This Week
The San Jose Earthquakes travel to Columbus this weekend for the second meeting of the season against the Columbus Crew on Saturday June 7. This will be the second and final meeting of the two teams in the regular season. Columbus won the first game 3-2 at Buck Shaw Stadium on May 10. The game will air live on HDNet at 4:30 p.m. PT and on the radio in Spanish on KLOK 1170 AM.
Earthquakes vs. Columbus Crew All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 11-16-1
Home: 9-5-1
Away: 2-11-1
Shootout (1996-99): 3-2
Overtime (2000-03): 1-1-1
Playoffs: 2-2-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 52, Columbus - 58
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 6/2/08
Tuesday, June 3 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Wednesday, June 4 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Thursday, June 5 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Friday, June 6 - Travel to Columbus
Saturday, June 7 - 4:30 p.m. PT - Earthquakes at Columbus
Crew at Crew Stadium live on HDNet and KLOK 1170 AM
Sunday, June 1 - Travel to San Jose
Injury Report
Questionable - Gavin Glinton (sports hernia)
Out - Jay Ayres (facial fracture); Peguero Jean Philippe (R - internal knee derangement)
Last Match
Real Salt Lake 3, Earthquakes 1; May 31, 2008; Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah
The Earthquakes lost to Real Salt Lake 3-1 in MLS play for the first time in club history. A goal from second-half substitute John Cunliffe wasn't enough as RSL piled on goals from Robbie Findley, Javier Morales and Dema Kovalenko in the second half to keep the Quakes in last place in the conference. San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon stepped up early to keep the Quakes in the match. In just the second minute Ramiro Corrales was whistled for handling the ball inside the penalty area, and referee Jorge Gonzalez immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Morales lined up behind the ball and sent a weak shot to Cannon's right, and the San Jose goalkeeper fell easily onto the ball for the save. Ryan Johnson fell victim to the fancy footwork of RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando later in the half. Johnson rushed in on Rimando as the goalkeeper collected the ball with his feet. Just before Johnson was in range to poke the ball away, Rimando flicked it over the striker's head and to the feet Salt Lake defender Tony Beltran. Just before halftime Morales sent a free kick from near the sideline high into the center of the box that Kenny Deuchar got his head on and directed square into the post. RSL defender Jamison Olave put the rebound back toward the Quakes goal with a low shot to the far post that Cannon sprawled out on the ground to slap away from goal. San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane quickly put the ball out of play over the end line before Salt Lake could capitalize on having Cannon on the ground. On the other side of the intermission the San Jose defense started to break down. In the 48th minute Findley streaked down the sideline and cut in toward goal, leaving Jason Hernandez in his wake. With only Cannon to beat Findley ripped a low, scalding shot from five yards outside of the box that beat the San Jose goalkeeper at the near post. Cannon couldn't keep Morales out in the 60th minute. A devastating diagonal ball from Findley into the penalty area provided Morales the opportunity to slip a rolling shot under the charging Cannon, doubling the size of the hole for San Jose. In the 72nd minute Nick Garcia was shown a yellow card for pulling down Williams inside the penalty area, as referee Gonzalez again pointed to the spot. This time, the resulting penalty was fired by Dema Kovalenko, who beat Cannon going the opposite direction. The move paid dividends 10 minutes later as Cunliffe made sure the visitors wouldn't be shutout with his goal in the 84th minute. He was the recipient of a snazzy backheel from Grabavoy before he cut around RSL defender Nat Borchers and then fired a shot that beat Rimando. The second half substitute nearly struck again minutes before the final whistle, firing a rocket that made Rimando jump, though it narrowly missed the upper corner.
Last Match vs. Columbus Crew
Crew 3, Earthquakes 2; May 10, 2008; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes fell 3-2 to the Columbus Crew Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium. Ramiro Corrales scored the first goal of the game and Ryan Johnson netted the second with one minute left of the game. Corrales header put the home side ahead just three minutes before halftime, but Robbie Rogers scored twice and substitute Brad Evans added a third to put Columbus in the driver's seat. Ryan Johnson pulled a goal back for San Jose to make for a tension-filled final few minutes, but the Crew hung on for a priceless road victory. San Jose countered by finding some space on the wings, with Ronnie O'Brien seeing plenty of the ball. His feed in the 19th minute found Kei Kamara with some room near the top of the box, but his shot was deflected wide by the Crew defense. The Quakes then had a glorious chance to break on top in the 28th minute, when Eric Denton's pass gave Ivan Guerrero a clear look at goal, but the Honduran failed to put enough bend on the ball, and his shot went inches wide of the far post. The Quakes continued to find space out wide, and just missed connecting on a series of crosses. But the home side's persistence paid off just three minutes before halftime, when Denton's attempted cross was knocked over the end line. Ronnie O'Brien swung in the resulting corner, and Corrales' diving header gave William Hesmer no chance in the Crew goal. San Jose nearly doubled their advantage just five minutes after the break, when O'Brien's curling effort was snared by Hesmer. Columbus responded with several attacks going through Frankie Hejduk. The most dangerous of these came in the 56th minute, when his delicate chip from a half-cleared corner kick was touched over the bar by Cannon. Cannon was forced into two sprawling saves just seconds apart in the 71st minute, one at the feet of Ezra Hendrickson, and a second from an Evans header. The Quakes weren't done, as Johnson nodded home Ned Grabavoy's corner with just three minutes remaining.
