The Earthquakes enter the final game of the 2005 regular season in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 15 on a 13-game unbeaten streak and already having clinched the Supporter's Shield trophy for owning the best regular season record in Major League Soccer. The Quakes-Galaxy rivalry continues at 7:00 p.m. PT at The Home Depot Center. The game will be broadcast live on Telemundo-48 and 1590 AM KLIV. This is the fourth and final meeting of the regular season for the Quakes and Galaxy, with the Earthquakes holding a 2-1 record in the season series.
Injury Report/Suspensions
Out: Troy Dayak (L - ACL tear); Craig Waibel (R - LCL/ACL tear)
Questionable: Wade Barrett (L - hamstring strain)
Probable: Brad Davis (L - groin strain); Ronald Cerritos (L - ankle sprain)
Last Match
Earthquakes 2, Real Salt Lake 2; Saturday, October 8, 2005; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes became the first team in MLS history to finish the regular season with an unbeaten home record when they tied Real Salt Lake 2-2. On a night where retiring Quakes legend Troy Dayak was honored in a post game ceremony, the Earthquakes clinched the Supporter's Shield, securing the best record in the 2005 regular season with first half goals from top MLS MVP candidate Dwayne De Rosario and Julian Nash before RSL rallied for two late goals to tie the game. The Earthquakes took a 1-0 lead on another unbelievable effort from MVP candidate De Rosario in the 38th minute. De Rosario received a low, tight pass in midfield from Ronald Cerritos, and then with his left leg touched it forward past the Real Salt Lake defense. De Rosario ran onto the ball and dribbled into the right of the RSL penalty area before attempting to slide a pass over to Brian Mullan. With Real goalkeeper Jay Nolly out of the goal, a hustling Brian Dunseth attempted to block De Rosario's pass, but the ball bounced right back into the path of the Quakes midfielder, who then slid to his left and powered a shot into the open net. Just six minutes later, San Jose pushed its lead to 2-0 on Julian Nash's first MLS goal. Nash capped off a nice Quakes attack, as De Rosario hit Cerritos with a pass, and he then sent it forward to Nash. Nash dribbled with the ball to the top of the 18-yard box, beating his man before firing a low shot to the opposite post that beat Nolly for the two-goal advantage. Real Salt Lake cut the Quakes lead in half in the 64th minute when a confused Quakes defense allowed a cross from Kevin Novak to get into the goal. Novak lofted a cross from the right side that bounced in front of the San Jose net and two Quakes defenders. The Quakes were slow to react, and a diving Pat Onstad was not able to knock the ball off the goal line as Salt Lake closed the gap to 2-1. RSL stormed back to tie the game at 2-2 in the 73rd minute on a blistering counterattack, as Leslie Fitzpatrick hit a low pass up the right sideline to Jamie Watson. Watson moved with the ball into the Quakes penalty area, beating his defender before sending a cross to the left post where an open, on-rushing Andy Williams volleyed the ball hard past Onstad to even the game.
