This Week's Match-Up
The Earthquakes stretched their unbeaten streak to four games with a 0-0 tie last Saturday against FC Dallas. The team now plays in-state rival the Los Angeles Galaxy in the first of three straight road games. The game kicks off at The Home Depot Center at 7:00 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 21. The match will be broadcast on tape delay on Fox Sports Net at 8:00 p.m. PT (following the San Francisco Giants-Oakland A's game) and will be aired live on the radio on 1590 AM KLIV.
Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 9-20-5
Home: 6-8-3
Away: 3-12-2
Shootout: 1-4 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-5 (2000-03)
Playoffs: 3-3-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-3-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 51, Los Angeles - 67
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 5/16/05
Tuesday, May 17: Off
Wednesday, May 18: 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at West Valley College
Thursday, May 19: 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at West Valley College
Friday, May 20: Travel to Los Angeles
Saturday, May 21: 7:00 p.m. PT - Earthquakes vs. Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center, live on 1590 KLIV (English) and tape delay at 8:00 p.m. PT on Fox Sports Net.
Injury Report/Suspensions
Probable: Brad Davis (L - hip pointer)
Out: Brian Ching (R - hamstring strain); Troy Dayak (L - knee sprain); Craig Waibel (R - LCL tear); Brian Mullan (L - ankle sprain)
Last Match
FC Dallas 0, Earthquakes 0; Saturday, May 14, 2005; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, Calif.
Despite the loss of three starters due to injury, including leading scorer Brian Ching, the San Jose Earthquakes earned a 0-0 tie with FC Dallas at Spartan Stadium. Troy Dayak and Ching left the game in the first half, while Brian Mullan departed in the 63rd minute as the Quakes (2-1-4, 10 points) managed to record their second straight shutout. The Earthquakes, already playing without injured right back Craig Waibel, were dealt another blow to the defense in the 10th minute when Troy Dayak was forced to leave the game with a sprained left knee. Second-year defender Ryan Cochrane replaced him. On the ensuing free kick from the right following Dayak's injury, Ronnie O'Brien collected a loose ball at the left corner of the Quakes box and unleashed a hard volley that deflected off Ching's face and appeared headed into the left corner of the goal before San Jose goalkeeper Pat Onstad was able to knock the ball out of bounds. The Quakes had a fine opportunity in the 25th minute following a San Jose corner kick. Ricardo Clark gathered the ball on the right side and beat two defenders, moving into the center of the Dallas penalty area before sending his high shot just wide of the goal. FC Dallas responded with a hard and low Ronnie O'Brien free kick that went wide of the right post. FC Dallas suffered its own injury loss in the 35th minute when midfielder Richard Mulrooney left the game with an injury to his right knee. The injuries continued to mount in the 40th minute, as Earthquakes leading scorer Brian Ching departed with a right hamstring strain. In the 43rd minute, Davis sent a looping free kick from outside the 18-yard box on the right side of the field barely over the crossbar. The Quakes had their best opportunity of the first half to score in the 45th minute when Mullan lofted a cross to Alejandro Moreno in the center of the field. Moreno headed the ball forward to a streaking Ronald Cerritos, who was able to get behind the defense and dribble in alone toward the FC Dallas goal, but his low shot was saved by a fully extended, diving Garlick. The Quakes lost another starter to injury in the 63rd minute as Mullan was forced to leave the game with a left ankle injury. Just moments later, San Jose had one of its best chances to score when Davis whipped the ensuing free kick to a charging Moreno at the six yard box. Moreno jumped into the air and sent a hard header on goal that Garlick was able to punch over the crossbar. The Quakes continued to pressure FC Dallas, and forced another tough save from Garlick in the 70th minute when Moreno dribbled past his defender and sent in a cross from the left side. Ian Russell headed the ball toward the goal, only to see Garlick make the stop.
Last Match vs. Galaxy
Earthquakes 0, Los Angeles Galaxy 0; Saturday, September 25, 2004; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, CA
The San Jose Earthquakes moved into a tie for the final playoff spot in the 2004 Western Conference playoffs with a 0-0 tie against the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a sold-out Spartan Stadium crowd. Pat Onstad made four saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season. Ronnie Ekelund nearly put the Quakes on top in the 34th minute on an incredible free kick from almost 30 yards away. Jeff Agoos scooped the ball up on the restart, allowing Ekelund to volley a tremendous strike that appeared headed into the upper left corner of the Galaxy net until Kevin Hartman managed to leap and punch the ball of the cross bar and out of bounds. San Jose had another fine opportunity in the 43rd minute as Donovan controlled the ball in the middle of the field in transition. Donovan slipped a pass through the defense to a streaking Brian Mullan on the left, but his open shot went wide of the goal. In the 71st minute the Galaxy nearly scored when a pass deflected off an Earthquakes defender and into the open path of an on-rushing Ruiz. Ruiz's low, open shot went just wide of the far post. Despite some late pressure by the Quakes and four minutes of stoppage time in the second half, neither team could come up with the game-winner as the game ended in a 0-0 tie.
