REAL SALT LAKE vs. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
RICE-ECCLES STADIUM, Salt Lake City, Utah
June 18, 2008 | 7 p.m. MT (CSN-W)
WEEK # 13 | GAME # 85
One of only two teams still unbeaten at home on the season, Real Salt Lake return to Rice-Eccles Stadium for their second meeting of the year against the San Jose Earthquakes. Last weekend, RSL won for the first time this year on the road, knocking off Chivas USA to extend the club's unbeaten streak to three. San Jose sits at the foot of the Western Conference after falling to the LA Galaxy in Oakland. It's actually the third meeting of the teams this year on the Wasatch Front, RSL having won both previous, 3-1 in league play not three weeks ago and once in a U.S. Open Cup qualifier.
REFEREE: Jasen Anno. SAR (bench): Fabio Tovar; JAR (opposite): Chris Strickland; 4th: Ricardo Salazar
MLS Career: 2 games; FC/gm: 30.5; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 0; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: REAL SALT LAKE - OUT: MF Nathan Sturgis (L hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Fabian Espíndola (L knee contusion); FW Yura Movsisyan (R meniscus surgery) ... SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: DF Jay Ayres (facial fracture); FW Gavin Glinton (R adductor strain); FW Peguero Jean Philippe (R knee internal derangement); DOUBTFUL: DF Nick Garcia (R knee sprain); QUESTIONABLE: FW Jovan Kirovski (R ankle sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: RSL: Chris Seitz (USA; v Barbados, June 21); Andy Williams (Jamaica; v Bahamas, June 18) ... SJ: Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone; v South Africa, June 21)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Ramiro Corrales; Nick Garcia
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Dema Kovalenko, Jamison Olave ... SJ: Ryan Cochrane; James Riley
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (5 meetings): Real Salt Lake 1 win, 7 goals ... Earthquakes 2 wins, 9 goals ... Ties 2
AT RICE-ECCLES STADIUM (3 meetings): Real Salt Lake 1 win, 5 goals ... Earthquakes 1 win, 4 goals ... Ties 1
• This is the second of three meetings between the clubs this season, the second of two on the Wasatch Front in less than a month's time. The season series concludes on Sept. 27 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• 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.
• The teams also met earlier this year in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match in Salt Lake City, RSL claiming a comprehensive 4-0 victory. Kyle Beckerman scored twice (21, 33), Yura Movsisyan once (33) and Andy Williams added a late fourth.
• Coaches record: Jason Kreis vs. SJ: P1 W1 L0 D0 ... Frank Yallop v RSL: P7 W2 L3 D2
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/31: RSL 3, SJ 1 (Findley 48; Morales 60; Kovalenko 73 pen - Cunliffe 84)
• RSL rolled to a 3-1 victory against the Earthquakes on May 31 at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Joe Cannon kept the scoreline intact for the first half when he saved a Javier Morales penalty kick after just three minutes.
• But Real finally broke through three minutes after the break. Robbie Findley ran down a long ball on the left touchline, turned and cut back inside a defender before launching a blast from outside the area that slipped inside Cannon at the near post.
• On the hour, RSL doubled the lead. Morales took a quality diagonal ball from Findley, split a pair of defenders as he skipped into the area and slotted a low shot that rolled underneath a diving Cannon.
• In the 73rd minute, Real made it 3-0, this time converting from the spot after referee Jorge Gonzalez adjudged Nick Garcia to having pulled down Andy Williams in the area. Dema Kovalenko took the resulting penalty, sending Cannon the wrong way.
