San Jose Earthquakes' manager Frank Yallop doesn't normally use the term "snake-bit" to describe his team's fortunes, no matter how bad things get. But, given the number of forwards his team has burned through already this season, his use of that description would be understandable. Fortunately, with an away game against the Chicago Fire on tap for this weekend, the Quakes are receiving some frontline help at last.
While San Jose's list of hobbled forwards isn't exactly a Who's Who of prolific strikers, the loss of Gavin Glinton, Peguero Jean-Philippe, and Jovan Kirovski has certainly cut into Yallop's depth and limited his options up top. Jean-Philippe is out for the season due to continued complications with his surgically repaired right knee. Glinton hasn't recovered as quickly as he'd hoped from sports hernia surgery, and Kirovski was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot last week. Kirovski is expected to miss anywhere from two to six weeks. The situation is enough to leave Yallop shaking his head.
"It's not like guys are pulling a hamstring or ripping a groin every time they step on the field," said Yallop. "But all of these things are seeming to mount up on us."
The result has been that Yallop has had few options beyond recent starters Ryan Johnson and John Cunliffe. Yet, the Quakes' head coach will have some more flexibility this weekend. Kei Kamara has returned after a lengthy stint with Sierra Leone's national team, and while his stat line of two goals doesn't immediately catch the eye, it's worth noting that Kamara's last game in a Quakes' uniform - the team's 2-1 victory over defending champs Houston back on May 22 - was his best of the season.
"Kei left with a bunch of confidence, and by all accounts he played pretty well in the games when he was away too," said Yallop. "Hopefully a bit of energy, a bit of running, and a goal-scoring touch from him will be great on Saturday."
Given how last week's 3-1 loss to D.C. United transpired, Kamara's presence could be exactly what the Quakes need. Yallop praised the team's approach and work, but was left to rue a host of missed opportunities. It's a script that has been followed ad nauseam for much of the season and midfielder Ramiro Corrales admits that the storyline is beginning to wear thin.
"It's frustrating to think you've played well enough to get something out of the game and you don't get anything," said Corrales. "It's just one of those things where things are not going our way right now. But as long as we keep working hard, hopefully things will change."
The Chicago Fire are another team for whom little has gone right in the last few weeks. A 6-2-1 record to start the season has been made a distant memory by a three-game losing streak. It is a losing streak that has seen Chicago's much vaunted attack score only one goal. Not even playing with a man-advantage was enough for the Quakes to capture victory in last week's 2-0 loss to Chivas USA.
A heavy reliance on tactical fouling by opponents, especially with regards to creative lynchpin Cuauhtémoc Blanco, has proven to be one way of slowing down Chicago's attack. But given that the Quakes have had a player ejected in the last two games, they can't afford to be overly reliant on physical play. The return of Nick Garcia to the lineup should keep San Jose's defense more organized, and Yallop, while mindful of Blanco's influence, is keen to stop the other elements of the Fire's attack as well.
"We can't give Blanco space, and we have to make sure we step to him so he doesn't get by anybody," said Yallop. "We'll definitely focus on him, but when he does get free, we have to stay with runners, because you've got Mapp, Rolfe, and Barrett making runs beyond and Blanco can pick guys out."
If the Quakes are successful on that front, perhaps this snake-bit side can sink their teeth into a victory.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
