This Week
This Saturday, Sept. 27, the Earthquakes host Real Salt Lake at 7:00 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium in their first match in two weeks. The team had last weekend off when the match in Houston against the Dynamo was postponed in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The Quakes will be looking to stretch their unbeaten streak to 10 games against RSL. The game will air live HDNet and on tape delay on the radio on KLOK 1170 AM.
Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake All-Time
2008 Season Series:
0-1-1
MLS Regular Season:
2-1-2
Home:
1-0-1
Away:
1-1-2
Shootout (1996-99):
0-0
Overtime (2000-03):
0-0-0
Playoffs:
0-0-0;
U.S. Open Cup:
0-1-0
All-Time Scoring:
San Jose - 9, Real Salt Lake - 7
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 9/22/08
Tuesday, Sept. 23 - 10:15 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Wednesday, Sept. 24 - TBD
Thursday, Sept. 25 - 10:15 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Friday, Sept. 26 - 10:15 a.m. PT - Training at Santa Clara
Saturday, Sept. 27 - 7:00 p.m. PT - Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake live on HDNet and on tape delay on KLOK 1170 AM.
Sunday, Sept. 28 - 10:00 a.m. PT - Earthquakes Reserves vs. Real Salt Lake Reserves at Stanton Field.
Injury Report
Out - Ramiro Corrales (L - MCL sprain); Gavin Glinton (R - adductor release surgery);
Probable - Nick Garcia (L - hamstring strain); Ronnie O'Brien (L - ankle sprain)
Last Match
Earthquakes 1, Houston Dynamo 1; Sept. 13, 2008; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes' bid to become the first expansion team in ten years to reach the playoffs took a slight detour on Saturday, as a ten-man Houston Dynamo side claimed a 1-1 tie at Buck Shaw Stadium. San Jose had broken on top in the 50th minute thanks to a wonder blast from Ronnie O'Brien, but substitute Brian Ching equalized in the 71st minute, nodding home Brian Mullan's cross. Houston then had to survive the final five minutes a man down after Eddie Robinson received his second yellow card of the match, but managed to hang on for the draw. Houston broke out of the gate quickly, and nearly went on top after just five minutes when Brad Davis' cross was shot just wide by Mullan. This signaled a sustained spell of pressure that saw the Dynamo win several corner kicks. The Quakes looked none too convincing in dealing with the aerial assault, but managed to keep their net clean. Houston's domination ended abruptly in the 16th minute, when an attempted back-pass by Robinson went straight to Quakes' winger Darren Huckerby. But Dynamo keeper Pat Onstad produced a fabulous double-save, first denying Huckerby and then touching Scott Sealy's follow-up attempt wide. San Jose also went close on the ensuing corner, but Robinson made amends for his earlier gaffe, clearing Ned Grabavoy's goal-bound effort off the line after Onstad had deflected Huckerby's cross. The Dynamo picked up where they left off to start the second half, with Mullan's cross back-heeled towards goal by Nate Jaqua, but Cannon held his ground and saved with his feet. But just four minutes later, the Quakes found themselves in the lead thanks to O'Brien. The Irishman collected a ball from Arturo Alvarez and rather than cross, hit a rocket that snuck just inside the far post. Houston nearly equalized straight away, with Kamara's header from a Jaqua knockdown going just wide. That was to be Jaqua's last contribution, as he made way for Ching. But it was San Jose who were next to threaten, as Huckerby's cross in the 65th minute was headed by substitute Ryan Johnson right into the chest of Houston defender Wade Barrett who was standing on the goal line. The Quakes would end up ruing that miss, as six minutes later Ching headed home Mullan's cross after defender James Riley had mistimed his leap.
Last Match vs. Real Salt Lake
Earthquakes 0, Real Salt Lake 0; June 18, 2008 - Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, Utah.
A 10-man San Jose Earthquakes squad opened their extensive road trip on a positive note by holding Real Salt Lake to a 0-0 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Wednesday night. Playing the entire second half a man down after Jason Hernandez was sent off, the Earthquakes absorbed a series of attacks from Salt Lake and settled for the point away from home. Each side exchanged scoring chances as Matias Cordoba pounded a cross from Chris Wingert high and wide for the home side. In the 17th minute, John Cunliffe got on the end of a corner kick that was nodded down, and sent his chance sailing over the crossbar. Kelly Gray stepped in front of Kyle Beckerman in the 21st minute to impede the RSL midfielder of getting a good shot off inside the San Jose penalty area. Beckerman's shot got past Gray, but bounced weakly to goalkeeper Joe Cannon. Nearly five minutes later defender Hernandez tried to slow a streaking Robbie Findley by giving a tug on the RSL striker's shirt. Referee Jasen Anno whistled the foul and showed Hernandez a yellow card. Then not 20 minutes later, Hernandez clattered into Findley with a hard tackle and was shown his second yellow, thus dismissed from the match, reducing the Quakes to 10 men just before the intermission. On the other side of the break the Quakes created the first scoring chance on a shot from Cunliffe. Ronnie O'Brien flew down the right sideline before sending a delicate chip into the penalty area. Cunliffe brought the pass down with a touch but then cranked a shot well over the crossbar. In the 71st minute, the Salt Lake crowd was sent into a frenzy when it appeared that Beckerman touched in corner kick from close range. However, after the referee consulted with his assistant it was determined that Beckerman was offside and the clean sheet for San Jose was still intact. Two minutes later RSL knocked on the door again as Javiar Morales knocked a shot off the woodwork. In the 76th minute there was a moment of panic when Eric Denton took out RSL's Tony Beltran in the penalty area. As the Salt Lake defender went down eyes were on referee Anno, who signaled for play to continue. Cannon was forced to make a surprise save in the 82nd minute when second-half substitute, Kenny Cutler, let a shot go from 25 yards that Cannon had to push over the bar for safety.