Last Match vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
Earthquakes 2, Galaxy 1; Saturday, August 27, 2005; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, CA
The San Jose Earthquakes used a late Danny Califf goal to defeat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 in the latest chapter of the best rivalry in Major League Soccer in front of 24,112 fans at Spartan Stadium. On a night that saw the Earthquakes induct legendary defender John Doyle as the inaugural member of the club's Hall Of Fame and Landon Donovan return to Spartan Stadium for the second time, Califf's goal in the 75th minute allowed San Jose to stretch its unbeaten streak to six MLS games and stretch its lead in the Western Conference to eight points over second place FC Dallas. The Quakes took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute on an Alejandro Moreno header. After Chinchilla brought down the Quakes Ricardo Clark deep in the right corner of the Galaxy end of the field, Mark Chung cracked a free kick that was heading toward the middle of the goal. Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman jumped to get the ball, but Moreno got to it first, redirecting it into the far corner of the net. The lead would not last long, however, as Donovan, in his second visit to Spartan Stadium since leaving the Earthquakes at the end of last season, rocketed in a goal to tie the match at 1-1 in the 37th minute. Donovan received a pass from Herculez Gomez on the left side of the field, and ran onto the ball at the top of the Quakes area before unleashing a high shot to the upper corner to even the game. In a moving halftime ceremony, Doyle became the inaugural member of the Earthquakes Hall of Fame, as his name and jersey were unveiled in the south side of the stadium and will be on display during all San Jose matches. Quakes defender Troy Dayak presented Doyle with several gifts commemorating his exceptional service to the club from 1996-2000. In the 75th minute Quakes defender Danny Califf made sure his first goal for San Jose was an important one that would give the Earthquakes a 2-1 lead. The former Galaxy player connected on a near-post run with a Ronald Cerritos corner kick from the left side, heading the ball past Hartman for a 2-1 advantage.
Misc. Notes
Quakes Host Western Conference Semifinal On October 29
The San Jose Earthquakes will host Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. PT at Spartan Stadium. With one game remaining in the MLS regular season, the Earthquakes have clinched first place in the Western Conference and will either face the Colorado Rapids or Los Angeles Galaxy in the MLS Cup Playoffs in a home-and-home aggregate goal Western Conference Semifinal series. Broadcast information for this match will be announced at a later date. Game One of the series will be either Saturday, October 22 or Sunday, October 23. Season ticket holders should use their "Playoff Game A" ticket for this match. Ticket prices for the playoffs remain the same as regular season prices - $13, $16, $30 and $45. Tickets will be available by visiting the Earthquakes Ticket Office at 100 North Almaden Ave., by logging onto www.sjearthquakes.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 408-998-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, 925-685-TIXS or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet, including Tower Records, Rite Aid and Ritmo Latino. Discounted tickets for groups of 15 or more are available by calling 408-985-GOAL.
Earthquakes Secure Supporter's Shield
For the first time in club history, the Earthquakes clinched the Supporter's Shield, finishing the regular season as the MLS team with the most points. San Jose finished second overall in MLS in 2002 and 2003.
Making History
The Earthquakes made MLS history on Saturday, tying Real Salt Lake 2-2 and becoming the first team in the ten-year history of the league to go unbeaten at home throughout the regular season. The Quakes finished the 2005 regular season with a 9-0-7 record at Spartan Stadium.
Record Home Unbeaten Streak
The Quakes currently have an 18-game unbeaten streak at Spartan Stadium, as they have not lost since Sept. 8, 2004 in their home stadium. The streak is now the longest home-unbeaten streak in team and league history. The club had two 15-game unbeaten streaks at Spartan (8/21/99 - 7/4/00 and 8/25/01 - 9/7/02). San Jose set the MLS record for most consecutive games at home without a loss, breaking the Galaxy's record of 17. The Galaxy's record was set from 7/4/04 - 7/16/05. The Quakes have posted a 9-0-9 record at Spartan during the streak.
All-Time Points Record
The Quakes became the second team in MLS history to reach 60 points in a season with their win over the Revolution on October 1. Following their tie with Salt Lake on October 8, the team now has 61 points with a 17-4-10 record. The Los Angeles Galaxy had 68 points in 1998 and no other team has ever reached 60 points. Dominic Kinnear's squad has broken the club record of 51, set in 2003, when the team finished first in the Western Conference with a 14-7-9 record.
Quakes Make Team History With Unbeaten Run
The Earthquakes unbeaten run reached 13 games with their 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake, tying the club record for the longest unbeaten streak. The Quakes last lost on July 15 against D.C. United. The team's previous record was a 12-game unbeaten streak was set from April 28, 2001 - July 4, 2001 when they posted a 7-0-5 record. This season, the Quakes are 10-0-3 in their last 13 games and 14-1-6 in their past 21 games. The all-time MLS record undefeated streak is 19 games, set by the Columbus Crew from 6/26/04 - 4/2/05, and the Crew posted a 9-0-10 record for 37 points during that streak. The Quakes have already posted 10 wins during their streak and 33 points.