• Six minutes from the end the Quakes pulled back a consolation marker. Garcia intercepted a clearance and sent it back goalward, where Ned Grabavoy's delicate flick found John Cunliffe. He turned and fired a low shot that beat Nick Rimando in the RSL goal.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Andy Williams, Dema Kovalenko, Kyle Beckerman - Javier Morales (Matias Cordoba 79) - Kenny Deuchar (Tino Nunez 85), Fabian Espindola (Robbie Findley 45). Substitutes Not Used: Kenny Cutler, Dustin Kirby, Matias Mantilla, Chris Seitz
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Jason Hernandez, Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Eric Denton - Shea Salinas (James Riley 59), Ramiro Corrales, Joe Vide (Kelly Gray 71), Ned Grabavoy - Ryan Johnson, Jovan Kirovski (John Cunliffe 74). Substitutes Not Used: Dan Benton, Matt Hatzke, Jamil Roberts, Adam Smarte
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake made some club history with a 1-0 win at Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center on Saturday evening. RSL now have 15 points from 12 matches in the Western Conference, sitting tied for fourth in the Western Conference, level with the Colorado Rapids, a point behind FC Dallas and two behind the Houston Dynamo.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA were back home after seeing their three-game winning streak come to an end the week before in New York, while Real Salt Lake were on the road, where they had not won all season.
• But on a night of firsts for RSL, Robbie Findley scored the game's only goal in the 34th minute. Taking a through ball from Kyle Beckerman that split the Chivas backline, Findley raced into the area, rounding MLS debutant Dan Kennedy and slid the ball into the open goal for his third goal on the campaign.
• It was the first time Real had ever led Chivas USA in Carson, and when the match was over, it was the first victory in eight trips to face the Red-and-White at The Home Depot Center, having previously taken just one point.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made one change to the team that played to a scoreless draw with the Kansas City Wizards the previous weekend. Matias Cordoba came in on the right of a reworked RSL midfield as Andy Williams was away on national team duty.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-2-3-1): Nick Rimando - Tony Beltran, Nat Borchers, Jamison Olave, Chris Wingert - Dema Kovalenko, Kyle Beckerman - Matias Cordoba (Yura Movsisyan 62 / Kenny Cutler 87), Javier Morales, Robbie Findley - Kenny Deuchar (Tino Nunez 80). Substitutes Not Used: Ian Joy, Matias Mantilla, Alex Nimo, Chris Seitz
• "I'm so, so proud of the guys. I said at halftime to them that 'here we are again, in a spot that we've talked about multiple times this season, so let's show everybody, let's show ourselves that we've learned something,' and the guys did a fantastic job with that," Kreis said. "They've taken a big step forward by showing that they're learning."
TEAM NEWS
• With Andy Williams away on international duty, Kreis set out his stall with Kenny Deuchar as a lone striker.
• "I think it caused them some problems, I think they weren't sure what to do with it and it made us very difficult to break down. It really limited the space in the midfield for them. I think our two, Robbie [Findley] and [Matias] Cordoba did a pretty decent job of getting back on their outside backs, so they probably couldn't get forward as often as they would've liked," Kreis said. "I think a lot of the things worked well for us tonight. I would say that offensively we weren't nearly as strong as we have been in prior matches and I think we'll have to get used to playing that way so we can figure out how to generate more offensively from it."
• The win was RSL's first on the road, coming after a four-game away losing streak, and also was their first 1-0 victory on the season.
• "The difference for me is that when you maybe don't play well and you pick up a result it's a big leap for you mentally. And if you play well and don't get a result it can still be in the back of your mind that you're losing games," Kreis said. "For me, there's so much of this game, and these seasons, that's about mentality. To pick up a win like this will be a huge boost for us, not because we played particularly well tonight, but because we picked up a hard-fought win."
• After recording one shutout in the first 10 games, Real have now put together back-to-back clean sheets.
• "We knew as a team that we could do it, we knew all along. It was just concentrating for the whole 90 and then playing and fighting, and we did that tonight. From [Nat] Borchers to [Jamison] Olave and [Chris] Wingert and Tony [Beltran] outside we all played good, and it wasn't just them in the defense, it was the whole midfield and the forwards, and together we won that game," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
• The win was RSL's second in three matches and moved them into a tie for third place in the Western Conference standings. RSL returns home for two matches this week, with New England coming to the Wasatch Front on the weekend.