Reserve League
Earthquakes 3, FC Dallas 1; Sunday, May 15, 2005; Valley Christian High School; San Jose, CA
The San Jose Earthquakes reserves exploded for three second-half goals to earn a 3-1 victory over the FC Dallas reserves at Valley Christian High School in San Jose. Chris Wondolowski, Wes Hart and Julian Nash scored goals for San Jose, while Abe Thompson netted Dallas' lone goal. Dallas had a good opportunity in the 21st minute off a free kick by Chris Gbandi. Gbandi curled a left-footed cross into the box that was deflected in front of Jon Conway's net. Before a Dallas attacker could pick up the loose ball, Chris Aloisi cleared the ball out. Gbandi recovered the clearance, however, and blasted a shot that missed the near post. The Quakes earned a penalty kick with five minutes left in the half after a tackle by Gbandi on Hart in the box. James Twellman sent a cross to Hart in the box and Gbandi brought him down for a penalty. Nash took the penalty and hit it to the lower corner, but Cassar made a diving save. The rebound fell to Nash, but his follow-up shot hit the crossbar. Wondolowski then hit a third shot, but Cassar made the save again. Dallas jumped out to a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the second half. Ty Maurin picked up the ball on the left wing and sent a cross to the near post, where Abe Thompson got a leg on the ball and tipped it past Conway. San Jose responded two minutes later with a goal by Wondolowski on a penalty kick. Nash got into the box behind the defense and was hauled down by Alex Yi. Wondolowski then cracked a hard shot into the upper part of the goal to tie the score. Hart gave San Jose the lead with a blast from the edge of the penalty box 10 minutes into the second half. Noah Merl played a ball from the left wing to Hart in the middle and Hart ripped a shot past Chris Gomez for a 2-1 Quakes advantage. The Quakes moved out to a 3-1 lead after a strong build-up on the left wing. Merl played a ball to Russell, who tapped it back to Merl. Merl then played a one-time ball through the defense to Nash, who dribbled in on Gomez and slotted it to his right for his first goal.
Scoring Summary: FCD - Thompson (Maurin), 48; SJ - Wondolowski (penalty), 50; SJ - Hart (Merl), 55; SJ - Nash (Merl, Russell), 72.
Earthquakes Reserves - Jon Conway, Adam Frye, Danny Califf (Alexi Lalas, 54), Chris Aloisi, Noah Merl, Wes Hart, Tighe Dombrowski, Chris Wondolowski, James Twellman, Orlando Ramirez (Ian Russell, 65), Julian Nash.
FC Dallas Reserves - Jeff Cassar (Chris Gomez, 46), Phillip Sayler, Steve Jolley, Alex Yi, Chris Gbandi (Mario Torres, 55), Aaron Pitchkolan, Drew Moor (Alex Woods, 77), Ty Maurin, Arturo Alvarez (subbed out in 88), Abe Thompson, Roberto Mina.
Quakes assistant coach John Doyle, on reserve league game: "This was the first reserve league game where we started the game off right. The guys were focused right from the start and we had a good performance. We had a lot of chances in the first half, so it was frustrating to have them take the lead. I am glad that the guys responded with some nice goals after we went down. Overall, we felt good about today's game."
Misc. Notes
June 4 Qualifier Viewing Party
The San Jose Earthquakes will host a viewing party at Spartan Stadium for the United States National Team's World Cup qualifying match on Saturday, June 4 prior to the Earthquakes game that day against D.C. United, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT. The U.S. takes on Costa Rica at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 4:30 p.m. PT. Fans are invited to attend the Quakes viewing party in parking lot 4/5 on the East side of Spartan Stadium to watch the game on a giant television screen. Fans are encouraged to barbecue and tailgate in the viewing party area. The viewing party area opens at 3:00 p.m. PT.
Injury Report
The Earthquakes had three players leave Saturday's match with injuries - Troy Dayak, Brian Ching and Brian Mullan; Dayak with a left knee sprain, Ching a right hamstring strain and Mullan a left ankle sprain. Brian Mullan had an X-Ray examination on Monday on his ankle and the results were inconclusive. He is scheduled to undergo more diagnostic testing on his left ankle this week. Ching and Dayak are scheduled to undergo Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) exams late Monday to discover the extent of their injuries. All results will be released when available following the exams.
Quakes Stretch Unbeaten Streak
With their tie against FC Dallas on Saturday, the Quakes are currently on a four-game unbeaten run. The Earthquakes defeated the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 on April 23, tied Real Salt Lake 2-2 on April 30, and defeated the MetroStars by a 1-0 margin on May 7.
Onstad Back-to-Back Shutouts
After allowing at least two goals in every match for the first five games of the season, Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad has earned shutouts in his past two matches. He made five saves against the MetroStars on May 7 for his first shutout and then made six more against Dallas May 14. This is the fourth time in his MLS career that Onstad has had back-to-back shutouts. He has lowered his goals against average to 1.57 and is third in the league in saves with 29.
