SPARTAN STADIUM
SAN JOSE, Calif.
7:30 pm PT (Altitude)
The San Jose Earthquakes came into their current three-game homestand hoping to make a charge up the Western Conference table, and they've done just that, winning the first two matches. The Quakes can move into a tie for second place with a victory and in the process open up a double-digit lead on the visiting Colorado Rapids. The Rapids currently hold onto the fourth and final playoff paying place in the West, just ahead of Real Salt Lake, though they saw their season-long two-game winning streak ended by West leader FC Dallas last weekend.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Steven Davidson; JAR (opposite): David Bragg; 4th: Colin Arblaster
MLS Career: 36 games; FC/gm: 32.8; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 8; pens: 14
Games involving Earthquakes: P8 W3 L3 T2; FC/gm: 34.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 0; pens: 2
Games involving Rapids: P6 W2 L1 T3; FC/gm: 30.3; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 2; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: DF Craig Waibel (R knee torn ACL/LCL); DF Troy Dayak (L knee torn ACL); FW Brian Ching (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Brian Mullan (L ankle avulsion fracture) ...COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: MF Matt Crawford (R quadriceps strain); QUESTIONABLE: MF Terry Cooke (R knee) ...
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: SJ: MF Brad Davis (USA; CONCACAF Gold Cup) ... COL: MF Pablo Mastroeni (USA; CONCACAF Gold Cup)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (37 meetings): Earthquakes 17 wins (1 shootout), 57 goals ... Rapids 16 wins (2 shootout), 55 goals ... 4 draws
IN SAN JOSE (18 meetings): Earthquakes 9 wins (1 shootout), 36 goals ... Rapids 7 wins (1 shootout), 28 goals ... 2 draws
• The clubs meet in the second of four scheduled league encounters this season, the first of two in San Jose. They'll next square off in the Mile High City on July 20, before concluding the season series on Aug. 13 in San Jose.
LAST MEETING
• The San Jose Earthquakes went into Denver on May 25 and came away with a 1-0 victory, sending the Rapids to a third defeat on the trot in their first win in the Mile High City in more than two years.
• Alejandro Moreno's 78th-minute goal gave the Earthquakes the victory on the road. Dwayne De Rosario found Moreno on the outside near the corner of the area, and he beat newly-acquired defender Mike Petke one-on-one, turning the former D.C. United center back before hitting a low shot that skipped off Petke's foot and through a host of legs, curling inside the far post past Joe Cannon's outstretched dive.
• Here's Fernando Clavijo's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon, Ricky Lewis, Nat Borchers, Mike Petke, Eric Denton, Matt Crawford, Guy Melamed, Leo Cullen (Kyle Beckerman 58), Alain Nkong (Hunter Freeman 66), Jeff Cunningham (Eugene Sepuya 72), Jean Philippe Peguero
• Here's Dominic Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Chris Aloisi, Danny Califf, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Mark Chung, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis - Dwayne De Rosario - Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos
HISTORY
• A year ago, each team won once on their home ground, with the final two meetings in the season series a pair of draws.
• The Rapids won by the only goal at Invesco Field on April 24 (Henderson 26), then the Earthquakes returned the favor with a 3-1 victory at home on July 17 (Ching 22, 50; Donovan 55 - Trembly 83).
• The teams then played to scoreless draw in San Jose on Aug. 28, before reaching a 1-1 draw on Oct. 2 in Denver (Peguero 14 - De Rosario 82).
• After nine-plus seasons and 37 meetings, the teams have played to an almost dead-even record, only the Quakes victory in the last matchup providing an edge. They now have one more win, and have scored two more goals, in the all-time series.
• Coaches record: Dominic Kinnear vs. COL: P5 W2 L1 D2 ... Fernando Clavijo v SJ: P8 W3 L4 T1
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes gave the Los Angeles Galaxy and Landon Donovan a torrid reception in his return to Silicon Valley and tightened up the race in the Western Conference with a 3-0 victory Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Quakes are in third place in the West with 21 points from 14 games, just three behind the second-place Galaxy, and 12 behind pace-setters FC Dallas.
• It was the first game back in San Jose for Donovan since his move to the Galaxy just before the start of the season, and throughout the match the Earthquakes fans showed their displeasure in a raucous atmosphere.
• Much to the delight of their delirious supporters, the Quakes took the lead on 37 minutes after Ronald Cerritos drove a low ball into the goalmouth that Alejandro Moreno slid in to poke past Galaxy 'keeper Kevin Hartman.
• Ten minutes into the second half Earthquakes 'keeper Pat Onstad did his part in a remarkable sequence that left nearly everyone wondering how the ball didn't go in the goal. A wild scramble ensued after a corner kick that saw Onstad three times deny Jovan Kirovski from point-blank range, with another hitting a defender on the line before Onstad was able to punch clear.
• That set the stage for a bizarre three minutes that sealed the match, first defender Michael Umana touching the ball past Hartman as he took it off the feet of Moreno running at goal (65), then center back Tyrone Marshall heading over his goalkeeper on a clearing attempt as Hartman came off his line to deal with a looping ball. The loss kept the Galaxy winless away from Carson since last July.
• Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear made no changes to the team that thrashed Real Salt Lake 3-0 at home the previous weekend. Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Kelly Gray, Danny Califf, Eddie Robinson (Ryan Cochrane 86), Wade Barrett - Mark Chung, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Ian Russell 79) - Dwayne De Rosario - Ronald Cerritos (Brian Ching 66), Alejandro Moreno.
• "I think that we deserved the victory tonight. We felt like we were in control the whole game even though it was a battle throughout. Los Angeles made it tough on us, but we were very strong up the middle and it was a great team performance," Kinnear said. "... Eddie (Robinson), Danny (Califf), Ricardo (Clark) and Dwayne (De Rosario) were great tonight. We did not give them much up the middle and I thought we created a number of chances through the midfield. Those guys also won a lot of second balls which I thought was key tonight."
TEAM NEWS
• After most matches, the talk in the locker room centers on "the goals." But following Saturday's match, the talk focused on "the scramble" - the wild sequence in the 55th minute.
• "It reminded my of the times I was playing street hockey with my friends," said Onstad. "The guys made some great blocks in front of me and it would have been pretty disappointing to be 1-1 at that point the way we had played." Said defender Kelly Gray: "I think every guy on our team touched the ball in that sequence. That's just a great team effort getting that ball out of there."
• In all, Donovan had a quiet night in his return to San Jose - as much because of the Earthquakes defending. He had some dangerous moments early on, but was otherwise held in check. Donovan had moved from wing to wing throughout the match, but no matter where he went, he found life difficult.
• "I thought we did an excellent job today. We limited their opportunities, obviously we kept a close eye on Landon. I thought we limited his touches, which you need to do, because he is the best player in the league, the best player in the U.S.," said Onstad. "We played a great game all over the field. I felt that all 11 players contributed tonight."
• It was a second victory in a key three-game homestand for the Earthquakes against Western Conference opposition, the third coming Wednesday against the Rapids. "The team has played great the last two games. The game against Real Salt Lake last week really gave us some confidence coming into tonight and we had another strong performance. Having the defense play so well gives everyone confidence as well," Cerritos said.
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their two-game winning streak on their return home, a pair of late goals giving FC Dallas a 3-1 victory on Saturday night in Denver. The Rapids remain in fourth place in the Western Conference with 14 points from 15 matches, seven behind third-place San Jose Earthquakes and just two ahead of Real Salt Lake, now 19 points out of first place.
• FC Dallas extended their lead atop the West thanks to a pair of late goals that snapped a two-game winning streak for Colorado, and had given the Rapids belief their season was turning around.
• Hard work gave FC Dallas a lead on 13 minutes, rookie Aaron Pitchkolan scoring his second goal of the season as he harried a Rapids defender dealing with a bouncing ball and popped the ball over on-rushing Rapids 'keeper Joe Cannon from just inside the area (13).
• But the Rapids pulled level on the half-hour, Luchi Gonzalez racing in to provide the final touch after a Jeff Cunningham shot off a fine tic-tac-toe sequence hit the insides of both posts before settling right on the line.
• Yet FCD claimed the full three points with a late double. First a Ronnie O'Brien cross from the left picked out Bobby Rhine all alone at the back post, and he made no mistake finishing off from close range (85), then rookie Abe Thompson collected a deflected clearance and raced into the box alone before coolly shooting past Cannon for his third goal and second in as many games (88).
• Rapids head coach Fernando Clavijo made just one change to the team that knocked off Chivas USA 3-1 the previous weekend in Carson. Pablo Mastroeni returned from suspension to come into central midfield, replacing Leo Cullen.
• Here's Clavijo's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Ricky Lewis, Nat Borchers, Mike Petke, Eric Denton (Wolde Harris 86) - Alain Nkong, Kyle Beckerman, Pablo Mastroeni (Leo Cullen 69), Luchi Gonzalez - Jean Philippe Peguero, Jeff Cunningham
• "We were three seconds late to every single tackle. We did not possess (the ball), we did not pass. We had an opportunity, and like every time we have an opportunity to take things ahead, we do not do it," Clavijo said. "It is disappointing, very disappointing. We had way too many chances and too many opportunities."
TEAM NEWS
• There had recently been signs of progress for Colorado, with two wins in two games last week that had propelled them back into playoff contention. But the 3-1 loss put a halt to that forward momentum. "The two wins were incredible for us, but it was a total team effort and tonight we lacked that team effort," said Clavijo. "We looked like an average team."
• Although the Rapids did generate several scoring chances, outshooting Dallas 14-8, most of those opportunities were generated via long passes out of the back that bypassed the midfield. "I'd like to see more possession," said Clavijo. "We tried to play through the midfield, but the midfield today was inconsistent and when you lose possession through the midfield you bypass it."
• Said defender Nat Borchers: "We would like to have more possession, because we get really tired after those first 20 minutes when they have the ball and knock it around us. I do not want us to be the type of team that has to send long balls over the top every time just in order to win games and not possess the ball because we have great players."
• On Friday, the Rapids finally completed the signing of Haitian-born forward Fabrice Nöel. The 19-year-old scored some 130 for Palm Beach Lakes High School in Florida; he also played for Racing Club Haitien in his native country. He is a Haitian international at youth level, and is seeking asylum in the USA.
• The Rapids waived rookie striker Eugene Sepuya on Tuesday.