• "We got that first road win off our back and now it's time to roll with it," said Beckerman. "We're still going to have some bumps in the road but this was a big win. We raised the bar today."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The LA Galaxy won the second California Clasico of the season, rolling past the San Jose Earthquakes 3-0 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland last Saturday evening. The Earthquakes have 10 points from 11 matches on the season, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, four points behind Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes and Galaxy were meeting in the first California Clasico in northern California in more than two years. The Galaxy were winners of three of their last four, while the Quakes had rebounded to win two of their last three.
• But the visitors were in a rampant mood from the start, and took just six minutes to open the scoring. David Beckham floated a cross from the right flank, Josh Tudela provided a knockdown header and Edson Buddle hammered a full volley inside the left-hand post for the opener.
• After the break, the Galaxy put away the game with two goals in six minutes. In the 63rd minute, Ante Jazic was freed down the left touchline and swung in a pinpoint cross from the corner. Buddle stuck his head in in front of Quakes defender Ryan Cochrane to nod home the second.
• Then in the 68th, Buddle completed his second hat trick of the season. Again it was from a cross, this time provided by Mike Randolph on the left flank, which Buddle clinically finished for his eighth goal on the campaign and seventh in the last five games, second in the MLS Golden Boot standings to LA teammate Landon Donovan.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that defeated the Columbus Crew 2-0 the previous weekend. With James Riley suspended, Adam Smarte made his MLS debut, at right back.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Adam Smarte (Joe Vide 56), Ryan Cochrane (Jamil Roberts 74), Jason Hernandez, Eric Denton - Ronnie O'Brien, Ned Grabavoy, Kelly Gray, Ramiro Corrales - John Cunliffe (Shea Salinas 51), Ryan Johnson. Substitutes Not Used: Dan Benton, Gavin Glinton, Matt Hatzke, Amir Lowery
• "I think the game was quite even," Yallop said, "(except for) the quality in the final third. We didn't have it, and they did. The quality of the three goals was very good, and showed the difference between the two sides. I think most of the game was pretty even, but (LA had) three quality strikes by Edson Buddle, and the service to him was very good."
TEAM NEWS
• With Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone) and Ivan Guerrero (Honduras) away on national team duty, San Jose had to juggle their lineup a bit. John Cunliffe got the start alongside Ryan Johnson at forward for the Earthquakes, while Adam Smarte made his MLS debut at right back.
• "I think we missed Kei (Kamara) a bit," Yallop said. "Kei was just beginning to get going; he scored a goal against Houston, and then he's gone for five games. With a light squad, I don't think we can afford to have those guys missing. We had two rookies on the field, Adam Smarte started, and he had not seen any minutes, and Jamil Roberts came on as a sub. We make no excuses, these guys have been with us for a bit and tried their best but I think it showed we're lacking quality in some areas."
• After a four-game winless streak, the Earthquakes have alternated wins and losses. But they have just one home victory in five matches in northern California, fewest home wins of any team in MLS.
• "I look at the whole picture," Yallop said. "When you look over 11 games and how we've done I think we've played better than the points have showed. But in the end, in this league you've got to get points. That's the big thing. We've talked about it, and we still have a chance. We're not miles adrift from the top of the table, so there's something to shoot for, to try and get there by the end of the season. But obviously we've got to pick up some more points, and win these types of games at home."
• The crowd of 39, was the largest crowd for a standalone MLS game in Earthquakes club history. The club record of 73,123, set July 4, 1999 at Stanford Stadium, came as part of a doubleheader with a Women's World Cup semifinal between the USA and Brazil
• "It was a good crowd tonight, but we feel bad that we didn't play better for them. It was probably our worst game collectively as a unit. We just didn't step up," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
• The Earthquakes face four consecutive games on the road, beginning with Wednesday's trip to face Real Salt Lake. They won't be back in northern California for a home game until July 12, when the Colorado Rapids come calling.
• "The hope is that we come together on the road and get some results. We have a ton of away games now. We're not at home for more than a month, so we can't put our heads down," said Cannon.
