If one were to chart out the performances of the San Jose Earthquakes since their return to MLS, you'd get an uncanny resemblance to the Dow Jones Industrial Average -- up one game, down sharply the next, with last Sunday's performance in a 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls falling in the latter category.
It was a match that was reminiscent of the team's season opening loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy by the same score. Possession, while slightly better against New York, was difficult to come by. The team defended well for long stretches, only to be undone by some catastrophic giveaways in the wrong part of the field.
It all added up to a loss that was no more than the team deserved, although head coach Frank Yallop thought a draw was within the team's reach.
"It obviously wasn't one of our best games, but I thought both teams canceled each other out to be honest," said Yallop. "Both teams tried to play, but just struggled with the pressure from the other team."
The most disappointing aspect was the performance of the midfield, which had shown significant improvement over the last few weeks. There was little semblance of attacking rhythm and combination play was nonexistent. Yet Yallop was reluctant to single out a single player or group for what was a tepid performance in attack.
"I don't place blame on anybody, because the last two games before this one, we played great," said Yallop. "Some days you just can't play well. For whatever reason we couldn't get it together."
San Jose can now look forward to the christening of newly renovated Buck Shaw Stadium this weekend, which will be their primary home for the next few seasons. But before resuming their league program, there is the not-so-small matter of a U.S. Open Cup play-in match on the road against Real Salt Lake. The Open Cup is a competition that some teams have taken seriously, while others have used it as a glorified reserve team match. Yallop minced no words when asked about his approach to Wednesday's game.
"I'm going to play all of the reserves, guys who haven't played," said Yallop. "They've done well in the reserve games, and they've done well in training, so they deserve the chance. I'm going to get them game sharp for whenever we're going to use them."
The match will mark the second consecutive game that San Jose will be playing on artificial turf, a prospect made even more daunting by the perception that the surface at Rice-Eccles Stadium is among the most unforgiving in the league. For that reason, Yallop said that a player like Ronnie O'Brien, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2007, "won't see the field at all."
The same won't be true for newly acquired forward Peguero Jean Philippe, who despite coming off a knee injury of his own, will use the match to get better acquainted with his new teammates. The Haitian international certainly provided a spark in Sunday's match, with some quick touches giving the Quakes attack a badly needed dose of urgency.
"[Philippe] came on to make a difference, and he did," said Yallop. "He tried to do the right things. I thought he held the ball up well, when he drifted wide he hit a good early cross. He did fine."
Yallop will be looking for the rest of the team to deliver a similar performance come Wednesday, and help re-establish the team's upward trend.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
