When the San Jose Earthquakes broke through for their first home victory last week against the Houston Dynamo, they had every reason to believe that they had turned the proverbial corner. Their slumbering offense awoke to score two goals from open play and there were signs that some chemistry was beginning to develop in the attacking third of the field.
But with World Cup qualifying set to commence in many parts of the globe, whatever momentum the Quakes generated has now been compromised ahead of this weekend's away match with Real Salt Lake.
Both scorers from the Houston game -- forward Kei Kamara and midfielder Ivan Guerrero -- have been called away by Sierra Leone and Honduras, respectively. Add in the decision of manager Frank Yallop to rest midfielder Ronnie O'Brien, and you have a side missing a significant chunk of its offense, one that has struggled to score in the best of times.
"That's tough on any team, let alone one that is light in players," said Yallop of his missing trio. "I'm hoping we can manage with those guys being away, and get a good result on Saturday."
The responsibility for maintaining the attack will fall on several players. Newly acquired forward Jovan Kirovski will partner Ryan Johnson up top, while Shea Salinas will take O'Brien's place on the right side of midfield. Joe Vide will slide into the center of midfield with Ned Grabavoy moving out wide.
For Kirovski and Johnson, the past week has been spent taking a crash course on establishing at least a modicum of cohesion up top. And the initial returns point to a pair whose respective games compliment each other well, with Johnson's physicality providing an interesting contrast to Kirovski's touch on the ball.
"It's great for me, because [Johnson] can go out there and bang around, and I'll look for that second ball," said Kirovski. "In training I've fed off of him really well."
The match will also see Johnson take on the club that drafted him out of Oregon State in 2006. RSL has undergone a tremendous amount of turnover in the last two years, with Johnson being shipped to Chicago later in his rookie season. Rather than harbor a grudge, he accepts the move as part of being a professional soccer player.
"I enjoyed my time in Utah," said Johnson. "There's no bitterness, but at the time my loyalties are with San Jose and here is where I want to win."
While Johnson might have positive memories of RSL, the same can't be said for the Quakes, who not only were dumped out of the U.S. Open Cup by Real in April, but also endured a horrific collision between defenders Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane in that match. Both players have since recovered nicely, with Cochrane already returning to the lineup and Ayres healing well from surgery to repair a broken cheekbone.
But Yallop is convinced that his side won't be haunted by that 4-0 loss in Salt Lake City, especially since that day's lineup consisted mostly of reserves. Of greater concern will be a Real side that is unbeaten at home through four league matches.
"[RSL] are very tough at home, and that's the reason we've worked on playing the ball forward early," said Yallop. "If you dwell on it in the middle of the park, you're going to get robbed because they come at you. They play a little bit like us at home. They try to press the issue and get people forward with energy and fight."
Yallop is eager to see the Quakes duplicate that kind of approach on the road, especially with five of their next six games away. But San Jose will only find success of their revamped attack can gel quickly.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
