This Week
The San Jose Earthquakes play a pair of matches this week as they look to continue their hot play of late. The week starts with an exhibition match on Tuesday, Sept. 2 against the Seattle Sounders at Buck Shaw Stadium. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. PT. Season ticket holders should use their Bonus Game "A" ticket for the match. The Quakes then look to stretch their unbeaten streak in MLS matches to eight games, hosting D.C. United on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Buck Shaw Stadium at 7 p.m. PT. The match will air live on Comcast SportsNet West and on tape delay on the radio in Spanish on KLOK 1170 AM. The first 5,000 fans will receive an Earthquakes banner, courtesy of Comcast.
Earthquakes vs. D.C. United All-Time
2008 Season Series: D.C. leads 1-0-0
MLS Regular Season: 11-10-4
Home: 6-2-4
Away: 5-8-0
Shootout (1996-99): 3-0
Overtime (2000-03): 0-0-1
Playoffs: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 35, D.C. United - 43
Injury Report
Out - Ramiro Corrales (L - MCL sprain); Gavin Glinton (R - adductor release surgery)
Last Match
Earthquakes 2, Kansas City Wizards 1; Aug. 30, 2008; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.
A timely header from San Jose Earthquakes forward Darren Huckerby in the 83rd minute proved to be the difference Saturday as the Kansas City Wizards suffered a tough 2-1 defeat at Buck Shaw Stadium. An Arturo Alvarez header had given San Jose a 1-0 lead two minutes before halftime, only for the Wizards' Davy Arnaud to equalize courtesy of a Michael Harrington cross in the 64th minute. That merely set the stage for Huckerby's heroics, as the Englishman headed home Ryan Johnson's knockdown from close range to give the Quakes a priceless victory. With both teams in desperate need of points, the pace was frenetic from the outset. The game was just 20 seconds old when Huckerby found Scott Sealy in the box, but Wizards' goalkeeper Kevin Hartman charged off his line to stuff Sealy's goalbound effort. San Jose's Ned Grabavoy collected the rebound but his shot was deflected over the bar by a Wizards defender. The Quakes continued to create the better chances and nearly broke on top in the 41st minute when Grabavoy fed Alvarez on the left side of the box. The Quake forward's cross was palmed away by Hartman and then fell straight to O'Brien, but with the goal begging the Irishman opted for placement over power, allowing Hartman to recover and touch his shot over the bar. It proved a brief respite however, and two minutes later the Quakes were ahead. James Riley found O'Brien on the right wing, and rather than use his favored right foot, the San Jose winger cut inside and lofted a left-footed cross that Alvarez nodded home from six yards out. In a bid to generate more offense, Wizards' head coach Curt Onalfo brought on Carlos Marinelli for the ineffective Kurt Morsink at halftime, while Harrington and Jewsbury switched positions on the right wing. The moves paid off, as Kansas City was much more dangerous to start the second half. Alvarez nearly doubled San Jose's advantage when his volley sailed just wide of Hartman's near post, but Kansas City was soon back on the attack and scored a deserved equalizer in the 64th minute when Arnaud one-timed Harrington's cross past Cannon from eight yards away. The goal sparked San Jose into action, with both Huckerby and O'Brien finding space out wide and delivering hard crosses that had the Wizards defense scrambling. The home side continued to pile on the pressure, and they finally achieved a breakthrough in the 83rd minute. Francisco Lima's chip was nodded across goal by Johnson, and Huckerby was quickest to react, heading home the winner from point blank range. The Wizards had one last chance to pull level in the 89th minute. Cannon parried a low cross from substitute Roger Espinoza right to Chance Myers, but the Wizards rookie fanned on the shot and the danger was cleared.
Last Match vs. Seattle
Seattle Sounders 1, Earthquakes 0; August 5, 2003; Husky Field; Seattle, Wash.
