The San Jose Earthquakes showed little sign of their season-long offensive struggles Tuesday night at they beat the Honduras Olympic team 4-0 in a friendly at Buck Shaw Stadium.
The game gave Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop a chance to start some players who've seen little -- if any -- action in MLS matches this season, including Michael Gustavson in goal, James Ayres in central defense, Matt Hatzke in midfield and Jovan Kirovski up top. Defender Jamil Roberts and midfielder Amir Lowery also came in to start the second half for San Jose, as the MLS side simply outclassed the Hondurans.
Ned Grabavoy and Shea Salinas scored first-half goals for the Quakes, then Kirovski and Kamara scored after the break as the Earthquakes eased to the win.
San Jose took the lead in the 16th minute. A shot from the right wing by John Cunliffe was blocked by the defense, but the rebound fell to Grabavoy, who drilled it inside the right post from 25 yards out. Grabavoy has played over 1,200 minutes this season, and this was his first goal of the year in any contest.
In the 28th minute, a 30-yard blast from Salinas made in 2-0, San Jose, as he also beat Honduran goalkeeper Kevin Hernandez cleanly inside the right post. Like Grabavoy, it was Salinas' first goal of the year.
Honduras had their chances in the first half, but didn't put San Jose's goalkeeper to the test. In the ninth minute, on a 3-on-3 break, Ramon Nunez tried to tee up Rigoberto Padilla coming down the right wing, but Padilla's shot sailed high and wide right. In the 27th minute, a cross from the right wing by Marvin Sanchez found Jefferson Bernardez at the far post, but his header also went over the bar.
The second half went much like the first. In the 52nd minute, Honduras looked dangerous as another shot by Padilla, this one from the right corner of the box, rolled wide of the far post.
The Earthquakes extended their lead in the 56th minute as Kirovski's looping header off a Hatzke corner kick made it 3-0. It was yet another first goal of the season for a Quakes' player.
In the 68th minute, after Honduras goalkeeper Kevin Hernandez saved a Kamara blast, Kirovski chased down the rebound near the end line and centered it for another shot by Kamara, who buried this chance from six yards out to make it 4-0.
The Honduras Olympic team qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics after defeating Guatemala in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-23 Championships on March 20, 6-5 on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie through regulation and extra time.
San Jose's Gustavson made four saves, none of them difficult in keeping a clean sheet. The four goals are the most the Earthquakes have scored in any game since rejoining MLS this year.
Ironically, the goal-scoring outburst came on a night when the Earthquakes introduced new attacking players Darren Huckerby and Francisco Lima to the press. They did not dress for the game, but should be ready, along with newly acquired striker Scott Sealy, to see action when San Jose travels to Canada on Saturday to face Toronto FC.
Pete Ratajczak is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
