This Week's Match-Up
The Earthquakes look to reverse their two-game losing streak with a huge Western Conference match-up on the road against the Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 5:30 p.m. PT. The Wizards currently sit in second place in the conference, four points ahead of the Quakes. Saturday's game will be broadcast live on 1590 AM KLIV and HDNET.
Earthquakes All-Time Record vs. Kansas City Wizards
MLS Regular Season: 16-13-5
Home: 9-4-4
Away: 7-9-1
Shootout: 3-4 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-4 (2000-2003)
Playoffs: 1-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-1-0
All-Time Scoring (Including playoffs and Open Cup): San Jose - 48, Kansas City - 43
Injury Report/Suspensions
Out: Chris Ronér (R - ankle surgery), Dwayne De Rosario (L - groin sprain); Questionable: Jeff Agoos (back sprain)
Last Match
Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Earthquakes 1 ; Saturday, September 11, 2004; The Home Depot Center; Carson, CA
The San Jose Earthquakes fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy got out to a 2-0 lead on a first-half Sasha Victorine goal and a 75th minute goal by Arturo Torres, but the Earthquakes battled back, drawing to 2-1 on Ronnie Ekelund's fourth goal of the season in the 77th minute. San Jose desperately attempted to get the equalizer in the final moments, but the Galaxy defense was able to hold on for the win. The Galaxy took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute on a Victorine goal. Herzog lofted a cross from the left side to the Quakes far post, where Alejandro Moreno was able to head the ball off the crossbar. The ball bounced into the middle of the area, where an open Victorine powered the ball into the net for the 1-0 lead. The Galaxy made it 2-0 in the 75th minute on a goal by Torres. The Galaxy's Peter Vagenas received a pass in the center of the field and dribbled toward the Quakes penalty area. Vagenas held the ball and then slipped a pass through the defense to an open Torres on the left side, who slotted a shot past a diving Onstad. San Jose responded quickly, however, as Ekelund scored in the 77th minute to draw within 2-1. Jeff Agoos launched a free kick from the left side into the Galaxy penalty area, only to see it deflected out to Ekelund at the 18-yard line. Ekelund took a dribble before firing a high shot that bounced off the top of the crossbar and into the net to cut the lead to 2-1.
Last Match vs. Kansas City - U.S. Open Cup Semifinal
Kansas City Wizards 1, Earthquakes 0; Tuesday, Aug. 24; Blue Valley Athletic Complex; Overland Park, KS
The San Jose Earthquakes fell 1-0 to the Kansas City Wizards and were eliminated from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Quakes, who were forced to play every game of the tournament on the road, gave up an Igor Simutenkov penalty kick in the 45th minute and could not come back, getting eliminated in the tournaments semifinal round. The Quakes started the game short-handed as projected starter Troy Dayak was forced out of the lineup with a right calf strain during warm-ups. Just seven minutes into the game, San Jose suffered another blow when leading goal-scorer Brian Ching sprained his left ankle and had to be replaced by Arturo Alvarez. The Quakes had several good opportunities to score, one of the best coming in the 28th minute on a strong build-up as Brian Mullan passed the ball to Landon Donovan in the middle of the field near the Wizards penalty area before finding an open Alvarez on the left side, but Alvarez's low shot was saved by Bo Oshoniyi. Three minutes later the Wizards were able to take a 1-0 lead on an Igor Simutenkov penalty kick. In the 43rd minute Simutenkov slipped a pass through the Quakes defense on the right side of the field, that Wolff tried to run onto. San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane made a sliding attempt to knock the ball away but instead tripped Wolff to set up the penalty. A minute later, Simutenkov buried the penalty shot past a diving Conway for the 1-0 lead.
Misc. Notes
In September
The Earthquakes all time record in the month of September is 18-19-0.
Donovan, Ching And Onstad Return To Quakes
After starting for the U.S. National Team in two World Cup Qualifiers on Sept. 4 (2-0 win over El Salvador) and Sept. 8 (1-1 tie with Panama), Brian Ching and Landon Donovan returned to the Earthquakes on Friday and both started and played 90 minutes for San Jose in the 2-1 loss to Los Angeles on Sept. 11. Goalkeeper Pat Onstad returned to San Jose on Sept. 9 after starting for the Canadian National Team in a 1-1 tie with Honduras on Sept. 5 and a loss to Costa Rica on Sept. 8. Onstad started for the Quakes on Sept. 11 vs. L.A. and played 90 minutes, making two saves on four shots.
De Rosario Injured While With Canada
Earthquakes forward Dwayne De Rosario missed the Quakes 2-1 loss to Los Angeles on Sept. 11 with a strained left groin. De Rosario suffered the injury in Canada's World Cup Qualifying loss to Costa Rica on Sept. 8. De Rosario started the game for Canada before sustaining the injury. De Rosario will be unavailable for the Quakes on Saturday, Sept. 18 against Kansas City.