The San Jose Earthquakes were eliminated from the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup following a 1-0 loss to the A-League's Seattle Sounders at Husky Field at the University of Washington. The Quakes had their first opportunity to score in the 14th minute following a corner kick from the right side of the field by Jeff Agoos. Agoos sent a short kick to midfielder Brian Mullan, who fired a pass back to Agoos, allowing the defender to chip a ball into the penalty box. San Jose defender Craig Waibel flicked the ball towards the far post with his head, where the Quakes Brian Ching headed the ball down and toward the goal. Seattle goalkeeper Rich Cullen and a Sounders defender were able to combine to knock the ball off the goal line. San Jose had its best opportunity of the game thwarted by Cullen in the 40th minute when Corrales knocked down a Seattle clearance in the middle of the field following a flurry of three straight Quakes corner kicks from the left side. Corrales found Manny Lagos making a run behind the Seattle defense in the middle of the field, leaving the Quakes forward alone with Cullen. Lagos took a dribble toward the advancing Seattle goalkeeper before sending a shot to his right that Cullen was able to knock down. Seattle took the lead just a minute later when Cullen sent the ball upfield. The Sounders moved the ball to Andrew Gregor about 35-yards away from the San Jose goal. Gregor found Seattle forward Kyle Smith streaking behind the San Jose defense on the right side of the penalty box, and Smith moved in alone on San Jose goalkeeper Pat Onstad. Smith fired a shot on the ground to the left of Onstad that bounced off the far post and into the net for a 1-0 lead. The Quakes pressured the Sounders goal relentlessly in the final ten minutes, as Seattle was forced to defend with seven players on the back-line. The Sounders were held without a shot in the second half, and only seriously threatened the San Jose goal once on a cross in the 53rd minute that got past Onstad but was cleared away by Todd Dunivant. The Quakes had numerous attempts on goal in the second half, leading to 11 corner kicks, but the Quakes best attempts were either off the mark or blocked by Cullen.
Last Match vs. D.C. United
D.C. United 3, Earthquakes 1; June 22, 2008; RFK Stadium; Washington D.C.
The Earthquakes could not contain the suddenly resurgent attack of D.C. United, falling 3-1 Sunday afternoon in their return to RFK Stadium. United had the game's first real scoring threat the 16th minute but Luciano Emilio's slow shot from the left side of the penalty area hit the right post. Marcelo Gallardo sprung Emilio with a crafty ball, after the Brazilian made a strong, well disguised diagonal run across the top of the penalty area. John Cunliffe combined nicely with James Riley to generate a decent opportunity in the 28th minute but Riley's shot from a severe angle went high and wide of the near post. Ivan Guerrero had the Quakes best chance a minute later, driving deep into the left side of United's penalty area before unleashing a left-footed shot that Zach Wells got his right hand to, directing it off the inside of the goal post just under the crossbar before bounding away. Joe Cannon made a splendid diving save denying Gallardo from 19 yards out to keep the game scoreless in the 41st minute. Emilio played a nifty one-two combination to free Gallardo at the top of the penalty area but his right-footed shot headed for the lower right corner was corralled by the veteran goalkeeper. Cannon could do nothing to save a Clyde Simms' shot from 27 yards out that deflected off two defenders inside the penalty area and trickled slowly into the open net to give United the lead in the 50th minute. The Quakes responded immediately as Cunliffe pounced on a poorly handled ball by Wells to equalize a minute later. Wells bobbled an easy ball sent into the penalty area from the right flank by Ryan Johnson, which Cunliffe stretched to flick toward the open goal. Bryan Namoff cleared it away but not before it had clearly crossed the goal line to make the score 1-1. Gonzalo Martinez was menacing the entire match from his left back position the entire match and his work paid dividends, scoring a brilliant goal to surge United ahead for good just four minutes later. After collecting a benign pass from Gallardo at the top left corner of the penalty area, Martinez turned Ronnie O'Brien with a strong cut back into penalty area before bending a superb right-footed shot around a diving Cannon and off the far post to make the score 2-1. The Quakes responded in the 72nd minute but Devon McTavish got to Shea Salinas' shot before it crossed the goal this time after he beat Wells from the right side of the penalty area. Salinas replaced Cunliffe in the 56th minute. Riley was sent off by referee Alex Prus in the 83rd minute for a rash tackle on McTavish, who reached a loose ball first in the midfield. The damage was felt five minutes later when Emilio turned Guerrero in the penalty area and his left-footed shot from 12 yards out hit Kelly Gray before sliding past Cannon inside the near post to close the scoring.
