all scored in nearly identical fashion. Substitute Emmanuel Ekpo split the Quakes defense with a terrific pass, finding Robbie Rogers streaking down the left, and two days short of celebrating his 21st birthday, Rogers lashed a low shot inside the far post for the 73rd-minute equalizer.
• But Rogers wasn't done yet. Alejandro Moreno played a ball in behind the Earthquakes back line and Rogers again latched onto it and strolled in alone on goal, rounding Joe Cannon before sliding the ball home for his fifth goal on the campaign (81).
• Then two minutes later, the Crew doubled their lead. This time Guillermo Barros Schelotto played provider, sliding a ball for Brad Evans to burst through the heart of the San Jose back four, and Evans hammered the ball high into the goal for his first professional goal.
• The Earthquakes pulled a goal back a minute from the end, also from a corner as Ryan Johnson powered home a header from a Ned Grabavoy service that took a deflection off Columbus defender Frankie Hejduk, but it wasn't enough to overcome to Crew onslaught.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that played to a scoreless tie with FC Dallas the previous weekend at home. Peguero Jean Philippe made his first start in his return to MLS, coming into the attack in place of Gavin Glinton.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - James Riley, Nick Garcia, Jason Hernandez, Eric Denton - Ronnie O'Brien (Gavin Glinton 82), Ramiro Corrales, Ned Grabavoy, Ivan Guerrero (Ryan Johnson 66) - Peguero Jean Philippe (Shea Salinas 64), Kei Kamara. Substitutes Not Used: Preston Burpo, Ryan Cochrane, John Cunliffe, Joe Vide
• "We are obviously disappointed to lose the match, after scoring two at home and conceding three," said Yallop. "I think Columbus is a good team and we can't take that away from them."
TEAM NEWS
• Coming into the match, the Earthquakes' strength had certainly been their defense, conceding just five goals on the year and at one point having gone better than 2-1/2 games without allowing a goal. That record was shredded in an 11-minute span.
• "We weren't at our best closing them down the in our half in the first half, and we did not do it really well in the second half in critical parts of the game. When someone is running free we have to have a clear runner step up to the ball. It was two good runs and goals from (Robbie) Rogers, but I wish we could have caught up to him. It is just disappointing," Yallop said.
• Said substitute Ryan Johnson, who scored the Quakes' second goal, the first of his MLS career: "We dodged some bullets early in the game, but that caught up with us later when they scored those three quick goals. It was nice to get some goals today, but we cannot give up three goals like that at home."
• It was the first time since their return to MLS that San Jose had hit for two goals in a game, and now have scored four on the season. The Ramiro Corrales header from the Ronnie O'Brien corner in the first half ended a 251-minute goalless drought for San Jose, second longest in the league this year (by four minutes).
• "To be honest, we are doing fairly well overall, but we just have not gotten the results. With a bit of luck and a couple of bounces we could be looking at some different results," O'Brien said. "We need to stay focused throughout the whole game and the results will come."
• Now winless in their first three games at home in their renaissance, the Earthquakes play seven of their next nine games on the road, and one of the two home games will be a second visit to McAfee Coliseum (June 14 vs. Los Angeles), where they lost their home opener 1-0 to Chicago.
• "We're not going to sit back in our rocking chairs and say, 'We should have done better, we're going to sulk for the week, and hope we do well against New England,'" said defender Nick Garcia. "We're thinking about New England right now and that's the way we have to approach it."
