This Week's Match-Up
The Earthquakes returned to San Jose after going 1-1-0 on their week-long road trip, losing to the Chicago Fire 2-1 on August 11 but beating the second-place Kansas City Wizards on August 14. The Quakes now return to Spartan Stadium to take on their Western Conference rival the Dallas Burn on Saturday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m. PT as the club hosts the Earthquakes Thirty-Year Celebration Night. The Quakes will wear 1974 NASL "retro" jerseys as they take on the Burn following the Earthquakes NASL Legends game in which over 30 former NASL Earthquakes stars will appear. The first 7,500 fans in attendance will receive a 2004 Earthquakes team t-shirt courtesy of Orchard Supply Hardware. The Burn is the only MLS team to beat the Quakes on their home turf in 2004, with a 2-1 win on July 7. The match will be broadcast live on 1590 AM KLIV (English) and 1370 AM KZSF (Spanish).
Earthquakes All-Time Record vs. Dallas Burn
MLS Regular Season: 17-13-0
Home: 10-5-0
Away: 7-8-0
Shootout: 4-3 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-0 (2000-2003)
Playoffs: 0-0-0 U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 53, Dallas - 35
Injury Report/Suspensions
Out: Chris Ronér (R - ankle surgery); Jamil Walker (Lower back sprain); Steve Cronin (R - Hamstring strain)
Doubtful: Eddie Robinson (L - ruptured tendon of left hamstring)
Questionable: Jeff Agoos (Lower back sprain)
Last Match
Earthquakes 2, Wizards 0; Saturday, August 14, 2004; Arrowhead Stadium; Kansas City, Missouri
Landon Donovan scored two goals to lead the San Jose Earthquakes to a 2-0 victory over the second place Kansas City Wizards at Arrowhead Stadium. The Quakes controlled much of the action and were able to hold on for the team's third shutout of the season as Donovan scored in the 27th minute off an assist from Brian Mullan and in the 59th minute off a feed from Brian Ching to down the Wizards. The Quakes earned their third win of a tough two-week stretch that saw them play four games in 11 days, including three away from home and a U.S. Open Cup game on Aug. 4. The Earthquakes took a 1-0 lead with a Donovan goal off a quick re-start on the right side. Craig Waibel hit Mullan on the sideline, and Mullan then beat his defender before whipping a perfect cross to an open Donovan at the six-yard box. Donovan ran past his defender and headed the ball down and past Meola for the 1-0 lead. Donovan added his second goal and pushed the Quakes lead to 2-0 in the 59th minute. Donovan started the play when he won a ball in the middle of the field and worked a give and go with Ching. Ching hit a streaking Donovan with a pass, and Donovan dribbled into the Wizards penalty area, fending off a physical Wizards defender before placing a low shot past a sliding Meola.
Last Match vs. Dallas
Burn 2, Earthquakes 1; Wednesday, July 7, 2004; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes saw their seven-game unbeaten streak at home come to an end at Spartan Stadium, as the Dallas Burn used a Simo Valakari goal in the final minute to seal the 2-1 win. The Burn held on for the victory in stoppage time, as Jeff Cassar stopped a Landon Donovan penalty kick that would have tied the match. Dallas defeated the Quakes for the first time since July 13, 2002, a span of seven straight games. The Burn took an early 1-0 lead in the sixth minute on a goal by Eric Quill. Burn forward Toni Nhleko stole a San Jose pass on the right side of the field, and dribbled into the middle before hitting an open Quill running up into the San Jose penalty area. Quill settled the ball and moved past a sliding Wes Hart before firing the ball past Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad. The Quakes stormed back to tie the match at 1-1 just four minutes later with a Ramiro Corrales goal in the ninth minute. Richard Mulrooney sent in a San Jose corner kick from the left side that found Corrales six yards out at the right post. Corrales headed the ball past a turning Cassar to even the game. With the Quakes desperately trying to take the lead, the Burn caught San Jose in transition, and Valakari provided the go-ahead goal in the 89th minute. Quill passed the ball to Valakari at the top of the 18-yard box, and he maneuvered around Ronnie Ekelund and referee Hector Tobon before floating a shot that sailed past an apparently screened Onstad to give Dallas the 2-1 lead. The Earthquakes had one last chance to tie the game in the final minutes. As De Rosario attempted to reach a Mulrooney corner kick in stoppage time, Milton Reyes knocked him hard in the air. The referee awarded San Jose the penalty kick, and Donovan stepped up to take it. Donovan drove a hard shot towards the left corner, but a diving Cassar was able to block the ball just seconds before the referee blew the whistle to end the game.
