis. "I thought he was fantastic. He was finding the balls in the right spaces and making extremely intelligent decisions on the ball every time he had it. I thought he played a very effective match tonight," said Kreis.
• For Mathis, his six assists are the most since he had 13 for the MetroStars in 2000, a year he also had 13 goals.
• "I'm actually happy to play soccer again," Mathis said. "There was a few years where different circumstances were happening and I almost said, 'What am I doing this for? It's not making me happy and I always said I'd quit when I'm not happy.' But I got myself in a situation where I was going to give it another shot. I'm in a great organization with a great coaching staff and great ownership. And that makes a big difference when you're out on the field to have that kind of surroundings."
• Defender Ian Joy was also able to make 2009 season debut, returning from a hamstring injury suffered in the final preseason match. "Getting into the final friendly game before the season started and getting a serious injury just cut my throat basically," Joy said. "It was just a fantastic feeling to run back on the field and kick the ball to the boys again. It was great. And, obviously, to get the win as well was such a boost."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes return to action after a bye week, coming off a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in their last match. The Earthquakes have 12 points from 13 matches on the year, still in eighth place in the Western Conference, 16 points behind MLS overall leaders Houston Dynamo.LAST MATCH
• The old California foes once again moved up the coast to resume their rivalry. The Galaxy had lost for just the second time on the season and the first time in more than two months the week before, while the Earthquakes had seen a modest three-game undefeated run come to an end in Seattle.
• Yet the home side led after just six minutes. Pablo Campos took on Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter in the area, and as he tried to cut past him toward the post, Berhalter dragged him down. Campos took his own penalty area, just guiding it past Donovan Ricketts' dive at the left post.
• The Quakes doubled their lead nine minutes into the second half. Chris Leitch took a pass from Bobby Convey on the right and flighted a high cross to the back post. Campos headed the ball across goal and Ryan Johnson snuck it at the back post to force the ball home off Ricketts' hands for his sixth goal on the season.
• Eleven minutes later, the Galaxy pulled a goal back. A Mike Magee freekick into the mixer was headed by Alan Gordon -- but right to Jovan Kirovski, and he nodded home a quick reactive header for his first goal of 2009. But the Quakes withstood withering pressure over the final minutes to hold out for the win.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made three changes to the team that lost 2-1 to Seattle Sounders FC the week before. Brandon McDonald came into central defense for the injured Jason Hernandez, while Bobby Convey and Pablo Campos both returned to the team in place of Arturo Alvarez and Chris Wondolowski.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Leitch, Brandon McDonald, Aaron Pitchkolan, Michael Zaher - Bobby Convey (Eric Denton 82), Ramiro Corrales, Antonio Ribeiro, Darren Huckerby - Pablo Campos (Chris Wondolowski 73), Ryan Johnson (Quincy Amarikwa 85). Substitutes Not Used: Kelly Gray, Shea Salinas, Andrew Weber
TEAM NEWS
• After a stretch where he started five of six games, striker Pablo Campos went two games without seeing a single minute. But after Yallop had a feeling he would contribute, he made his second start in the last three games and scored for the first time since the last meeting with the Galaxy.
• "I thought Pablo (Campos) played very well against Los Angeles on April 18, he had a great goal as well," Yallop said. "We've been working on parts of [Campos'] game that are maybe a little unnatural. But he's trying to do the right things. Today Pablo (Campos) came in with a stronger and renewed aggression and played very well. He did terrific on the play for the penalty kick and got a good goal off of the penalty as well."
• With defender Jason Hernandez once again sidelined by injury, Yallop was forced to rely on a central defensive pairing of Aaron Pitchkolan and Brandon McDonald. "I thought Brandon stepped up and played a man's game today, as did Aaron," said fullback Chris Leitch. "They were extremely solid in there."
• While McDonald was acquired ostensibly to provide cover in the center of midfield, it was his Earthquakes debut in central defense. Still, Yallop had tried him there during training matches after knowing he played there for the LA Galaxy in their postseason tour of New Zealand last year.
• "McDonald is probably more natural as a center back to be honest," said Yallop. "But he's stayed with us, he's trained well, and it doesn't matter how he's gotten the chance, he took it."
• Hernandez, though, is expected to be fit for the RSL match, giving Yallop a selection question. "Jason, if he's healthy, will come back into the side," said Yallop. "Maybe we move Brandon somewhere else to play, because he's been competitive and tough, which we needed. I think that was missing a little bit this year, that toughness."
• Ryan Johnson also scored for the Quakes, his team-leading sixth of the season, putting him in a tie for fifth in the MLS Golden Boot standings. The goal was his first since May 27, a stretch of three games without a goal, though Johnson is still on track for his target of 10 goals this season.
• "I feel I'm like I'm on pace," said Johnson. "I feel like I'm bound for a two-goal game somewhere, so I just have to keep plugging away. And the No. 1 thing is I just have to keep myself in the lineup because I know if I'm on the field I'm going to score." Added Yallop: "I'd be surprised if doesn't get it. It won't be from a lack of chances, because he gets a lot of chances."
