This Week
The San Jose Earthquakes begin the toughest part of their schedule this weekend, playing seven of the next nine games on the road. The Quakes start the stretch against Real Salt Lake in Salt Lake City on Saturday, May 31. The game will air live on Fox Soccer Channel at 6 p.m. PT and fans can also catch the game on KLOK 1170 AM in Spanish.
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 5/26/08
Tuesday, May 27 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Wednesday, May 28 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Thursday, May 29 - 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Friday, May 30 - Travel to Salt Lake City
Saturday, May 31 - 6 p.m. PT - Earthquakes at Real Salt Lake at Rice-Eccles Stadium live on Fox Soccer Channel and KLOK 1170 AM
Sunday, June 1 - Travel to San Jose
Injury Report
Out - Jay Ayres (facial fracture); Gavin Glinton (sports hernia); Peguero Jean Philippe (R - internal knee derangement)
Last Match
Earthquakes 2, Houston 1; May 22, 2008; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the two-time defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo 2-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Forward Kei Kamara and midfielder Ivan Guerrero scored the Earthquakes two goals while Houston forward Brian Ching scored his team's only goal. Forward Ryan Johnson got his second career MLS start in place of Joe Vide. Defender Nick Garcia also returned to the lineup at the expense of James Riley. When the game settled down, it was San Jose who created the better openings with Johnson in the middle of the Quakes' best attacks. Kamara latched on to Guerrero's cross in the 16th minute and touched the ball back to Ramiro Corrales. But his subsequent shot was palmed away by Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad. Houston defender Bobby Boswell gifted the Quakes an opportunity in the 25th minute, stumbling over the ball and allowing Johnson to steal. The San Jose forward attempted to curl the ball high around Onstad from 20 yards, but the Dynamo 'keeper touched the effort over the bar. In the 33rd minute, Johnson once again found space on the left wing, but his perfectly weighted cross was nodded goalward by Kamara then deflected off the post by Guerrero. Johnson then had another chance a minute later, but his thunderous shot struck Houston's Dwayne De Rosario in the face and went out for a corner kick. In the second half, a deflected cross from Ronnie O'Brien was flicked over his head by Ned Grabavoy, finding Kamara deep in the box. His quick shot on the turn not only beat Patrick Ianni, but Onstad as well, giving the Quakes a 1-0 lead. Houston nearly hit straight back, with substitute Kyle Brown latching onto a long ball and seemingly having a clear look at goal. But a desperate tackle from San Jose defender Ryan Cochrane took the sting out of Brown's shot, allowing Cannon to make the save in the 81st minute. On the counter, Guerrero played 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, doubling San Jose's lead. The goal proved invaluable as Ching volleyed home a cross from substitute Brad Davis in the 88th minute. And nerves were put further on edge when the Hawaiian's deflected header from an Ianni cross went narrowly wide two minutes into stoppage time. But San Jose was able to see out the remainder of the match, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Last Match vs. Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake 4, Earthquakes 0; April 30, 2008; Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah
A 4-0 loss to Real Salt Lake, in a driving Utah snowstorm, was enough to send the San Jose Earthquakes out of the 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Kyle Beckerman scored a pair of goals and Yura Movsisyan added a third as RSL had a 3-0 lead by halftime. Andy Williams rounded out the scoring with a late goal. The Quakes were under pressure early as RSL pushed forward from the opening whistle. In the third minute San Jose goalkeeper Preston Burpo rushed off his line to beat a streaking Robbie Findley to a penetrating through ball. San Jose continued to absorb the attacks from the home side, but a moment of concern came in the ninth minute. Ryan Cochrane and Jay Ayers collided in mid-air going up for a header. Both defenders fell instantly to the turf, while their teammates motioned frantically to the sideline for medical attention. After nearly five minutes on the ground both Cochrane and Ayers were helped up and walked off the field and to the Earthquakes locker room under their own power. Quakes manager Frank Yallop was forced into the two substitutions, bringing James Riley and Jason Hernandez. It wasn't until the 21st minute that Salt Lake beat Burpo. A corner kick taken by Williams found Matias Mantilla. The Argentinean dove to direct a weak header toward goal. The ball wasn't going to make it, so Beckerman rushed on and tapped the first goal of the game over a fallen Burpo. Twelve minutes later San Jose defender Adam Smarte stepped up to Beckerman as the Salt Lake midfielder received the ball about 30 yards from goal. Beckerman promptly spun around Smarte and skipped a turf-burning shot inside the near post. Within in the same minute RSL charged back down the field and Movsisyan slammed in a cross from Matias Cordoba, and RSL led 3-0. Things looked to be unraveling further for the Quakes in the 39th minute when Burpo threw a clearance straight to Movsisyan. But as the Salt Lake striker dribbled toward goal, Burpo was able to pull the ball off his feet with the help of Riley. The visitors' first shot on goal didn't come until the 56th minute. John Cunliffe found himself just inside the penalty area with space, but his chance was deflected away by an onrushing Chris Seitz. In the 65th minute, San Jose's Ned Grabavoy nodded a header just inches wide of the post. Shortly thereafter, play was stopped so that the white MLS game ball could be switched out for an orange ball as snow began blowing around Rice-Eccles Stadium. Cunliffe nearly brought a goal back for the Quakes in the 80th minute, firing a close range blast at the near post, requiring a difficult reaction save from Seitz. Andy Williams put a cap on the game as he poked RSL's fourth goal under a fallen Burpo in the 90th minute.
