If the San Jose Earthquakes attack had a theme song, Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" would probably suffice, given their paltry production of two goals in five games.
Yet as the Quakes prepare to play host the Columbus Crew this Saturday, manager Frank Yallop is also following Dylan's lead. Rather than make wholesale changes, his plans are to "keep on keepin' on," both in terms of his lineup and tactics.
While this might strike some as counterintuitive, kick-starting an offense is more of a delicate operation than one might suspect. When goals are scarce, the impulse is to play amateur mechanic and start tinkering with all manner of team matters. But doing so risks killing the confidence of the players affected. It means that sometimes, showing continued faith is the best medicine.
And given the way San Jose played last week against FC Dallas, Yallop has his reasons for keeping things consistent, at least tactically. The Quakes created plenty of chances, both in the run of play as well as from dead ball situations. As a result, Yallop feels that the only thing needed is some fine tuning.
"We're just lacking that little bit of guile in the box, that little bit of belief," said Yallop. "But we've worked on it all week, and hopefully it will come Saturday."
One change Yallop will make is to give newly acquired forward Peguero Jean Philippe his first start of the season. Gavin Glinton, who had started the previous four games, is scheduled to fly to Germany next week for sports hernia surgery, and while he will be available as a substitute, his pending absence means that Jean Philippe will have the chance to show off his abilities over 90 minutes.
"[Jean Philippe] is a little unpredictable, that's a good part of his game," said Yallop. "He needs to do the work between the boxes that's simple and clean, but then in the box we want him to be inventive and dangerous."
Although defender Ryan Cochrane will likely sit out his second consecutive match as he recovers from a concussion, most everything else will remain constant, an approach that defender James Riley feels is the right path to take, especially as it relates to the team's attack.
"We just need to keep things on an even keel," said Riley. "Obviously it's a team chemistry thing, knowing how our forwards like the ball, how our midfielders like to be set up. But if we keep putting the ball into good spots, eventually it will come."
Putting the ball into good spots -- and converting -- is something the Crew has been doing since the start of the season. Attackers Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Alejandro Moreno have been particularly effective, ably supported by young midfielders Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers, although second-year midfielder Adam Moffat is out after undergoing surgery on his right knee his week.
While Schelotto provides most of the creative spark, it has been the hard work of ex-Quakes striker Moreno who has helped turn tight games into victories.
"[Moreno] is a guy in the final third who just runs hard every play," said Quakes midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who will be facing his former team on Saturday. "He's going to find those extra couple of chances that some forwards might not because he's not going to give up."
Stopping the Crew's multi-pronged attack means employing a game plan similar to the one that worked so well against Dallas -- one that relied on high pressure to limit the space of FCD's more creative elements. That will be especially important against Schelotto, who is Columbus' designated drifter in the attacking part of the field.
If San Jose can limit the Argentinean's influence, and find that missing final touch in front of goal, their chances of victory certainly go up. But after getting only one point out of two well-played home games, the Quakes are clearly valuing substance over style.
"We just want a win," said Grabavoy. "One goal, three goals, it doesn't matter. That's what we're playing for."
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