Quakes in the Community
Who: Jamil Roberts
Location: Castillero Middle School
Date: Sunday, September 7
Time: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Details: Jamil will sign autographs at Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League photo day.
Who: Michael Gustavson
Location: Pinole High School
Date: Sunday, September 7
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Details: Michael will sign autographs at the Soccer Festival at Pinole High School.
Sounders Match-up Report
The Earthquakes have faced the Seattle Sounders six times in franchise history and with the Sounders holding a 3-2-1 lead in the series. Two of the Sounders victories came via penalty kick shootouts after ties in regulation. All six previous games took place in the state of Washington. This will be the first time that the Quakes face the Sounders since Aug. 5, 2003 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when the Sounders defeated the Quakes 1-0. The previous year, on July 17, the Earthquakes defeated the Sounders 4-3 in overtime in the Open Cup with goals scored by Ronnie Ekelund (2), Dwayne De Rosario, and Ariel Graziani ... Four players with Earthquakes ties are currently playing for the Sounders. Roger Levesque spent three seasons with San Jose from 2003-05, while Leighton O'Brien played four matches in his career for tor San Jose. Kevin Sakuda was a 2002 Earthquakes draft pick, while Noah Merl was a 2005 Supplemental Draft pick. Merl also played in reserve games for the Quakes in 2005 ... Seattle reached the U.S. Open Cup semifinals this season, defeating two MLS teams, Chivas USA and the Kansas City Wizards, along the way. They fell to the Charleston Battery on penalty kicks on Aug. 12.
Unbeaten in Seven
The Earthquakes are now unbeaten in their past seven MLS matches after defeating Kansas City 2-1, posting three wins and four ties in that stretch. The team has also lost just once in its past nine MLS matches.
Expansion Watch
Including the San Jose Earthquakes, four expansion teams have entered the league since 2005. In 2005, Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake earned four and five wins, respectively, while Chivas picked up 18 points and RSL 20 points. Last season, Toronto FC had six wins and 25 points for the entire season. After defeating the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 Saturday night, the Earthquakes earned their sixth win of the season. The win also gave them 25 points for the season with eight matches remaining. With one win in their final eight matches the Quakes will move past Toronto as the winningest expansion team of this decade in MLS.
Huckerby's Impact
Quakes midfielder Darren Huckerby has made an immediate impact for San Jose this season. The former Norwich City star has scored three goals and notched three assists in six games for the Quakes since signing on July 14. He scored the winning goal on Aug. 30 to defeat the Kansas City Wizards in the 83rd minute.
Ronnie O'Brien Takes Team Lead
Midfielder Ronnie O'Brien grabbed the team lead in assists on Aug. 30 with his fifth of the season. He set up Arturo Alvarez for a first-half strike. He was tied with Ned Grabavoy with four coming into the match.
First for Johnson
Quakes forward Ryan Johnson notched the first assist of his career on Aug. 30. He set up Darren Huckerby for the winning goal against the Wizards.
Defense Rules
The Earthquakes have allowed only 26 goals this season after allowing one goal against Kansas City Saturday night. That total places them tied for second in the league in goals allowed. Only the Chicago Fire has allowed fewer goals this season (18).