Misc. Notes
In August
The Earthquakes continue to look for a career winning record in August during MLS regular season play. The Quakes have a .500 record in the month at 20-20-3 all-time.
Quakes Partake In World Cup Qualifying
Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop has named Earthquakes forward Dwayne De Rosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad to the 18-man roster for the Canadian National Team's World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday, Aug. 18 against Guatemala. The Quakes duo traveled to Vancouver on August 15 to train with the national team before playing in Burnaby, British Columbia on Wednesday. Following the international game, De Rosario and Onstad will return to San Jose and be available for the Earthquakes' match against the Dallas Burn on Saturday, August 21.
Dangerous Duo
Earthquake forwards Brian Ching and Landon Donovan have been an unbeatable pair up top for the Quakes in 2004. The Quakes are undefeated in the six games the two have started together as forwards, posting a 3-0-3 record. In five of those six games, Ching and Donovan have both registered at least one point. The duo has combined for a total of 29 points in their six games up top together this year, Donovan with six goals and five assists and Ching with five goals and three assists. All six of Donovan's goals in 2004 have come with Ching as his partner. When both Ching and Donovan missed the July 10 match vs. the MetroStars to train with the U.S. National Team, the Quakes lost by two goals, their largest goal deficit this year.
Donovan Dominates In August
In his four-year MLS career, Landon Donovan has dominated in the month of August. In 16 career games in the month, he has scored 11 goals and notched five assists for 27 points, making August his highest scoring month. Despite being suspended for the August 7 game vs. D.C. United and not starting on August 11 against the Chicago Fire, Donovan has scored two goals for four points in his 135 minutes of play in the month this year.
Dallas Domination
The Earthquakes have recently dominated the season series against the Dallas Burn. Though the Quakes broke their seven-game winning streak against Dallas with a 2-1 loss on July 7, the San Jose team has won nine of the last eleven matches between the teams. In those eleven games, the Quakes have out-scored Dallas 28-9. San Jose has the upper-edge over the Burn with a 17-13-0 all-time record vs. Dallas.
Donovan Does It Against Dallas
Landon Donovan has been a major factor in the Earthquakes current success against the Dallas Burn. The Quakes midfielder/forward has registered seven goals and three assists in his last six games vs. the Burn. Before the Quakes' July 7 loss to Dallas, Donovan had scored at least one goal in each of the previous five games against the Burn. Donovan has broken down the Dallas defense more than any other MLS team, notching 19 career points against the Burn.
Earthquakes - Burn Connections
Burn President & General Manager Greg Elliott served as the executive in charge of the Earthquakes for Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment during the 2001 season...Dallas head coach Colin Clarke coached San Jose forward Dwayne De Rosario on the A-League's Richmond Kickers in 1999...Burn midfielder Eric Quill played with San Jose head coach Dominic Kinnear on the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1999...Earthquakes defender Jeff Agoos grew up in the Dallas area...Quakes midfielder Arturo Alvarez is from Houston, Tex.
