Last Wednesday's preseason opener between the San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo bore a closer resemblance to a picnic at a family reunion. Three days later, such pleasantries were forgotten, as the two teams scrapped to a scoreless tie before 4,113 chilled spectators at Kezar Stadium.
Houston's Pat Onstad kept Dynamo's goal clean, while San Jose's goalkeeping duo of Preston Burpo and Joe Cannon duplicated the feat at the other end. In between was a spirited and at times chippy contest that saw Dynamo forward Brian Ching ejected with just five minutes to play after he picked up his second yellow card of the match. And while preseason results are often meaningless, Quakes head coach Frank Yallop was quick to note the progress his team made on the night.
"The first thing that comes with building a new team is you have to get organized and make it difficult for the opponent to play, and I thought we did that tonight," said Yallop. "The hardest part is obviously breaking teams down, but that will come."
At the core of San Jose's improvement was the play of center backs Nick Garcia and Taylor Graham, who looked composed throughout the first half. The Quakes also did a better job of nullifying Houston's flank play, with Corey Ashe having much less of an impact than he did in Wednesday's encounter.
Despite these developments, the few clear chances that were created in the first half fell to Houston. A sloppy pass by San Jose in their own end sprung Brian Ching on a clear breakaway in the 27th minute, but Burpo palmed away the Hawaiian's effort, keeping the match scoreless.
A giveaway in the 38th minute by San Jose's James Riley gifted Dwayne De Rosario a good opportunity, but Garcia's challenge just as the Canadian was about to shoot allowed Burpo to smother De Rosario's shot.
Riley had also been involved in the half's most contentious incident just two minutes earlier, when his late challenge on Ashe sent the Houston wide-man to the turf with an apparent left ankle injury. The tackle earned Riley a yellow card, while Ashe was forced to make way for Geoff Cameron, although afterwards Ashe said that he didn't expect to miss any playing time during this week's Pan-Pacific Championship.
The incident did set the tone for a testy second half, one in which tempers operated just below the boiling point.
San Jose nearly got on the board in the 49th minute when a Ramiro Corrales corner kick was inadvertently headed towards goal by a Houston defender, with the Quakes' Fabrice Noel lurking nearby. But Onstad responded with a superb reflex save, parrying the deflection over the bar.
Noel, who added a spark to the San Jose attack, went on a mazy run in the 58th minute. And after surviving a near rugby tackle from Houston's Chris Wondolowski, he found Shea Salinas on the right side of the box, but his shot was blocked.
Houston eventually took control, and missed a glorious chance to take the lead in the 77th minute, when Cameron's cross from the right wing found De Rosario wide open at the far post. But the Canadian's downward header from seven yards was hit too sharply, bouncing up and over the crossbar.
Salinas and Houston defender Eddie Robinson tangled at the feet of Onstad in the 82nd minute, a set-to that drew the ire of the Houston 'keeper. With emotions beginning to fray, Dynamo's Ching was given his marching orders three minutes later after he upended Quakes midfielder Matt Taylor, earning his second caution of the night.
Even with 10 men, Houston continued to be the more dangerous of the two sides, with the Earthquakes providing some unintentional help. A back-pass from Garcia handcuffed Cannon just seconds into stoppage time, but the ball was quickly cleared to safety. And Houston nearly won the match at the death when Bobby Boswell's header from a Stuart Holden corner kick was parried by Cannon and then cleared by Gavin Glinton.
As the final whistle blew, the Quakes could content themselves with a solid result, even if it is only preseason.
"We're making baby steps," said defender Nick Garcia. "I think everybody did well, from the backline to the forwards, things are solid. Obviously we need to do a better job of being more precise in the final third, and getting chances. But things are getting better and we're making strides. I don't think we're regressing, we're progressing."
EARTHQUAKES NOTES: After the game, general manager John Doyle disclosed that the Quakes are close to signing Argentinean forward Federico Arias. The 28-year-old has played with Rosario Central and Velez Sarsfield in Argentina, and also endured a forgettable five-month stint in 2003 with then-English Premier League side Southampton in which he failed to make a first-team appearance. Arias is expected to sign once he successfully passes a physical.
Houston Dynamo vs. San Jose Earthquakes
February 16, 2008 - Kezar Stadium (Attendance: 4,113)
Houston Dynamo: Pat Onstad -- Bobby Boswell, Eddie Robinson, Patrick Ianni, Corey Ashe (Geoff Cameron 41), Ricardo Clark, Dwayne De Rosario, Richard Mulrooney, Chris Wondolowski (Mike Chabala 76), Brian Ching
SHOTS: 12; SHOTS ON GOAL 4; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 4; OFFSIDE: 2
San Jose Earthquakes: Preston Burpo (Joe Cannon 46), Eric Denton (Marko Marlin 73), Taylor Graham (Jason Hernandez 46), Nick Garcia, James Riley (Chris Pozniak 46 / Jay Ayres 52), Yuri Morales (Adam Smarte 78), Ned Grabavoy (Joe Vide 46), Ramiro Corrales (Tim Bohnenkamp 83), Shea Salinas, Fabrice Noel (Matt Taylor 61), Kei Kamara (Gavin Glinton 46)
SHOTS: 3; SHOTS ON GOAL 0; SAVES: 4; FOULS: 12; CORNER KICKS: 4; OFFSIDE: 2
Misconduct Summary:
HOU - Brian Ching (caution; Reckless Foul) 34
SJ - James Riley (caution; Reckless Foul) 38
HOU - Brian Ching (caution; Reckless Foul) 85
HOU - Brian Ching (ejection; Second Caution) 85
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