Misc. Notes
Quakes in the Community
What: Microsoft Fantasy Camp
Who: Frank Yallop, Nick Garcia, Ronnie O'Brien, James Riley, Joe Cannon
Location: Santa Clara University
Date: Tuesday, September 23
Time: 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Details: Head coach Frank Yallop and players will lead a practice for a number of Microsoft's top clients.
Who: Scott Sealy, Kelly Gray, Eric Denton
Location: Fremont
Date: Sunday, September 28
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Details: Scott Sealy, Kelly Gray and Eric Denton will interact with families at Fremont Bank's company picnic.
Houston Match Rescheduled
The San Jose Earthquakes match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, Sept. 20 was rescheduled last week. The game will now be played on Wednesday, October 15 at 6:00 p.m. PT at Robertson Stadium in Houston, Texas. The match will air live on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and on the radio in Spanish on KLOK 1170 AM. The decision to reschedule the match was made after discussions with Houston officials emphasized the logistical difficulties and public safety threat posed by the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Ike. Houston Police Department chief Harold Hurtt recommended that all events, sporting venues, and cultural institutions suspend public activities and performances until Monday while basic infrastructure services such as street lights are restored.
Cell Phone Collection for Verizon Wireless
The San Jose Earthquakes will collect used cell phones, cell phone batteries, and chargers at all remaining home games for the 2008 season. Cell phones collected at the game will be donated to the Verizon Wireless HopeLine program, benefitting victims of domestic violence. Fans that turn in old cell phones, cell phone chargers, and batteries at collection tables will receive a half price ticket voucher for the game and their name will be entered for a special meet and greet with Earthquakes players Darren Huckerby and Nick Garcia. Collection dates will be Sept. 27 vs. Real Salt Lake, October 7 vs. FAS (exhibition game), October 11 vs. Chivas USA and October 25th vs. Toronto FC.
After a Weekend Off
The Earthquakes had this past weekend off after their match against the Houston Dynamo in Houston was postponed. The last time the Quakes had a weekend off, they came back to play the New England Revolution at Buck Shaw Stadium on August 16. The Earthquakes earned a convincing 4-0 victory that night over the Revolution, which was then the points leader in MLS.
Season Series
In their two previous meetings this season, the Earthquakes have lost once and tied once against Real Salt Lake. The Quakes and RSL are fighting for one of the final berths in the MLS Cup Playoffs. If the teams end up tied in the standings, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head play. If the Quakes lose or tie Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, RSL would hold the tiebreaker, but an Earthquakes win would even the season series.
Western Conference Playoff Race Heats Up
As the race continues to make it to the playoffs in the Western Conference, the Earthquakes will take on four consecutive Western Conference foes in the coming weeks. These four head-to-head matches will go a long way in determining the Western Conference playoff qualifiers. Along with this weekend's match against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Sept. 27, the Quakes will go head to head with FC Dallas on Oct. 2, Chivas USA on Oct. 11, and the Houston Dynamo on Oct. 15.
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 and 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.
Habana Cuba Fundraising Nights
The San Jose Earthquakes have teamed up with Habana Cuba this fall to provide good food for a good cause. Fans that bring in an Earthquakes ticket stub or mention the special Earthquakes Night will have 15 percent of their purchase donated to the San Jose Earthquakes Community Fund. The special Earthquakes nights will take place on Oct. 10 and Oct. 24. Habana Cuba is located at 238 Race Street in San Jose.
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.
Earthquakes - RSL Connections
Current Earthquakes midfielder/forward 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. He also played college soccer with RSL forward Robbie Findley at Oregon State ... 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 ... RSL head coach Jason Kreis played with current Quakes midfielder Ronnie O'Brien while both were on FC Dallas.
History of the Quakes-RSL Rivalry
The Earthquakes and RSL met on April 30 for the first time in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with Real Salt Lake earning a 4-0 win ... The Quakes loss to RSL for the first time in team history on May 31 when RSL defeated the Quakes 3-1 at Rice-Eccles Stadium ... RSL was an expansion team in 2005, so the Quakes and RSL have only met seven 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 four 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 has scored three goals against Real Salt Lake. He scored twice vs. Real Salt Lake on Oct. 6, 2007, while playing for Chivas USA and one for the Quakes on May 31, 2008 ... Ronnie O'Brien and Gavin Glinton have both scored one goal against RSL ... Jovan Kirovski has played against RSL 15 times and has two goals and one assist.