History vs. Burn
Ramiro Corrales notched a goal and an assist against the Burn on August 21, 2002 and earned MLS Player of the Week honors for the only time in his career for the performance...Corrales also scored his first career MLS point against Dallas, registering an assist on June 8, 1996 in Dallas... Earthquakes defender Eddie Robinson recorded his first MLS assist against Dallas on July 20, 2002...Earthquakes midfielder Ian Russell recorded his first MLS assist against Dallas on April 22, 2000...Earthquakes forward Arturo Alvarez scored his first career MLS goal in his first career start against Dallas on June 14, 2003...Dwayne De Rosario recorded his first MLS hat-trick against the Burn on Sept. 27, 2003 and also scored the fastest goal in MLS history in the first 11 seconds of that match...Quakes rookie defender Ryan Cochrane made his MLS debut against Dallas on May 15, 2004 at the Cotton Bowl.
Earthquakes Leaders vs. Dallas
Landon Donovan is the Quakes current leader vs. the Burn with eight goals and three assists in ten career games. Dwayne De Rosario is second with 15 career points vs. Dallas with seven goals and one assist in seven games. Brian Mullan and Ramiro Corrales each have 10 points against the Burn.
Burn Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Jason Kreis is the Dallas Burn's all-time scoring leader against San Jose with six goals, four assists, and 68 career shots in 26 games. Bobby Rhine has seven points on three goals and one assist in 13 career games vs. San Jose, while Eric Quill has six points in 13 games with two goals and two assists.
Quakes Set Unbeaten Streak Record At Home
The Earthquakes set an MLS record with their August 7 win against D.C. United, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 46 games when scoring first.
Unstoppable Onstad
With the Quakes 2-0 win over Kansas City on August 14, goalkeeper Pat Onstad earned his third shutout of 2004. Onstad has received two shutouts in his last three games, not allowing D.C. United or the Kansas City Wizards to score. The Canadian international keeper has never lost to the Wizards and now boasts a 3-0-3 record against Kansas City, including three shutouts and a 0.48 goals against average, Onstad's personal best GAA. Of his 12 career shutouts, five have occurred in August. In eight career games in August, he has allowed a personal-low five goals for a 0.62 GAA, including a 5-2-1 all-time record in the month.
Quakes Magical Against Wizards
With San Jose's 2-0 win over Kansas City on August 14, the Earthquakes now have a six-game unbeaten streak against the Wizards. The Quakes have posted a 3-0-3 record against the Wizards since the beginning of the 2003 season and have not lost to Kansas City since July 27, 2002 in a 2-1 loss at Arrowhead Stadium. The Quakes have not lost at Spartan Stadium to Kansas City since August 16, 2000 when the Wizards shut out San Jose 3-0.
Mullan Stellar At Home
Earthquakes midfielder Brian Mullan scored a goal and notched an assist for a total of three points against D.C. United on August 7. The match marked just the third time that Mullan has scored at least three points in a single match in his MLS career. As a member of the San Jose Earthquakes over the past two seasons, Mullan has netted nine goals, eight of which have been scored at Spartan Stadium.
Slim Losses
In all but one of their seven losses this year, the Earthquakes have only lost by one goal differential. The only game decided by more than one goal was on July 10 against the MetroStars in a 2-0 loss. However, forwards Landon Donovan and Brian Ching, the league goal-scoring leader, missed the game while traveling with the U.S. National Team.
Ching on Top of League Scoring Charts
Quakes forward Brian Ching is currently second in the league in points with 10 goals and four assists on the year for 24 points. He sits behind only Amado Guevara of the MetroStars with 28 points. Ching is also tied for first in the league in goals with Guevara and Carlos Ruiz of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Ching, however, has scored all of his goals in the run of play, while Ruiz has netted two penalties and Guevara six penalties, among their 10 goals.
Quakes Atop Assist Leader Board
Quakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney remains in a tie with two other players atop the MLS assist leader board with eight assists in 18 games played. Landon Donovan is currently tied for fourth in assists (7) with two other players. Mulrooney's career high in assists is nine (2000, 2001), while Donovan recorded a personal best 10 assists in 2001.
In the Community
WHEN: Monday, August 16 - 7:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Lou's Village - San Jose
WHO: Richard Mulrooney
DETAILS: Mulrooney will be addressing the youth soccer coaches at a PAL Coaches' Meeting
WHEN: Wednesday. August 18 - 10:00-11:00 a.m.