Onstad Running Away With Goalkeeper Of The Year Award
Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad earned his 12th shutout of 2005 and his 27th career shutout on October 1 against the Revolution. He is now the Earthquakes all-time leader in shutouts, surpassing Joe Cannon's 26 San Jose shutouts. Onstad continues to be the top contender for the league's Goalkeeper of the Year. Onstad is enjoying one of the best seasons by a goalkeeper in MLS history, leading the league in shutouts (12), goals against average (0.97), wins (17) and saves percentage (77.4). Onstad's twelve shutouts are the second most ever recorded in a single MLS season.
De Ro Continues To Make MVP Statement
Quakes MVP candidate Dwayne De Rosario scored his eighth goal of the season on Saturday against Real Salt Lake. It was the second straight game De Rosario had scored a goal, marking only the third time in his career he has scored in back-to-back games. De Rosario also registered an assist on the Quakes second goal against Salt Lake to add on to his league-leading assist total of 13. The Canadian international is now just one assist shy of the team's all-time season record. Eddie Lewis holds the record of 14, which he set in 1999. De Rosario's eight goals are a career high, as he has never scored more than five goals in a season. He has scored four game-winning goals and notched five game-winning assists in 2005.
Welcome Back
The Earthquakes will welcome back this week six players who were with their respective national teams or suspended last week. Eddie Robinson returns to the club from his red card suspension, while Wade Barrett, Ricardo Clark, Danny Califf and Brian Ching will be back with the team after being with the United States National Team in World Cup Qualifying. Ching started and played 90 minutes for the U.S. in a 3-0 loss in Costa Rica on October 8. Clark, Califf and Ching will re-join the Quakes following the United States final World Cup Qualifier against Panama on October 12. Alejandro Moreno will be back with the Quakes on Saturday after coming in as a second half substitute and playing 16 minutes for the Venezuelan National Team in a 1-0 loss to Paraguay. Moreno will travel to Brazil with Venezuela for Wednesday's World Cup Qualifying match. Barrett suffered a left hamstring strain while with the United States team and he has returned to San Jose for treatment. He is listed as questionable for Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Ching On A Roll
Earthquakes forward Brian Ching missed a total of 14 games with right hamstring injury before returning to the field September 3 in Dallas. Since then, Ching has proved that he is ready to contribute, recording an assist on September 21 and scoring the game-tying goal September 24 before scoring the game-winning goal October 1. Ching has now scored a goal or registered an assist in the past five MLS games he has played in.
Kinnear's Winning Percentage
Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear's career winning percentage is .598 following the Quakes 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake. Kinnear is now second all-time in MLS in winning percentage, trailing only Bruce Arena, who has a .635 percentage.
Dominating On The Road
Fewest Losses
The Quakes currently have only four losses through their first 31 games with one game remaining. If the Quakes finish the regular season with only four losses, they would break the MLS record for fewest losses in a season. The record of five is held by the 2001 Miami Fusion and the 2004 Columbus Crew. However, the Fusion played only 26 games in 2001 and the Crew played 30 games in 2004.
Goal Difference
The Quakes have scored 50 goals in 2005 and allowed only 30 through the first 31 games. The team has a plus-20 goal difference with only one game remaining. The team record for goal difference in a season is 18, set in 2001 when the team scored 47 goals and allowed 29.
Tough D
Despite giving up two goals on Saturday against Real Salt Lake, the Quakes continue to lead MLS with the fewest goals allowed (30). The Earthquakes also have the best goals against average (0.97). The Earthquakes 12 shutouts in 2005 are a new team record. The Earthquakes 30 goals allowed are just one more than the MLS single-season record of 29 that was set in 1999 by the Los Angeles Galaxy, and was equaled in 2000 by the Kansas City Wizards and in 2001 by the Earthquakes.