Misc. Notes
Quakes in the Community
Who: Matt Hatzke and Jason Hernandez
Location: Laurelwood Elementary School, San Jose, Calif.
Date: June 3
Time: 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Details: Matt Hatzke and Jason Hernandez will speak about education, living a healthy lifestyle at Laurelwood Elementary school. The players will also perform a soccer skills demonstration.
Who: Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Ned Grabavoy, Ronnie O'Brien, Adam Smarte and head coach Frank Yallop
Location: Lucile Packard's Children's Hospital, Palo Alto, Calif.
Date: June 3
Time: 2-4 p.m.
Details: Ryan Cochrane, Nick Garcia, Ned Grabavoy, Ronnie O'Brien, Adam Smarte and head coach Frank Yallop will visit and interact with children at Packard's Children's Hospital.
Cunliffe Scores First Goal of Season, Remains Hot Against Real Salt Lake
Quakes forward John Cunliffe scored his first goal as a member of the Earthquakes at Real Salt Lake last Saturday. Cunliffe scored on a back heel pass by Ned Grabavoy. In his MLS career, Cunliffe has scored four goals, three against RSL. Cunliffe has also excelled at Rice-Eccles Stadium. He also scored two goals at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Oct. 6, 2007 when playing for Chivas USA.
Grabavoy Sets Career Season High in Assists
Quakes midfielder Ned Grabavoy set a career season high of four assists against Real Salt Lake last Saturday when John Cunliffe scored on a back heel pass from Grabavoy. Grabavoy previously had three assists in a season three times, two for the Los Angeles Galaxy (2004, 05) and for the Columbus Crew last season.
Garcia Notches First Assist of the Season
Quakes defender Nick Garcia recorded his first assist of the season and as a member of the Earthquakes against Real Salt Lake. Garcia's assist came on John Cunliffe's second half goal on Saturday night. His last assist in MLS came on July 29, 2007 vs. Chivas USA.
O'Brien Sits Out for the First Time This Season
Quakes midfielder Ronnie O'Brien did not play against Real Salt Lake last Saturday. The game was the first that O'Brien has missed this season. O'Brien started the first eight games of the season.
Ivan Guerrero International Report
Quakes midfielder Ivan Guerrero made his 80th appearance with the Honduran National Team against Venezuela last Friday, May 30. The match ended with a 1-1 draw. Guerrero started and played 75 minutes.
Guerrero has been called in by the Honduran National Team to compete in four matches in three weeks. Two of Honduras' matches are World Cup Qualifying matches while the other two are friendly matches. He is expected to miss Quakes matches on May 31, June 7 and June 14.
Honduran National Team's Upcoming Schedule
May 30 vs. Venezuela at Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (1-1 Draw)
June 4 vs. Puerto Rico at San Pedro Sula, Honduras (World Cup Qualifying)
June 7 vs. Haiti at la Ceiba, Honduras (Friendly)
June 14 vs. Puerto Rico at Bayamón, Puerto Rico (World Cup Qualifying)
Kei Kamara International Report
Quakes forward Kei Kamara played a full 90 minutes Sunday to earn his first cap for Sierra Leone Sunday, June 1. Sierra Leone fell to Equatorial Guinea 2-0.
Kamara was named to the roster for Sierra Leone for four upcoming World Cup qualifying matches. The third-year forward traveled May 27 to his home country to begin preparations for the four matches in June. He attended a training camp with Sierra Leone for the first time last December, but did not make an appearance in a game. He is expected to miss five Quakes games, on May 31, June 7, June 14, June 18 and June 21.