Shutout Streak Ends
The Earthquakes saw the top shutout streak in MLS this season come to and end on Sept. 8 when Tony Sanneh scored for the Columbus Crew in the 91st minute. The Quakes 459-minute streak started on Aug. 11 and is the longest shutout streak in club history.
Onstad's Streak Ends
Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad had his 315-minute shutout streak come to an end on Sept. 11 when Sasha Victorine scored on him in the 36th minute. Prior to Victorine, the last person to score on Onstad was Damani Ralph on Aug. 11. The shutout streak was the third longest of Onstad's career. The 2003 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year had streaks of 399 and 344 minutes in 2003.
Ronnie Rejoices
Earthquakes midfielder Ronnie Ekelund scored his fourth goal of the season on Saturday, Sept. 11 when his blast from the top of the penalty box in the 77th minute bounced off the crossbar and into the goal. The goal was the first in the run of play for Ekelund in 2004, as the midfielder had scored his first three goals of the season on penalty kicks. Ekelund now has 11 goals in his MLS career.
Home Depot Center Blues
Since the Galaxy moved into The Home Depot Center at the start of the 2003 MLS season, the Earthquakes have never defeated them there. Including the playoffs, the Quakes own a 0-4-1 record at The Home Depot Center when playing Los Angeles. The Quakes did play L.A. to a 1-1 tie in their first visit there on June 18, 2003 and were the first team to earn a point at the new facility. The Earthquakes also did win at The Home Depot Center on Nov. 23, 2003 when they defeated the Chicago Fire 4-2 to win the MLS Cup.
League Leaders
Earthquakes forward Brian Ching is the league leader in goals scored with 11 ... Ching is also second in MLS in points with 26 on 11 goals and four assists ... Ching is third in MLS with a 23.9 scoring percentage, hitting for 11 goals on 46 total shots ... Quakes forward Landon Donovan has the sixth most points in the league (21) and is second in assists with nine ... Three Quakes (Richard Mulrooney, Brian Mullan and Brian Ching) are all amongst the top ten most fouled players in MLS. Mulrooney has been fouled 70 times, Mullan 61 and Ching 59 times ... As a team, the Quakes have been fouled a total of 405 times, the second most in the league.
Milestones
Earthquakes midfielder Ramiro Corrales started his 100th game as a member of the Earthquakes on Saturday, Sept. 11 ... Earthquakes defender Troy Dayak has now played over 10,000 minutes in his MLS career. Dayak surpassed the 10,000-minute mark on Saturday, Sept. 11 against the Galaxy. The Quakes veteran has now played a total of 10,009 minutes in his career.
Dangerous Duo
Earthquake forwards Brian Ching and Landon Donovan have been an unbeatable pair up top for the Quakes in 2004. The Quakes have one loss in the nine games the two have started together as forwards, posting a 5-1-3 record. In six of those nine games, Ching and Donovan have both registered at least one point. The duo has combined for a total of 33 points in their nine games up top together this year, Donovan with six goals and seven assists and Ching with six goals and three assists. All six of Donovan's goals in 2004 have come with Ching as his partner. When both Ching and Donovan missed the July 10 match vs. the MetroStars to train with the U.S. National Team, the Quakes lost by two goals, their largest goal deficit this year.
Roger That
Earthquakes forward Roger Levesque, who was loaned to the Seattle Sounders of the A-League earlier in the season will aim for his second championship in two seasons when the Sounders take on the Montreal Impact on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on Fox Sports World. Levesque has scored eight goals and registered four assists for Seattle in 2,467 regular season minutes.
Double Losses
The Quakes are in the midst of their second two-game losing streak of the season after falling 2-1 to the Galaxy on Sept. 11. San Jose also lost two games in a row on July 4 and July 7. The last time the Quakes had multiple two-game losing streaks in a season was in 2002, when they lost two games in a row on Aug. 24 and Au. 31 and on Sept. 14 and Sept. 21.
Streaking vs. The Wizards
The Earthquakes are on a six-game unbeaten streak against the Wizards and are unbeaten in eight of their last nine matches vs. Kansas City. The Wizards last defeated San Jose on July 27, 2002. Prior to last season, the Quakes had been on a seven-game winless at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, but the Quakes have turned it around and have now put together three straight victories over the Wizards at Arrowhead. The last time the Wizards won in San Jose was on Aug. 16, 2000 in a 3-0 win.