A First For Nash
Earthquakes forward Julian Nash, making his first career MLS start, scored his first MLS goal in the 44th minute Saturday against Real Salt Lake when he fired in a low shot from the top of the Salt Lake penalty area. Nash, who has appeared in nine games this season, registered his first career assist June 29.
Brad Gets Back
Earthquakes midfielder Brad Davis, the team's only all-star in 2005, entered the game Saturday in the 57th minute, marking his first MLS action since August 20. Davis missed seven games with left groin strain, and last started a game on August 13.
Whirlwind Week For Levesque
Earthquakes forward Roger Levesque returned to the club last week after earning his first professional championship with the USL First Division Seattle Sounders on October 1. Levesque re-joined the Quakes on October 6, and two days later appeared in his first MLS game since October 25, 2003. Levesque came in as a second half substitute and played the final 12 minutes of the Quakes 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake on October 8.
Firsts Keep Coming For Goldthwaite
A week after making his first MLS appearance and recording his first MLS assist, Earthquakes defender Kevin Goldthwaite made his first career MLS start on October 8. Goldthwaite started on the left side of the defense for the Quakes and played 90 minutes.
Dominating the West
The Quakes have had good success against conference opponents this season as they have posted a 10-1-8 record against Western Conference foes, including wins in five of their last seven games against the West. They have one game remaining against a Western Conference foe, October 15 vs. the Los Angeles Galaxy. Their only loss against the West came on May 21 against Los Angeles (2-1). The Quakes finished the year with a 7-3-2 record against the Eastern Conference.
Vote For The San Jose Earthquakes All-Time Best XI At sjearthquakes.com
In celebration of the 10th season of the team, San Jose Earthquakes fans have the opportunity to select the club's all-time Best XI team. Fans can log onto www.sjearthquakes.com to vote for the best all-time team in Earthquakes/Clash history. Players who had appeared in 25 MLS games by July 15, 2005 are eligible for selection in a 4-4-2 formation. Fifty-three players are available to choose from, including four goalkeepers, 15 defenders, 23 midfielders and 11 forwards. All the players' career stats are available at sjearthquakes.com simply by clicking the players' name. Voting concludes on Oct. 15. San Jose has been the home to some of the top players in Major League Soccer and this team will feature some of the most legendary players to have ever donned a San Jose jersey. Joe Cannon currently leads the goalkeeper voting, while Jeff Agoos leads the defenders and Landon Donovan leads the forwards. Richard Mulrooney leads in midfield and in overall voting, garnering 80 percent of the votes.
Tight Games
This season, San Jose has now had 24 of their 31 games either decided by one goal or finish in a tie. Also, 19 of the 31 games that the Quakes have played in 2005 have entered the halftime break with the teams tied.
One-Goal Games
In 2004, San Jose had the worst record in MLS in one-goal games, posting a 2-9 record. The team has turned that around in 2005, as they are now 11-3 in one-goal games.
Pitching In
Through 31 games, the Quakes have scored 50 goals and the goals are coming from the entire team. Fourteen different players have scored a goal for San Jose.
League Leaders
Fouls, Fouls Suffered
After 31 games in 2005, San Jose leads MLS in fouls suffered (577), and is third in fouls committed (508). However, the Quakes have only received 50 cautions in 2005, ranking ninth in MLS.
Quakes In October
All-time in the month of October, the Earthquakes are 2-3-6 in MLS regular season games and 7-7-6 overall in the month.
Unbeaten Vs. Expansion Teams
The Earthquakes finished unbeaten in 2005 against expansion teams, posting a 4-0-4 record in eight games against Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake.