Sierra Leone National Team's Upcoming Schedule
June 1 vs. Equatorial Guinea at Malabo, Equatorial Guinea (2-0 Loss)
June 7 vs. Nigeria at Freetown, Sierra Leone
June 14 vs. South Africa at Freetown, Sierra Leone
June 21 vs. Bafana Bafana at Kimberley, South Africa
Gray Makes First Quakes Start Since 2005
Newly acquired Quakes defender Kelly Gray made his first appearance as a member of the Quakes since 2005 against Real Salt Lake on Saturday. He entered as a second-half sub against RSL. His last appearance as a member of the Quakes was on Oct. 29, 2005 against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the second-leg of the MLS Western Conference semifinals. The Earthquakes went 15-1-4 in 20 games with Kelly Gray on the roster in 2005. Gray was reacquired by the Quakes on May 21 and he was on the 18-man roster for San Jose's 2-1 win over Houston on May 22. With Gray on the roster, San Jose is now 16-2-4 all-time.
Quakes Heading into Second Game of Long Road Schedule The Quakes are in the midst of a stretch of six out of seven games on the road and seven of the next nine away from home. The team has only two home games prior to the Pepsi MLS All-Star Game on July 24. The Quakes play at home on June 14 against the Los Angeles Galaxy at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland and on July 12 versus the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium. However, following the All-Star break, San Jose finishes the season with nine of their final 13 matches at home.
Corrales Inches Closer to Ian Russell in Appearances, Continues Counting the Minutes
After starting and playing 90 minutes at Real Salt Lake on May 31, Ramiro Corrales is just one game away from tying former Quakes midfielder and current assistant coach Ian Russell (2000-05) for fifth all-time in appearances with 131 games played as a member of the San Jose Earthquakes. Corrales is the sixth player in team history to play more than 10,000 minutes with the team. He has recorded 10,265 minutes as a Quakes player. Next on the list is Troy Dayak (1996-90, 2001-05), who has played 10,830 minutes.
Earthquakes - Columbus Connections
Current Quakes Ned Grabavoy and Kei Kamara played for Columbus during the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Kamara played 36 games for the Crew and scored five goals, while Grabavoy also played 36 and had four goals and four assists. Grabavoy was acquired in the 2007 MLS Expansion Draft and Kamara came via a trade for Brian Carroll ... Columbus forward Alejandro Moreno spent the 2005 season with the Earthquakes and scored eight goals and recorded four assists in 31 games ... Eric Denton played 67 games from 2002-04 for Columbus, scoring three goals and recording seven assists. He was named the team's Defender of the Year in 2003 ... Columbus defender Danny O'Rourke was the Earthquakes first round draft pick in 2005 and played 13 games for San Jose in 2005.
History of the Quakes-Crew Rivalry
The Earthquakes and the Crew have had a strong rivalry in MLS history, playing twice in the playoffs and competing in a number of memorable games ... In 2001, the Quakes eliminated the Crew from the MLS Cup Playoffs with two convincing wins, 3-1 and 3-0 en route to winning the MLS Cup ... Columbus turned the tables on San Jose in 2002 by knocking the Quakes out of the playoffs with a pair of 2-1 victories that both came on goals in the final 10 minutes of the game ... The Quakes have only won one game at Crew Stadium in their history, a 2-1 win on July 9, 2005. San Jose won at Ohio Stadium on June 1, 1996, before losing 11 straight times on the road to Columbus ... Quakes midfielder Ronnie Ekelund scored one of the best goals in league history against Columbus on Sept. 7, 2002. Richard Mulrooney lifted a free kick up for Ekelund, who half-volleyed a shot from 25 yards out into the upper corner. The Quakes went on to win 4-3 in overtime. That overtime win was the team's only regular season overtime win in team history. The team went 1-1-26 all-time in regular season overtime games. The league eliminated overtimes for the regular season following the 2003 season.
Columbus Crew's All-Time Leaders vs. San Jose
Alejandro Moreno has scored three goals and notched an assist against San Jose in his career in eight games. He scored the goals while playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy. Ezra Hendrickson has two career goals and four career assists in 23 games vs. San Jose.
Quakes All-Time Leaders vs. Columbus
Gavin Glinton and Ramiro Corrales have each scored a goal versus Columbus in their careers. Corrales' goal was a last-minute game-winner for San Jose to help the Quakes complete a comeback from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2. That game took place on May 4, 2002.
Cannon Among the All-Time Leaders
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon is among the all-time league leaders in Major League Soccer history in a number of goalkeeping categories. He is currently tied for fourth all-time in MLS in appearances (225), fourth in minutes (20,265), fourth all-time in saves (943), third all-time in shutouts (58), fifth all-time in wins (86) and eighth all-time in goals against average (1.31). For San Jose goalkeepers, Cannon is first in club history in appearances (110), first in minutes played (10,071), first in saves (475), first in wins (48), first in shutouts (28) and second in goals against average (1.28) and saves percentage (74.3). He also holds the team's all-time record for saves in a game with 12 on July 8, 2000 at Colorado.