Top Wizards Players vs. Quakes
Wizards midfielder Preki has scored a total of 31 regular season points against the Quakes in 27 games ... Josh Wolff has three goals and two assists in 12 career regular season games ... Chris Klein has one goal and six assists in 24 career games vs. the Quakes ... Francisco Gomez has one goal and two assists for four points against the Quakes in 16 games.
Donovan Quakes Top Performer vs. Wizards
Earthquakes forward Landon Donovan has dominated the Wizards, scoring six goals and registering two assists in 11 career regular season games...Donovan scored the game-winning goal against Kansas City in the 2003 Western Conference Championship game ... Brian Mullan has three goals and three assists in 10 regular season games.
Quakes vs. Wizards History
The Quakes lead the all-time regular season series between the two teams 16-13-5 ... The Earthquakes eliminated the Wizards from the 2003 Western Conference Championship game in overtime on Nov. 15, 2003 on a Landon Donovan goal ... Earthquakes defender Eddie Robinson scored his first career MLS goal against the Wizards on July 27, 2002 ... Earthquakes midfielder Ramiro Corrales was ejected for the first time in his MLS career against the Wizards on June 20, 1999 while with the MetroStars ... Corrales scored the game-winning goal against the Wizards in a 2-1 Quakes win on June 29, 2002 ... Brian Ching scored his first career goal and notched his first career assist against the Wizards on June 13, 2001 while with the Galaxy ... Landon Donovan scored the Quakes first-ever hat trick on Sept. 20, 2003 in a 4-1 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Earthquakes vs. Wizards Match-Up
The Earthquakes took the season series from Kansas City 2-0-2 in 2003 ... The Earthquakes own a 9-4-4 all-time record over the Wizards at Spartan Stadium ... The Wizards last defeated San Jose on July 27, 2002 in a 2-1 game ... Kansas City last won a game at Spartan Stadium on August 16, 2000 in a 3-0 win ... Since 1996, San Jose has out-scored Kansas City 45-40 in regular season games ... The Earthquakes out-scored the Wizards 6-2 in four regular season games in 2003.
Earthquakes - Kansas City Connections
Earthquakes forward Dwayne De Rosario played for the A-League's Richmond Kickers in 1999 under current Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson, who served as the GM for the Kickers...Kansas City defender Jimmy Conrad played in 84 games in four seasons with San Jose before joining the Wizards in a trade in January, 2003...Kansas City midfielder Francisco Gomez is from Watsonville, Calif...Earthquakes defender Jeff Agoos and Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola were teammates at the University of Virginia in the late 80's and were long-time teammates on the U.S. National Team...Richard Mulrooney and Kansas City's Carey Talley were teammates for the Memphis FC club team.
Quakes Finding the Net At Home
The Earthquakes have done well finishing at home in 2004, scoring 25 goals in just 13 appearances at Spartan Stadium this year to lead MLS in scoring at home. The club record for all-time goals scored at home is 33, set in 2002, when the Quakes posted a league record 12-1-1 home mark.
Quakes Lead the League
The Earthquakes have scored the most points in MLS in 2004 as a team, leading the league with 117 points on 38 goals and 41 assists. The Quakes 41 assists are also the most in the league. San Jose is the league leader in three-goal games with six.
Quakes Set Unbeaten Streak Record At Home
The Earthquakes set an MLS record with their August 7 win against D.C. United, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 46 games when scoring first. That streak now stands at 47 games after San Jose's win over the Dallas Burn on August 21. It started on April 3, 1999.
Slim Losses
In all but one of their nine losses this year, the Earthquakes have only lost by one goal. The only game decided by more than one goal was on July 10 against the MetroStars in a 2-0 loss. However, forwards Landon Donovan and Brian Ching, the teams leading scorers, missed the game while traveling with the U.S. National Team. The Quakes own a 2-8-0 record in one-goal games.
Mulrooney Is Quakes Only Constant
Earthquakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney is the only member of the San Jose roster who has started and played 90 minutes in all 25 games for the Quakes in 2004. In his 2,250 minutes of play, Mulrooney has scored one goal and notched eight assists for ten points, which is fifth highest for points on the Quakes.
Quakes Closing In On .500
The Earthquakes are closing in on bringing their all-time regular season MLS record to the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 116-119-33.
Halftime Success
If the Earthquakes enter the half-time break with the lead, recent history suggests they will keep it. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are 42-0-5 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003 and 7-0-1 in 2004.
Making The First One CountV The Earthquakes were 25-2-2 in 2001 and 2002 when finding the back of the net first. The Quakes only gave up leads two times in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. The team continued that trend in 2003, possessing an 11-0-1 mark in the regular season when they scored the first goal. In 2004, the Quakes are 8-1-1 when scoring first. The Quakes gave up their lead to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 47-3-4 record in their last 54 matches when they score the first goal of the game. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.
