CHICAGO FIRE vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
TOYOTA PARK, Bridgeview, Ill.
June 28, 2008 | 7:30 p.m. CT (My50 Chi.; CSN-BA)
WEEK # 14 | GAME # 97
A pair of teams in real need of a victory meet at Toyota Park, when the Chicago Fire return home for their second rematch with the San Jose Earthquakes, five years removed from the clubs' meeting in MLS Cup 2003. The Fire are in the throes of a three-game losing streak, without a goal in their last two, as they've fallen down the Eastern Conference ladder. The Earthquakes are also in the midst of a three-game winless run, as they play the third game of a four-game road swing that began with a draw and a loss. The teams met earlier this year, the Fire upsetting the Quakes return to the Bay Area with a 1-0 victory.
REFEREE:
Andrew Chapin. SAR (bench): Craig Lowry; JAR (opposite): Michael Salyers; 4th: Abbey Okulaja
MLS Career: 21 games; FC/gm: 28.9; Y/gm: 5.1; R: 4; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT:
CHICAGO FIRE - OUT: MF Logan Pause (R hip labral tear); PROBABLE: DF Lider Marmol (R knee meniscus tear); DF Wilman Conde (R hamstring strain) ... SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: FW Gavin Glinton (R adductor strain); FW Peguero Jean Philippe (R knee internal derangement); FW Jovan Kirovski (R ankle sprain); FW Adam Smarte (L knee contusion); PROBABLE: DF Nick Garcia (R knee sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES:
none
SUSPENDED:
SJ: James Riley (through June 29)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHI: Bakary Soumare ... SJ: Nick Garcia
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Diego Gutierrez, John Thorrington ... SJ: Ryan Cochrane, Ramiro Corrales, Eric Denton, Jason Hernandez, James Riley
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (23 meetings): Fire 10 wins (0 shootout), 32 goals ... Earthquakes 6 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals ... Ties 7
AT CHICAGO: (11 meetings): Fire 6 wins (0 shootout), 22 goals ... Earthquakes 1 win (1 shootout), 11 goals ... Ties 4
• This is the second of two meetings between the teams, the only one set for Toyota Park this season.
• The teams met earlier this year for the first time since Sept. 21, 2005, a 2-0 Earthquakes win at Spartan Stadium. The teams split their season series that year, with the Fire winning 2-1 at Soldier Field on April 16.
• The clubs also met in a pulsating MLS Cup Final in 2003, San Jose winning 4-2 at The Home Depot Center for the second of their Major League Soccer titles in three seasons (Ekelund 5; Donovan 38, 71; Mulrooney 50 -Beasley 49; own goal 54).
• While Frank Yallop guided the Quakes to victory that day at The Home Depot Center, only one of the 28 players who figured in the contest is on the roster for either team: Fire winger Justin Mapp, who came on as a late substitute.
• Coaches record: Denis Hamlett vs. SJ: P1 W1 L0 D0 ... Frank Yallop v CHI: P11 W2 L5 D4
LAST MEETING (MLS):
4/12: SJ 0, CHI 1 (Barrett 19)
• The Chicago Fire spoiled the return of the San Jose Earthquakes to the Bay Area, claiming a 1-0 win at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland in their 2008 home opener.
• A very warm day in northern California saw the game's only goal come early. Cuauhtemoc Blanco's through ball played Tomasz Frankowski in alone on goal, but Joe Cannon stopped the initial shot. But Chad Barrett was quickest to it and slid the ball underneath the Quakes 'keeper.