San Jose in May
Following the Real Salt Lake game on May 31, the Quakes are now 21-22-2 all-time in May in MLS play. This season, the Quakes finished with a 1-3-1 in May.
Quakes in June
The Quakes have compiled a 24-14-10 overall in June, the best month in franchise history. The team went unbeaten in June in 2005 (3-0-2) and 2001 (3-0-1).
Biggest Crowd at Buck Shaw
The game between the Earthquakes and FC Dallas on May 3 was a standing room only sellout at Buck Shaw Stadium with 10,515 people in attendance. That crowd set a record for the largest soccer crowd in Buck Shaw Stadium history. The previous high was 8,800, which happened twice during the 1996 Women's College Cup at Buck Shaw. The game also marked the first appearance by the Quakes at the stadium. The Quakes have previously played games in the Bay Area at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto and Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The Quakes played the majority of their home games at Spartan Stadium from 1996-2005. The team played the first three games of 1998 at Stanford, while Spartan Stadium underwent renovations, and then played at Stanford on July 4, 1999 in a doubleheader with the U.S. Women's National Team during the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Quakes also played an exhibition against Club America at Candlestick Park on Sept. 18, 2002. Earlier this season on April 12, the team played its first ever game in Oakland at McAfee Coliseum.
Colonel's Corner
The San Jose Earthquakes announced March 24 that the team has partnered with KFC to launch the Colonel's Corner promotion at every home game for the 2008 season. The promotion will give fans the opportunity to purchase great seats for only $15-the most affordable Earthquakes tickets in town. The Corner View Section 107 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, and sections 231 and 232 at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, will be officially branded as the KFC Colonel's Corner. Fans can purchase tickets regularly priced at $22 for Buck Shaw Stadium and at $30 for McAfee Coliseum for only $15 at participating KFC restaurants. The Colonel's Corner vouchers can be purchased at 26 participating KFC restaurants across the South Bay and will be redeemable for any game, subject to availability. The vouchers can be redeemed at Earthquakes Offices or at the stadium on the day of the game. KFC will have 500 tickets available for each game. For more information on KFC Colonel's Corner promotion and participating stores please visit sjearthquakes.com.
Quakes Above .500
The Earthquakes all-time MLS record is above the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 136-131-48. They had the third-best regular season record in MLS history at the conclusion of the 2005 season at 134-125-47.
Halftime Success
The Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding onto a half-time lead despite losing to the Columbus Crew 3-2 on May 10. That game marked the team's first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime lead. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are now 49-1-8 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 7-0-3 in 2005.
Record Unbeaten Streak at Home Snapped
The Earthquakes set an MLS record with their August 7, 2004 win against D.C. United, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 46 games when scoring first. That streak reached 57 games after the Earthquakes' 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake on October 8, 2005. However after scoring first against the Columbus Crew on May 10, 2008 the Quakes fell 3-2, halting the streak at 57. The Quakes had not lost at home when scoring first since April 3, 1999.
Making the First One Count
The Quakes scored first and defeated the Houston Dynamo 2-1 on May 22. The Earthquakes now own a 63-4-9 record in their last 76 matches when they score the first goal of the game. They are 2-1-0 this season when scoring first. In 2005, San Jose went undefeated at 14-0-5 when scoring first. The Earthquakes were 25-2-2 in 2001 and 2002 when finding the back of the net first. The Quakes only gave up leads two times in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. The team continued that trend in 2003, possessing an 11-0-1 mark in the regular season when they scored the first goal. In 2004, the Quakes went 8-1-1 when scoring first, the top mark in MLS. The Quakes gave up their lead and lost to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.
Scoring First Under Yallop
During Frank Yallop's first tenure with San Jose, the Earthquakes were one of the best teams in the league when scoring the first goal. The team went 36-2-1 from 2001-03 when scoring the first goal of the game. The Quakes only gave up leads two times in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. Yallop is now 2-1-0 in 2008 when scoring first after defeating the Houston Dynamo on May 22.
Individual Tickets on Sale Now
Individual tickets for 2008 San Jose Earthquakes games are now on sale. Tickets for the Earthquakes long awaited return are available online at sjearthquakes.com, by calling (800) 225-2277 or by visiting your local authorized Tickets.com outlets. Prices for individual tickets range from $20 to $70.
Season Tickets on Sale Now
San Jose Earthquakes season ticket packages for the 2008 season are now on sale. The Earthquakes 2008 season ticket package features 17 games, including all MLS regular season games and special bonus games. Prices for the ticket packages are $306 for Goal View, $340 for Corner Flag, $595 for Field View and $595 for Sideline. Tickets for the Earthquakes long awaited return are available online at SJEarthquakes.com, by calling (800) 225-2277 or by visiting your local authorized Tickets.com outlets.