Earthquakes - Galaxy Connections
Chris Aloisi played in four matches for the Galaxy in 2004...Alejandro Moreno played with the Galaxy from 2002-2004, scoring 12 goals and notching six assists in three seasons...Earthquakes forward Brian Ching, midfielder Brian Mullan, and defender Craig Waibel were teammates on the Galaxy in 2001, and Waibel and Mullan also played together in L.A. in 2002...Danny Califf played for the Galaxy for five seasons (2000-2004), scoring five goals and registering four assists...Former Quakes Steve Cronin (2004), Landon Donovan (2001-2004), and Todd Dunivant (2003-2004) joined the Galaxy for the 2005 season...Dunivant played at Stanford with Quakes goalkeeper Robbie Fulton and Quakes defender/midfielder James Twellman...Quakes defender Ryan Cochrane played at Santa Clara University with Cronin, who is from Sacramento, Califf...Galaxy defender Troy Roberts is from Fremont, CA.
History vs. Galaxy
The Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy in a dramatic 5-2 overtime victory in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals at Spartan Stadium that saw San Jose recover from a 4-0 aggregate goal deficit to win what has been called the "greatest MLS game ever played"...The Quakes and Galaxy have met a total of 46 times, the most of any other MLS opponent, including MLS regular season games, playoff games and U.S. Open Cup matches. The Galaxy owns a 27-14-5 record overall in the series...Ronald Cerritos scored his first career goal in his MLS debut against Los Angeles on April 12, 1997...Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Conway made his MLS debut against the Galaxy on May 17, 2000 and earned a shutout after making seven saves...Dwayne De Rosario made his MLS debut against Los Angeles on April 7, 2001 and scored his first MLS goal on the same day in a 3-2 win...Cerritos racked up his 100th point on September 1, 1999 with an assist against the Galaxy...Pat Onstad notched his first MLS shutout on April 26, 2003 vs. Los Angeles...Mark Chung made his first appearance as an Earthquake against the Galaxy on May 21, 2005 and registered an assist in his Quakes debut...Danny Califf scored his first goal as a member of the Earthquakes against the Galaxy on August 27 at Spartan Stadium.
Los Angeles Leaders vs. Quakes
Cobi Jones is the Galaxy's current leading scorer vs. the Earthquakes with two goals and 11 assists in 32 career games...Landon Donovan scored a goal against San Jose on August 27, 2005...Peter Vagenas scored a goal and registered an assist against the Quakes on May 21, 2005...Joseph Ngwenya has scored one goal and notched one assist in three career games vs. San Jose, while Chris Albright has three career assists against the Quakes.
Top Quakes Performers vs. Galaxy
Ronald Cerritos has scored seven goals and notched eight assists against the Galaxy in 27 career MLS games. He also scored five of those goals and recorded six assists in 18 games vs. the Galaxy while with San Jose...Dwayne De Rosario has scored three goals and notched four assists against the Galaxy in 11 career games...Brian Ching has scored two goals and recorded one assist for the Quakes against Los Angeles...Brad Davis has scored three goals and notched one assist in his career against Los Angeles.
Quakes Set Unbeaten Streak Record At Home
The Earthquakes set an MLS record with their August 7, 2004 win against D.C. United, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 46 games when scoring first. That streak now stands at 57 games after San Jose's 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake on October 8, 2005. The streak started on April 3, 1999.
Quakes Above .500
The Earthquakes have now gotten their all-time MLS record above the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 133-125-47 for 446 points. They now have the third-best regular season record in MLS history.
Halftime Success
Despite relinquishing a halftime lead on October 8, 2005 against Real Salt Lake in a game that ended 2-2, the Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding on to a half-time lead. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are 47-0-8 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 6-0-3 in 2005.
Making The First One Count
The Quakes scored first and tied 2-2 with Real Salt Lake on Oct. 8 at Spartan Stadium to continue their incredible run over the past 72 games when scoring first. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 60-3-9 record in their last 72 matches when they score the first goal of the game. In 2005, San Jose remains undefeated at 13-0-5 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.