• The Fire withstood a late rally, as two shots San Jose hit the woodwork in the closing seconds and Shea Salinas somehow put a rebound of the second over the bar from just a yard or two away from the goal.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Jason Hernandez (John Cunliffe 85), Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, James Riley - Ronnie O'Brien, Ned Grabavoy (Ryan Johnson 79), Ramiro Corrales, Ivan Guerrero (Shea Salinas 59) - Kei Kamara, Gavin Glinton. Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Eric Denton, Adam Smarte, Joe Vide
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-3-1-2): Jon Busch - Dasan Robinson, Bakary Soumare, Wilman Conde (Daniel Woolard 79), Gonzalo Segares - Stephen King, Logan Pause, Justin Mapp - Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Tomasz Frankowski (John Thorrington 73), Chad Barrett (Calen Carr 61). Substitutes Not Used: Mike Banner, Andy Herron, Nick Noble
CHICAGO FIRE
The Chicago Fire lost for the third consecutive match, shut out for the second game in a row in a 2-0 loss to Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center on MLS Primetime. The Fire have 19 points from 12 matches, tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with both D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls, two points behind Toronto FC.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA were coming off back-to-back 1-0 losses after winning three games on the trot, while the Fire had lost consecutive contests after reeling off four wins in five outings.
• The Red-and-White put the game away with two goals in a seven-minute span. Ante Razov took the ball in the area and laid it off to an overlapping Sacha Kljestan, who stroked home a low shot from the corner of the goal area for his fifth goal of the season (26).
• Then in the 32nd minute, Razov again played provider, taking a pass from Francisco Mendoza on the left flank and driving in a low cross to the near post, where Justin Braun came sliding in to stab it home first-time.
• Chivas were left a man down just before halftime when Paulo Nagamura was sent off for a second bookable offense. But it was the home side that had the best of the late chances.
• Fire head coach Denis Hamlett made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to FC Dallas the previous Sunday at Pizza Hut Park. Brandon Prideaux and Diego Gutierrez returned to their accustomed fullback roles, returning from suspension and injury, for Brian Plotkin and Austin Washington, and Chris Rolfe also came back from injury for Stephen King.
• Here's Hamlett's team (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Brandon Prideaux (Andy Herron 58), C.J. Brown (Patrick Nyarko 77), Bakary Soumare, Diego Gutierrez - Chris Rolfe (Tomasz Frankowski 68), John Thorrington, Logan Pause, Justin Mapp - Cuauhtemoc Blanco - Chad Barrett. Substitutes Not Used: Calen Carr, Peter Lowry, Nick Noble, Daniel Woolard
TEAM NEWS
• The loss was the Fire's third in a row and fourth in their last five tries, after opening the season by losing only one of their first seven games. In addition, the Fire have allowed eight goals in the past five games, after posting four shutouts over a six-game span.
• "Two things (have changed): I think we were finishing our chances in that early part that we started, and we were making defensive plays and now we're having breakdowns where we're not making those plays," Hamlett said. "As a whole, it's just a team; the team is not playing well and we know that, and we're going to have this week to fix things and get ready for a very important game on Saturday at home."
• In addition, Hamlett said he feels teams are beginning to understand what the Fire are trying to do in attack - and his team now is not making a corresponding adjustment.
• "What we looked to do and what we did were complete opposites. We talked about getting the ball wide, because they're going to get numbers behind the ball and clog the middle. So we felt that we needed to create some 2-v-1's on the flank and get Justin involved and on the other side get Chris Rolfe involved, and we really didn't do that," Hamlett said. "We kept forcing the ball down the middle, and kept turning balls over in bad spots and that led them to have counters."
• After having the nine-day layoff in advance of the San Jose match, the Fire now enter a stretch where three of four games will be at Toyota Park, and the next two games will be vital Eastern Conference clashes against teams currently ahead of them in the table.
• "We're going through some adversity and it's a little bit new to us this season," said Barrett. "Now we're going to see what we're made of."
• The Fire have now gone 253 minutes since their last goal. But, Hamlett, the opportunities have been there. "For sure, (we need to) put away the ones that we create. I think the first half Chad had two very good looks, and a couple other guys had some good looks and we're just not finishing those chances. I think that came back to haunt us (against Chivas)," he said.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes lost for the second time in three starts, going down to a 3-1 defeat by D.C. United at RFK Stadium last Sunday afternoon. The Earthquakes have 11 points from 13 matches, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, five points behind the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
• D.C. United had rebounded from a four-game losing run to reel off four games without loss, while the Earthquakes were coming off back-to-back shutouts in a loss and draw.