Reserve League Recap
Houston 3, Earthquakes 1; May 23, 2008; Stanton Field; Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes Reserves dropped a 3-1 decision to the Houston Dynamo Reserves at Stanton Field on the campus of Santa Clara University. Chris Wondolowski scored two goals for Houston and Kyle Brown added a third for the Dynamo. Jamil Roberts scored the lone goal for the Quakes. The Earthquakes Reserves fell to 1-2-1, while the Dynamo Reserves improved to 3-0-1. Houston jumped on the board first through a goal from former Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski. Brown received a pass and broke into the box to the right of Quakes goalkeeper Dan Benton. He then slid a ball across the goalmouth to Wondolowski, who tapped it in to the empty net for a 1-0 lead. San Jose struck back a minute later on a set piece. Joe Vide sent a ball to the back post for Roberts. He leapt and volleyed a shot past Dynamo goalkeeper Tony Caig to even the score at 1-1. The action continued in the 20th minute, as Matt Hatzke forced Caig to make a difficult save. John Cunliffe found Hatzke on the left wing with a nice pass that got Hatzke free just inside the box. The former Santa Clara star ripped a left-footed shot that Caig tipped over the bar. Hatzke had two more great chances midway through the first half. Jovan Kirovski found Hatzke in the 27th minute, but he put his header wide. Kelly Gray then set up Hatzke inside the box, but his right-footed effort was pushed off the post by Caig and then cleared away by the defense. Houston took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Brown seven minutes into the second half. After a scramble in front of the goal, Brown slid and drove a shot past Benton. Wondolowski scored his second goal of the match in the 62nd minute off a pass from Erik Ustruck. Ustruck, a former Santa Clara player, chipped a ball down the right wing for Wondolowski. Benton came off his line, but Wondolowski won the race for the ball and chipped it over the Quakes goalkeeper and into the net for a 3-1 advantage. The Quakes Reserves get back into action on Sunday, June 1 against the Real Salt Lake Reserves in Salt Lake City.
Misc. Notes
Quakes in the Community
Who: Jay Ayres
Location: Adelante Dual Language School, San Jose
Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Time: 1:30-2:30
Details: Jay Ayres will speak to students about the importance of education and living a healthy lifestyle.
Quakes Record First Home Win Since 2005
The Earthquakes earned their first home win of the 2008 season with a 2-1 victory over the two-time defending MLS Cup Champion Houston Dynamo on May 22. The last time the Earthquakes won at home was on Sept. 21, 2005 when the Quakes defeated the Chicago Fire 2-0.
Ivan Guerrero Called Up to Honduran National Team
Earthquakes midfielder Ivan 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 was last called in on March 26 for a friendly against Colombia in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., but didn't make an appearance in Honduras' 2-1 win. Guerrero has earned 79 caps for Honduras. 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. (Friendly)
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)
Ryan Johnson Makes First Career Start
Ryan Johnson made his first start last Thursday as a member of the Earthquakes against the Houston Dynamo, starting at forward. Johnson played all 90 minutes to help San Jose defeat the Dynamo. Prior to the Earthquakes-Dynamo game, Johnson played six games this season as a sub. Johnson got his first career MLS start in 2006 for Real Salt Lake.
Ryan Cochrane Makes Buck Shaw Stadium Pro Debut
After missing the first two games at Buck Shaw Stadium due to a concussion, former Santa Clara University and current Earthquakes defender Ryan Cochrane made his professional debut at Buck Shaw Stadium last week against his former team, the Houston Dynamo. Cochrane played at Buck Shaw Stadium for the SCU Broncos from 2001-03. He missed the Quakes matches on May 3 vs. FC Dallas and May 10 vs. the Columbus Crew.
Quakes Acquire Two from Colorado for Preston Burpo and Draft Pick
The Earthquakes announced on May 21 that the team acquired forward Jovan Kirovski and former Earthquakes player and San Jose resident Kelly Gray from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for goalkeeper Preston Burpo and a fourth round draft pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. Gray, 27, is in his seventh season in MLS after a standout career at the University of Portland. He has played in 139 games and recorded seven goals and nine assists in his career, playing mostly as a right back or a center midfielder. This season he had appeared in two games with the Rapids. The Leigh High School graduate spent the first three and a half years of his career with the Chicago Fire, starting over 20 games in his first three seasons. He was traded to the Earthquakes on June 13, 2005 and helped the Quakes post a 15-1-4 record during his 20 games with the team. Kirovski, 32, started his MLS career in 2004 after spending a number of years playing at the top levels of European soccer. The California native has played for top clubs Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon, beginning in 1992 with Manchester United. After spending time with Sporting Lisbon, he played for both Crystal Palace and Birmingham City in England. He arrived in the United States in 2004 and has since made 109 appearances in MLS, scoring 24 goals and notching 10 assists. He scored 12 goals in two seasons with the Galaxy in 2004 and 2005, before joining Colorado near the end of the 2005 season. He appeared in over 26 games in both 2006 and 2007 for Colorado. With the U.S. National Team, he has earned 59 caps and scored nine goals after beginning his international career in 1994. He has appeared in World Cup qualifying, Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Kirovski Makes First Quakes Appearance
Just one day after arriving in San Jose along with Kelly Gray, Jovan Kirovski made his first appearance in an Earthquakes uniform against the Houston Dynamo on May 22. Kivorski came in for Kei Kamara in the 80th minute to finish the game.