Unbeaten With New Arrivals
The Earthquakes added Darren Huckerby, Francisco Lima and Scott Sealy prior to the team's match against Toronto FC on July 19. Since their arrival, the Quakes are unbeaten in six matches with a 3-0-3 record. The team has tied Toronto FC (July 19), the New York Red Bulls (July 27) and Chivas USA (Aug. 23) and earned wins over the Los Angeles Galaxy (Aug. 3), New Revolution (Aug. 16) and Kansas City Wizards (Aug. 30). Also, since the arrival of Arturo Alvarez, another recent acquisition, the Quakes are 3-0-1.
Quakes to Participate in Light the Night Walk
The Earthquakes have partnered with their supporter's group, Club Quake, and the Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation to participate in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Palo Alto. Earthquakes players, members of the team's front office, along with Earthquakes fans will walk in the event that raises funds and awareness for blood cancers. On Oct. 4, the Light The Night Walk festivities at Palo Alto High School will begin at 5 p.m. PT, with the walk starting at 7 p.m.
Hobee's Restaurants
The San Jose Earthquakes have teamed up with participating Hobee's Restaurants to support the San Jose Earthquakes Community Fund. When attending the Palo Alto, Stanford, Campbell, and Sunnyvale Hobee's Restaurant locations for dinner (after 5 p.m. PT) on Sept 26, 20 percent of diners' total bills will be donated to the Quakes Community Fund if diners mention the San Jose Earthquakes to their server. All proceeds from this promotion will be added to the Earthquakes Community Fund, which was established for the purpose of growing soccer at the grassroots level in Northern California and to provide underprivileged youth with the opportunity to attend Earthquakes matches. For more information about Hobee's and for directions to participating locations, log on to hobees.com.
Grabavoy Returns
Ned Grabavoy returned to the starting lineup on Aug. 30 vs. Kansas City for the first time since June 28. The midfielder played 67 minutes. He had been hampered by a sports hernia injury. He had surgery for the sports hernia on Aug. 1.
O'Brien Sixth in League in Corner Kicks
Ronnie O'Brien now has taken 55 corner kicks this year, placing him sixth in the league this season in corner kicks.
Corrales in Record Books
Ramiro Corrales started and played 14 minutes Aug. 23 against Chivas USA to record his 126th start and 11,266 minutes as a member of the Quakes. He is now fifth all-time in club history in starts and minutes. Next on the list for minutes played for the Quakes is general manager John Doyle (1996-2000), who recorded 11,385 minutes and started 129 games. With 142 appearances, Corrales is now tied for third on the all-time appearances list. He is tied with Wade Barrett (1998-2002, 2005), who has made 142 appearances.
Cannon in Quakes Record Books
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon played 90 minutes Aug. 30 against Kansas City to record his 123rd career game as a member of the Earthquakes. He is eighth on the all-time list. Cannon has also recorded 11,241 minutes. He is currently ranked sixth on the all-time list, behind current teammate Ramiro Corrales. With 123 starts, he moved past Troy Dayak (1996-98, 2001-05) for sixth all-time in team history.
Earthquakes - D.C. United Connections
Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop served as an assistant coach to Thomas Rongen with D.C. United in 2000. He then left D.C. United to become head coach of the Earthquakes in 2001 ... Quakes defender Eric Denton was the 19th selection overall by D.C. United in the 2000 MLS SuperDraft, he played a season and a half with D.C. United before being traded to Tampa Bay in 2001 ... D.C. United goalkeeper Zach Wells played with Quakes Ryan Cochrane and Kelly Gray on the Houston Dynamo ... Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop coached both Quavas Kirk and Santino Quaranta while all three were with the Los Angeles Galaxy ... D.C. United midfielders Ivan Guerrero and Joe Vide started the 2008 season with the Earthquakes. Vide was waived in July and later picked up by D.C., while Guerrero was traded to D.C. on July 31 in exchange for allocation money.