• Both teams found the woodwork in the first half, then the game exploded with three goals in five minutes. United took the lead in the 50th minute when Clyde Simms let fly from well outside the area and the shot took a couple of deflections before trickling into the goal with Quakes 'keeper Joe Cannon helpless.
• Barely a minute later, San Jose pulled even. Zach Wells fumbled a cross from the right side, and before he could reclaim the ball, John Cunliffe turned it into the goal.
• Yet in the 55th minute United ahead nosed in front. Taking a pass on the left, defender Gonzalo Martinez skipped into the area before cutting square across the box, lashing a wicked drive inside the far post for his first MLS goal.
• Earthquakes defender James Riley was sent off in the 83rd minute after a rash tackle in midfield, and five minutes later United took advantage. Marcelo Gallardo intercepted a poor clearance and fed Luciano Emilio in the area. The Brazilian shot on the turn and his attempt took a deflection as it wrong-footed Cannon, hitting the back of the net for his eighth goal on the year and seventh in the last five games.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that played to a scoreless draw at Real Salt Lake at midweek. Jason Hernandez was suspended, and Ryan Cochrane returned to central defense.
• Here's Yallop's team: (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - James Riley, Ryan Cochrane, Kelly Gray, Eric Denton - Ronnie O'Brien, Ramiro Corrales, Ned Grabavoy (Adam Smarte 71), Ivan Guerrero - John Cunliffe (Shea Salinas 56), Ryan Johnson. Substitutes Not Used: Dan Benton, Nick Garcia, Jamil Roberts, Joe Vide
• "I think that if you look at the general play we played well today. I thought we created some good chances and we limited D.C. to not many chances in the first half, other than [Luciano] Emilio who had a chance that hit the post. I thought they just had a couple deflected shots and that hurts when they go in, but you can't really do much about it, and it was a bit of a wonder goal with the second one," Yallop said. "But we had our chances in the first half. John [Cunliffe] had a couple of sniffs and Ryan Johnson with a chance on a set play. But it's just disappointing that we can't seem to get playing well and get the right time to score. That's been our problem really."
TEAM NEWS
• After winning two of three games the Earthquakes seemed on the verge of turning their season around and moving into contention for a playoff position. But they've now taken just one point from their last three games.
• "General play and things that we talk about coaching-wise and being structured is good. We've got three forwards not even healthy which doesn't help," Yallop said. "Ryan Johnson's really a wide midfielder playing up front with John [Cunliffe]. But it is what it is and we keep plowing on and we look to the wind to try and strengthen and get some more points at the end of the season."
• For the first time in five matches, striker Kei Kamara should be available, after returning from international duty with Sierra Leone. The last four matches, Johnson and Cunliffe have paired as the strike partnership.
• "Ryan's done a good job up there. It's not a natural position he's a wide player, but he has played up front in some of his career. He's a strong boy, he's a handful," Yallop said. "He gives us a little of a battering ram up front. I think he holds the ball well, he had a couple of situations where he could have gotten a shot off but that's Ryan. He's still young, but he did OK today."
• The Quakes have scored only 10 goals on the season, six of which have come on the road, and have been shut out seven times. "It's just disappointing, especially when we are playing well, to get the right time to score and I think that's been our problem really. We don't look overly dangerous all the time when we are in front of goal," said Yallop.
• Earlier this season, the Quakes went on a four-game winless run, which included three losses. They still have two more games on this four-game road swing, returning to Buck Shaw stadium on July 12 to take on Colorado.
• "Obviously there is a period of getting to know each other but we are not using the expansion tab as an excuse. We do feel we are a good enough team and we've been in every game. For the most part, we are not getting trounced on. Without two deflected goals (against United) we've done all right," said Ronnie O'Brien. "I don't think you can ever question the effort. Whether we have the quality or not, that's another thing, a different debate, but you can never question the commitment of the players. We went down to Salt Lake with 10 men and gave it all we got and got a result. We came out (in D.C.) and for the most part emptied the tank but didn't get the result in the end."