Davis Assist Streak Snapped
Midfielder Brad Davis has proven to be a dangerous asset for the Quakes in 2005, but he was held off the score sheet against Dallas, ending his assist streak at three games. In his three previous games, Davis had notched an assist against the Kansas City Wizards, Real Salt Lake, and the MetroStars. This season, the Quakes midfielder already has one goal and six assists after just seven games. The six assists mark a career-high for the former St. Louis University standout.
Road Tripping
The Quakes played their only home game in May last weekend against Dallas. The Quakes now face a stretch of three straight games on the road beginning with a game against the Los Angeles Galaxy this Saturday night. The Quakes then travel to Colorado and Kansas City for games on May 25 and May 28 respectively. Overall, the Quakes are in the middle of a stretch of five out of six games on the road.
League Leaders
-San Jose is tied for third in the league in scoring with 12 goals through seven games, four behind league-leader New England.
-The Quakes are also third in assists with 14.
-Brian Ching is tied for third with nine other players for goals scored with four.
-Brad Davis leads MLS with six assists.
Fouls Committed, Fouls Suffered
After six games in 2005, San Jose leads MLS in both fouls committed (144) and fouls suffered (133) by wide margins. In their season opener against New England on April 2, San Jose set the team record with 30 fouls committed. Individually, Danny O'Rourke is first in the league with 26 fouls committed, while Brian Ching is second with 25. Brian Mullan remains the most-fouled player in the league with 27 fouls suffered.
Quakes All-Time in May
San Jose possesses a 19-17-9 all-time record in the month of May.
Quakes in the Community
Who: San Jose Earthquakes Mascot, Q
Location: Only Love Children's Center, Sacramento
Date: Monday, May 16
Time: 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Details: Q led preschoolers through "Q's Safety School" at Only Love Children's Center.
Who: San Jose Earthquakes Mascot, Q
Location: Rainbow of Knowledge School, San Jose, CA
Date: Wednesday, May 18th
Time: 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Details: San Jose Earthquakes Mascot, Q, will be at the DPS competition being held at the Rainbow of Knowledge School on Wednesday, May 18th. For more information on how to set up a Dribble, Pass and Score event at your school, please contact Lindsay Thrasher at 408-288-2611.
Who: Orlando Ramirez, Julian Nash & San Jose Earthquakes Mascot, Q
Location: Boxer Stadium, San Francisco
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005
Time: 11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Details: Bay Area Scores Jamboree for 500 SCORES students.
Who: Player TBD
Location: Almaden Valley, Location TBD
Date: Saturday, May 21, 2005
Time: 11:00 am to Noon
Details: A San Jose Earthquakes Player will be at Almaden Valley's Youth Soccer Club signing autographs on Saturday, May 21st. Almaden Valley Youth Soccer Club is a member of the Earthquakes Student of the Game Program.
Who: San Jose Earthquakes Mascot, Q
Location: Stockton Ports Game, Stockton
Date: Saturday, May 21st
Time: 7:05 PM
Details: It's Mascot Night at the Stockton Ports game this Saturday, May 21st.
Who: Player TBD
Location: Sky Parks Complex, Scotts Valley
Date: Sunday, May 22nd
Time: Noon to 1:00 pm
Details: A San Jose Earthquakes Player will be at Scotts Valley Youth Soccer Club's Ice Cream Social this Sunday, May 22nd signing autographs. Scotts Valley Youth Soccer Club is a member of the Earthquakes Student of the Game Program.
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...Earthquakes President & General Manager Alexi Lalas played for the Galaxy from 2001-2003...Galaxy midfielder and long-time U.S. National Team veteran Cobi Jones has played on the National Team regularly with Lalas...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, Calif.
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 43 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 26-12-5 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 shutout on April 26, 2003 vs. Los Angeles...Wes Hart notched his first MLS assist on September 1, 2001 against the Galaxy.
Top Earthquakes Against Galaxy
Ronald Cerritos has scored six goals and notched seven assists against the Galaxy in 24 career MLS games. He also scored four goals and recorded six assists in 15 games vs. the Galaxy while with San Jose...Dwayne De Rosario has scored three goals and notched three assists against the Galaxy in nine 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.
Los Angeles Leaders vs. San Jose
Cobi Jones is the Galaxy's current leading scorer vs. the Earthquakes with two goals and 11 assists in 30 career games...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.
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 48 games after San Jose's tie with the New England Revolution on April 2, 2005. It started on April 3, 1999.
Quakes Closing In On .500
The Earthquakes are closing in on bringing their all-time regular season MLS record to the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 118-122-41.
Halftime Success
Despite relinquishing a halftime lead on April 2 against the New England Revolution 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 42-0-6 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003 and 7-0-1 in 2004.
Making The First One Count
The Quakes defeated the MetroStars 1-0 on May 9, continuing their great run over the past 57 games when scoring first. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 48-3-6 record in their last 57 matches when they score the first goal of the game. In 2004, San Jose is 1-0-2 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.
Individual Tickets Now on Sale
Individual tickets for 2005 San Jose Earthquakes games are now on sale. Individual ticket prices for the Earthquakes 2005 regular season are $45 (VIP), $30 (West Sideline), $16 (East Sideline and Corners) and $13 (Endzone). Tickets can be purchased 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.