Dominant with Gray
The San Jose 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 16-1-4 all-time.
Quakes Sign Dan Benton and Amir Lowery
The Earthquakes signed goalkeeper Dan Benton and defender Amir Lowery on May 22. Benton served as the backup goalkeeper to Joe Cannon that night against the Houston Dynamo, marking his first appearance on the 18-man roster of a Major League Soccer team. Benton played collegiately at San Jose State University and spent the past three years with the Virginia Beach Mariners (USL-1) and Charlotte Eagles (USL-2). He spent the entire preseason with San Jose, making his debut against the Columbus Crew in San Luis Obispo in February. He made his first official appearance in the reserve division on May 23, playing 90 minutes against the Houston Dynamo Reserves. Lowery signed a developmental contract with the Quakes after playing in one reserve division game as a guest player earlier this season. The Wake Forest product previously played for the Colorado Rapids and Kansas City Wizards in MLS.
Cochrane-Ayres Collision
In the opening 10 minutes of the Quakes match on April 30 in the U.S. Open Cup, defenders Ryan Cochrane and Jay Ayres hit heads while going for a head ball. Cochrane received 21 stitches and missed two games due to a concussion from the collision, while Ayres suffered a facial fracture. After surgery to repair the fracture the following week, Ayres is currently out for eight weeks.
Grabavoy Ties Career High in Assists
Earthquakes midfielder Ned Grabavoy tied his career-high with his third assist on the season on a goal by forward Kei Kamara against the Houston Dynamo on May 22. This season marks the fourth time Grabavoy has notched four assists in a season. He also accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005 with the Los Angeles Galaxy and last season with the Columbus Crew.
Glinton in Germany
Quakes forward Gavin Glinton traveled two weeks ago to Munich, Germany, where he underwent successful surgery to repair a sports hernia. Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck performed the surgery at Hernia Centre Munich on Saturday, May 17. Glinton returned to the Bay Area on Sunday, May 18.
Quakes Prepares for 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. 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 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 Sixth in Appearances
After starting and playing 90 minutes against Houston on May 22, Ramiro Corrales has now appeared in 130 games with San Jose. He is sixth in appearances in team history. Next on the list is Ian Russell (2000-05), who appeared in 131 games. He is the sixth player in team history to play more than 10,000 minutes with the team. He has recorded 10,175 minutes as a Quakes player.
Earthquakes - RSL Connections
Current Earthquakes defender/midfielder Ryan Johnson played for Real Salt Lake in 2006. RSL selected Johnson in the third round of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. He played seven games and made one start ... Real Salt Lake forward Robbie Findley and midfielder Nathan Sturgis played for current Quakes head coach Frank Yallop in 2007 on the Los Angeles Galaxy before being traded to RSL.
History of the Quakes-Real Salt Lake Rivalry
The Earthquakes and RSL met a month ago on April 30 for the first time in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with Real Salt Lake earning a 4-0 win ... RSL was an expansion team in 2005, so the Quakes and RSL have only met four times in their history, with San Jose winning twice and earning two draws in 2005 ... The two teams tied 2-2 in the first ever meeting on Apr. 30, 2005 with Alejandro Moreno scoring a late goal for San Jose to tie the game ... RSL was the last regular season opponent to play against the Quakes at Spartan Stadium, earning a 2-2 tie on Oct. 8, 2005.
RSL All-Time Leaders vs. San Jose
Dema Kovalenko has three career goals against San Jose and Andy Williams has scored twice in his career vs. the Quakes.
Quakes All-Time Leaders vs. RSL
Forward John Cunliffe scored twice vs. Real Salt Lake on Oct. 6, 2007, while playing for Chivas USA ... Ronnie O'Brien and Gavin Glinton have both scored one goal against RSL, while Ivan Guerrero has three assists vs. RSL in his career.
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 (224), fourth in minutes (20,175), fourth all-time in saves (936), third all-time in shutouts (58), fifth all-time in wins (86) and eighth all-time in goals against average (1.30). For San Jose goalkeepers, Cannon is first in club history in appearances (109), first in minutes played (9,981), first in saves (468), first in wins (48), first in shutouts (28) and second in goals against average (1.26) and saves percentage (74.4). 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
The Quakes are now 21-21-2 all-time in May in MLS play.
Quakes in May
Eric Denton has notched five of his 19 career assists in the month of May ... May has typically been a big month for Ronnie O'Brien as he has four goals and eight assists in 22 career games in the month.
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 136-130-48. 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 San Jose's 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.
