There will be reunions aplenty come Thursday when the Houston Dynamo play their first regular season game in San Jose since leaving the Bay Area after the 2005 campaign. But while Earthquakes manager Frank Yallop will no doubt exchange pleasantries with Houston counterpart -- and one-time protégé -- Dominic Kinnear, his mind will be occupied by more pressing concerns, namely kick-starting his offense and snapping his team's four-game winless streak in league play.
"Obviously, it's an emotional night for a lot of people, and for the city of San Jose" said Yallop. "But it's three points at stake, not just beating Houston. We just want to get our season going, and get moving a bit, and get our first win at home."
Given how desperate the Quakes are for a victory, the timing of Houston's visit couldn't be much worse. After struggling through much of the season's first month, the Dynamo have put together a two-game winning steak, including an impressive road triumph in Chicago.
Adding to the misery is the injury bug that has hit San Jose's already thin contingent of forwards. Gavin Glinton is still recuperating from sports hernia surgery, while newly acquired striker Peguero Jean Philippe has been rendered unavailable due to swelling in his right knee.
The group was bolstered on Wednesday when Jovan Kirovski was acquired from Colorado, along with defender Kelly Gray for backup goalkeeper Preston Burpo and a fourth-round pick in next year's SuperDraft. Kirovski and Gray are expected to be with the club in time for Thursday's match, but with little chance to become acquainted with their new teammates.
That means Ryan Johnson is in line to make his second career MLS start. The Jamaican international has impressed Yallop with his contributions off the bench, including a late goal against Columbus, and Johnson is eager to see if his partnership with Kei Kamara can galvanize the Quakes' attack.
"With me in the lineup with Kei, it's kind of a different look compared to what we normally have," said Johnson. "We'll probably be a little more rugged, a little more direct, and have a lot more fight in us."
Given the physical presence of Dynamo center backs Eddie Robinson and Bobby Boswell, a heavy does of that attitude will be needed. And with the prodigious range of Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark, simply getting the forwards the ball could prove difficult. All the more reason to see how Johnson fares in a starting role.
"Ryan is a bit of a bull in a china shop if you like," said Yallop. "That's what makes him pretty good. ... He's very fit and wants to run and fight and go for every ball. That's what makes it difficult for defenses to play against him."
As much as the Quakes are struggling, one factor in their favor is that they probably know Houston's tendencies better than any other team in the league. Not only is Yallop familiar with Kinnear's approach, but defender Ryan Cochrane is less than a year removed from winning his second MLS Cup with the Dynamo. There is always the question of who has the advantage in this situation, but Cochrane is convinced that the level of familiarity will favor the Quakes.
"It's kind of [Houston's] style of play to get the ball wide and get service into the box for Ching and those guys," said Cochrane. "Just knowing the tendencies of a Brian Mullan, how he likes to cut it down the line and how you have to stay in front of him, hopefully that will play into my hands."
Given the stress that has been put on their defense, San Jose need every advantage they can get, especially since they've only scored four goals in seven games this season. Cochrane admits that the razor-thin margin for error has taken a mental toll on the whole team.
"I think everybody is feeling a little bit of [pressure] right now," said Cochrane. "I think it's just one of those things where you've got to get over it. There's nothing else you can say but suck it up and get stuck in."
That's not the kind of attitude that wears well at reunions, but it might be exactly what is needed to get San Jose their first home win.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