Unbeaten in Nine
The Earthquakes are now unbeaten in their past nine MLS matches after tying the Houston Dynamo 1-1, posting four wins and five ties in that stretch. It is the third-longest unbeaten streak in team history. The team posted a 14-game unbeaten run from July 20-Oct. 15, 2005 and a 12-game unbeaten run from April 28-July 4, 2001. The streak is the longest unbeaten streak in MLS this season and the second longest ever by an expansion team. The Chicago Fire had an 11-game unbeaten run as an expansion team in 1998.
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 D.C. United 2-1 Sept. 6, the Earthquakes earned their seventh win of the season. Their tie against the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 13 gives them 29 points for the season with six matches remaining. The Quakes have now moved past Toronto as the winningest expansion team of this decade in MLS.
Home Dominance
After a slow start at home this season, the Earthquakes have become dominant at home, especially at Buck Shaw Stadium. After earning two losses and a tie at home to start the season, San Jose has posted a 5-1-3 record at home in the past nine games. They are now 4-1-4 at Buck Shaw Stadium this year. The team won four straight matches at home from Aug. 3-Sept. 6.
O'Brien Red Hot
Earthquakes midfielder Ronnie O'Brien is making a great case to be named MLS' Comeback Player of the Year. After being limited to just 13 games with Toronto FC last season due to a knee injury, O'Brien has had one of the best seasons of his career this year with the Quakes. He has scored four goals and notched five assists, while helping San Jose get back into the thick of the playoff chase. He has three goals and two assists in the past five games for the Quakes. He is now two goals shy of his career high of six, which he set in 2005 with FC Dallas.
Huckerby's Impact
Quakes midfielder Darren Huckerby has made an immediate impact for San Jose this season. The former Norwich City star has scored four goals and notched four assists in eight games for the Quakes since signing on July 14. He scored the winning goals on both Aug. 30 vs. Kansas City and Sept. 6 vs. D.C. United and is now tied for the team lead in goals.
Alvarez Hot
Arturo Alvarez has scored or notched an assist in the past three matches. After scoring on Aug. 30 against Kansas City and Sept. 6 against D.C. United, he set up Ronnie O'Brien for San Jose's lone goal on Sept. 13. He has now scored three goals and notched one assist for San Jose since arriving in a trade from FC Dallas prior to the Quakes match against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 3. For the season he has a career-high six goals and has tied a career high with four assists.
Defense Rules
The Earthquakes have allowed only 28 goals this season after allowing one goal against the Houston Dynamo 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 (20).
Sealy Career High
Since coming to the Earthquakes prior to the Quakes game on July 19, forward Scott Sealy has notched three assists in eight games. That total surpasses his career high for a season. His previous career high for assists in a season was two.
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 eight matches with a 4-0-4 record. The team has tied Toronto FC (July 19), the New York Red Bulls (July 27), Chivas USA (Aug. 23) and the Houston Dynamo and earned wins over the Los Angeles Galaxy (Aug. 3), New Revolution (Aug. 16), Kansas City Wizards (Aug. 30) and D.C. United (Sept. 6). Also, since the arrival of Arturo Alvarez, another recent acquisition, the Quakes are 4-0-2.
O'Brien Sixth in League in Corner Kicks
Ronnie O'Brien now has taken 56 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 sixth all-time in club history in minutes and fifth in starts. Next on the list for minutes played and starts 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 Sept. 13 against the Houston Dynamo to record his 125th career game as a member of the Earthquakes. He is eighth on the all-time list. Cannon has also recorded 11,421 minutes. He is currently ranked fourth on the all-time list. With 125 starts, he is sixth all-time in team history.
Cannon Among League Leaders
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon is ranked third in goals against average with a 1.17 mark and is fourth in saves with 93. He is tied for third in shutouts with eight, two behind Chicago's Jon Busch, who has 10.
Approaching Milestones
Ryan Cochrane played the 99th game in his MLS career against the Houston Dynamo Sept. 13 ... Ramiro Corrales played his 199th career game in MLS versus Chivas USA Aug. 23 ... Jason Hernandez will tie his career high for starts in a season with 24 if he starts Saturday night against Real Salt Lake. He had 24 in 2006 with Chivas USA.
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 (239), third in minutes (21,615), fourth all-time in saves (995), second all-time in shutouts (64), fifth all-time in wins (91) and tied for seventh all-time in goals against average (1.29). For San Jose goalkeepers, Cannon is first in club history in appearances (125), first in minutes played (11,421), first in saves (527), first in wins (53), 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.
Quakes in September
San Jose is 23-20-3 all-time in September in MLS play and 1-0-1 in 2008 in September.
Quakes Above .500
The Earthquakes all-time MLS record is above the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 141-134-55. 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 Sept. 13 against the Houston Dynamo and earned a 1-1 tie. The Earthquakes now own a 68-4-11 record in their last 83 matches when they score the first goal of the game. They are 7-1-2 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 7-1-2 in 2008 when scoring first after tying the Houston Dynamo on Sept. 13.
Halftime Success
The Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding onto a half-time lead after defeating D.C. United on Sept. 6. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are now 53-1-8 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.