History of the Quakes-D.C. United Rivalry
The Earthquakes beat D.C. United 1-0 in the historic MLS Inaugural Game on April 6, 1996 before 31,683 fans at Spartan Stadium ... Current Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon made his MLS debut against D.C. United on April 17, 1999 at RFK Stadium. He also picked up his first win that day defeating D.C. United in a shootout ... Current Quakes defender Eric Denton scored his first career MLS goal on May 12, 2001 while playing for D.C. against San Jose ... Forward Gavin Glinton made his first MLS appearance against D.C. United on March 23, 2002 ... Quakes defender Nick Garcia scored the only goal in his MLS career against D.C. United. He scored on June 28, 2006 when he was playing for the Kansas City Wizards ... The Earthquakes lost to D.C. United 3-0 on July 15, 2005 in their last appearance at RFK Stadium. The Quakes would then finish the regular season without another loss that season.
D.C. United All-Time Leaders vs. San Jose
United forward Jaime Moreno has been the top D.C. player against San Jose in his career, scoring eight goals and notching six assists against San Jose ... Midfielder Ben Olsen has scored two goals and recorded one assist in his career against San Jose.
Quakes All-Time Leaders vs. D.C. United
In 12 games against D.C. in his career, forward Scott Sealy has five goals and one assist ... Defender Nick Garcia has played against D.C. United more than any of his teammates. He has played 21 times ... Goalkeeper Joe Cannon has posted a 1.13 goals against average against D.C. United and a 7-3-5 record in his career.
Cannon Among League Leaders
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon has not missed a minute this season, tying him for first in the league with 1,980 minutes played. He is ranked third in goals against average with a 1.18 mark and is fourth in saves with 89. He is second in shutouts with eight, one behind Chicago's Jon Busch, who has nine.
Approaching Milestones
Ryan Cochrance played the 98th game in his MLS career against Los Angeles Aug. 3 ... Ramiro Corrales played his 199th career game in MLS versus Chivas USA Aug. 23 ... Joe Cannon passed Scott Garlick for third all-time in MLS history in games played in goal with 238 against Kansas City on Aug. 30.
Quakes in Long Home Stretch
The Earthquakes have eight games remaining this season and five of those matches will be at home. The team is also in the middle of a stretch of six out of eight at home.
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 third all-time in MLS in appearances (238), third in minutes (21,435), fourth all-time in saves (991), second all-time in shutouts (64), fifth all-time in wins (90) and tied for seventh all-time in goals against average (1.29). For San Jose goalkeepers, Cannon is first in club history in appearances (123), first in minutes played (11,241), first in saves (523), first in wins (52), first in shutouts (34) and second in goals against average (1.24) and saves percentage (74.8). He also holds the team's all-time record for saves in a game with 12 on July 8, 2000 at Colorado.
Cannon Moves into Second in All-Time Shutouts
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon passed Tony Meola for second in all-time shutouts in MLS history by shutting out the Revolution on Aug. 16. Cannon achieved 63 shutouts in 236 games. Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is the league's all-time shutout record holder with 74.
Quakes in August
The Earthquakes are 27-20-6 in August after beating Kansas City 2-1 on Aug. 30. San Jose finished August 3-0-1 this season.
Quakes in September
San Jose is 22-20-2 all-time in September in MLS play.
Quakes Above .500
The Earthquakes all-time MLS record is above the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 140-134-54. They had the third-best regular season record in MLS history at the conclusion of the 2005 season at 134-125-47.
Making the First One Count
The Quakes scored first Aug. 30 against the Wizards and earned a 2-1 win. The Earthquakes now own a 67-4-10 record in their last 81 matches when they score the first goal of the game. They are 6-1-1 this season when scoring first. They lost to Columbus 3-2 on May 10 after 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's team is now 6-1-1 in 2008 when scoring first following San Jose's 2-1 win over the Wizards on Aug. 30.
Halftime Success
The Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding onto a half-time lead after defeating the Wizards Aug. 30. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are now 52-1-8 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 7-0-3 in 2005. Despite holding a halftime lead on May 10 vs. Columbus, the Quakes fell 3-2. That game marked the team's first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime lead.
