Earthquakes forward Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad resumed training with the Earthquakes on Tuesday, after the team received a much-needed day off following its 1-1 tie in Chicago on June 19. De Rosario and Onstad had previously been with the Canadian National Team the past three weeks as they prepared for and participated in the first round of World Cup Qualifying. Former San Jose head coach Frank Yallop used De Rosario and Onstad extensively as the team advanced into the next round by handling Belize 4-0 in both games of the aggregate goal series.
"I thought we played two good games," De Rosario said about Canada. "I think we have a talented team there that is finally playing together. Everyone is playing like they want to be there, which hasn't always happened in the past."
De Rosario scored two goals for Canada in the final game of the series, his first career goals in World Cup Qualifying.
"It is always a good feeling to score," De Rosario said. "It means even more when I can score for my country and to help them in such an important game. That is what we play for."
De Rosario and Onstad joined the Quakes in Chicago on Thursday, June 17 and then practiced with the club at Soldier Field on Friday, June 18. June 22 was their first practice session back in San Jose.
"It feels real good to be back," De Rosario said. "I always enjoy getting back here and playing with these guys. Plus, it is nice to be in one place and settle down for a little bit before I start my travels again."
Walker running
Earthquakes forward Jamil Walker, who has missed the last two San Jose matches with an injured left ankle, ran for the first time in two weeks at practice on Tuesday.
"It felt alright," Walker said. "I'm not going to rush it, but I want to improve a little bit each day and hopefully I will be ready to join into practice soon and then be available to play."
While injured, Walker has remained busy, as the Quakes second-year player graduated from Santa Clara University on June 12 before the Earthquakes played the MetroStars. Walker finished up his classes this spring and graduated with a degree in Computer Science.
"It is a good feeling to be done with school," Walker said.
Arturo all around
Earthquakes midfielder Arturo Alvarez returned to San Jose to practice with the club on Tuesday as well. Alvarez, who came on as a second-half substitute on June 19 against Chicago, spent last week training with the United States Under-20 national team in Florida as the team prepared for an international exhibition match against the Brazilian Under-20 Team.
"I love playing with the Under-20s," Alvarez said. "We've got quite a few MLS players on the team, so it is a good team and we play at a high-level."
With Alvarez starting and playing 88 minutes, the U.S. lost 2-0 to a tough Brazilian team that was full of pro stars.
"That was my first time playing against a Brazilian national team," Alvarez said. "It was a great experience for me. I actually thought that we played pretty well. We lost 2-0, but it was an even game for the most part. I thought we played tough against them and it was a good effort on our part."