WHERE:
WHO: Craig Waibel
DETAILS: Waibel will be visiting kids at Soccer Club of Los Gatos' soccer camp. He will be talking to the kids about soccer and signing autographs.
WHEN: Friday, August 20 - 6:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Pleasanton
WHO: Troy Dayak
DETAILS: Dayak will be addressing the youth soccer coaches at a Ballistic United Coaches Meeting.
WHEN: Sunday, August 22 - Noon to 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Soccer Park in Santa Clara - 5049 Centennial Blvd.
WHO: TBD
DETAILS: An Earthquakes player will be at the Santa Clara Rotary Cup Tournament signing autographs and greeting fans and participants.
WHEN: Sunday, August 22 - 2:30-4:00 p.m.
WHERE: West Valley College
WHO: TBD
DETAILS: An Earthquakes player, in conjunction with MLS camps, will be hosting a soccer clinic. For more information, contact Laurie Lee at (408) 288-2600.
Limiting Chances
The Quakes have allowed a league-low 215 shots against in 2004.
Starting Line-Up Turmoil
Due to numerous injuries, national team duties and suspensions, the Earthquakes have had 17 different starting lineups in the 20 games they have played in 2004. Landon Donovan missed three games to play with the U.S. National Team, while Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad both missed two games for Canadian National Team duty. Also, the team has lost 79-man games to injury over the first 18 games of the season.
Mulrooney Is Quakes Only Constant
Earthquakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney is the only member of the San Jose roster who has started and played 90 minutes in all 20 games for the Quakes in 2004. In his 1,800 minutes of play, Mulrooney has scored one goal and notched eight assists for ten points, which is fifth highest for points on the Quakes.
Quakes Find Net At Home
The Earthquakes have done well scoring in San Jose in 2004, scoring 22 goals in just ten appearances at Spartan Stadium this year, averaging 2.2 goals per game at home. The team is first in the league in goals scored at home.
Earthquakes Advance To Semifinals of U.S. Open Cup
The San Jose Earthquakes advanced to the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup for the first time in club history with a dramatic victory in a penalty kick shootout against the A-League's Minnesota Thunder Aug. 4 at James S. Griffin Stadium in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two teams finished the match tied 2-2, with Brian Ching and Landon Donovan scoring for the Earthquakes and Melvin Tarley and Dustin Branan scoring for the Thunder. After a half-hour of scoreless overtime, the Earthquakes won the penalty kick shootout 5-4 as Todd Dunivant provided the winning attempt for San Jose. The Quakes will now face the Kansas City Wizards in the semifinals on Aug. 24 in Kansas City.
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 114-118-32.
Halftime Success
If the Earthquakes enter the half-time break with the lead, recent history suggests they will keep it. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are 41-0-5 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003.
Making The First One Count
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 are 6-1-1 when scoring first. The Quakes gave up their lead to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 45-3-4 record in their last 50 matches when they score the first goal of the game. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.
"We Believe" - The Story of the 2003 San Jose Earthquakes DVD on Sale Now
For the first time ever, Earthquakes fans can relive the Quakes incredible ride to the 2003 MLS Cup Championship with "We Believe, The Story of the 2003 San Jose Earthquakes." This special two-disc DVD set captures all of the drama and excitement from the Earthquakes unbelievable season. In addition to a 33-minute season in review that includes player interviews and game action, Disc One features an exclusive behind the scenes package as well as a highlight reel. Disc Two of this one-of-a kind set is the original television broadcast of the "Greatest Game In MLS History," the Earthquakes dramatic 5-2 win over Los Angeles in the Western Conference Semifinals on Nov. 9, 2003. Earthquakes fans can Believe Again with this extraordinary two-disc DVD set. Fans can purchase this special two DVD set on the Earthquakes website at sjearthquakes.com or by calling 408-985-GOAL.
