the back four and the middle -- and see what we could nip up front," Fraser said. "So it was really bringing in another midfielder so that Robbie (Findley) didn't have to play in the midfield, we had already put Dema (Kovalenko) in the back."
• Real now look to the games at Rice-Eccles against San Jose and Kansas City, over the next two weekends, as vital to their season.
• "This is not over," Kovalenko said. "There are so many games left but we have two games at home coming up, both must-wins. So, that's what we need to concentrate on and take it one game at a time."
• On Tuesday, RSL saw their run in the U.S. Open Cup come to an end in a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium in a second-round play-in match. Steven Lenhart put the Crew ahead in the 25th minute, then four minutes after Dema Kovalenko was shown a red card, Robbie Rogers sealed the victory.
• Here's Kreis's team: Nick Rimando, Dustin Kirby (Tony Beltran 61), David Horst, Matias Mantilla, Ian Joy, Dema Kovalenko, Matias Cordoba (Javier Morales 73), Kenny Cutler (Andy Williams 46), Kyle Beckerman, Tino Nunez (Fabian Espíndola 70), Robbie Findley. Substitutes Not Used: Nat Borchers, Alex Nimo, Kyle Reynish
• "From our standpoint, we have to try and look at some of the positives from the match," said Kreis, pointing to how his team reacted to going a man down. "It could be space or it could just be a little bit about attitude. They realized they were going to have to work a little harder and show for each other a little bit more."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes won for the first time at home in their return to the league, defeating the club that used to call the Bay Area home, the Houston Dynamo, 2-1 in their last match nine days ago. The Earthquakes now have seven points from eight matches, still sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference, a point behind Real Salt Lake.
LAST MATCH
• The Earthquakes hadn't won in four games, since claiming the first victory in their return to the league, while the Dynamo had won their last two matches after opening defense of their title with a six-game winless run.
• It was somewhat of a homecoming for the Dynamo, featuring 10 players and coach Dominic Kinnear who had gone with the club to south Texas when it left after the 2006 season.
• The Earthquakes took the lead in the 67th minute. A deflected cross from Ronnie O'Brien was flicked over his head by Ned Grabavoy, finding Kei Kamara deep in the box. His quick shot on the turn not only beat Dynamo defender Patrick Ianni, but goalkeeper Pat Onstad as well, giving the Quakes the lead.
• San Jose doubled the margin in the 81st minute. On the counter, Ivan Guerrero played Ryan Johnson through on the right side of the box, and while Onstad did well to parry his blast, Guerrero was on hand to slot home the rebound.
• The Dynamo pulled a goal back two minutes from the end when Brian Ching volleyed home a Brad Davis cross at the near post for his second goal on the season, but they could get no closer and San Jose was able to celebrate a victory in front of their home fans for the first time in three years.
• Earthquakes boss Frank Yallop made two changes to the team that lost 2-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes the previous weekend. Nick Garcia came back into the back four, in place of James Riley, and Ryan Johnson started up top, with Joe Vide returning to the substitutes' bench.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-1-3-2): Joe Cannon - Jason Hernandez, Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Eric Denton - Ramiro Corrales - Ronnie O'Brien (Shea Salinas 78), Ned Grabavoy, Ivan Guerrero - Ryan Johnson, Kei Kamara (Jovan Kirovski 80). Substitutes Not Used: Dan Benton, John Cunliffe, Kelly Gray, James Riley, Joe Vide
• "The opponent being Houston was not really significant, you just want to get three points in this league," said Yallop. "We were playing a good team and it was good to get a win off a team of their caliber, but the win was not any different than getting a win in any other game."
TEAM NEWS
• With his two starting forwards from the start of the season out injured, Peguero Jean Philippe and Gavin Glinton, Yallop has been trying to find the right mix in attack. He might well have done so in pairing Ryan Johnson with Kei Kamara up top, returning to a double-striker setup in just Johnson's second career MLS start.
• "It was good, he is a bit of a rough and tumbler, but he gets it done," Yallop said of Johnson. "He isn't afraid of getting in there and I think he was the difference tonight. He helped us play the way we want to play; Ryan is not as refined, but he is running with his heart and showed a lot of commitment for this team."
• Said Kamara: "With Gavin Glinton and Peguero (Jean Phillipe) being hurt, Ryan Johnson had to come in up top next to me so I had to put up my energy. Those guys are gone but that proves that anyone can come step up and play a good game and Ivan did that tonight."
• It was a match with plenty of raw emotion, given that up until 2005, the Houston club had called San Jose home. That was evident at the final whistle when former teammates Ryan Cochrane and Brian Ching engaged in a shoving match.
• "It felt like a normal game. It felt great to get the win. Obviously Houston is a good opponent and the better team in this league," Cochrane said. "We came to do what we needed to do tonight and set a tone for Buck Shaw Stadium in the future. We want it to be a tough environment to play and I think it said a lot when the champs came in."
• While there were some tense moments in the final exchanges, with the Dynamo getting a goal two minutes from the end and nearly grabbing a stoppage-time leveler, the Quakes this time held on for the win.
• "I thought we played well in the first half, to be honest. It was a good all-around performance. As I said against Columbus, we have to make sure we see the game out," Yallop said. "We gave up chances in the first half and I was concerned if we could lift our chances in the second half, but we did, which is good."
• And after two home losses in Santa Clara - and one in Oakland, at McAfee Coliseum - the Earrthquakes were able to give their fans a long-awaited victory to celebrate.
• "It feels like home, I felt comfortable tonight and I think the players did too. They looked comfortable in the locker room, in the warm-up and in the kickoff," Yallop said. "We have been here now, but it took a while to get to this point. I felt like we looked like we belonged out there."
