This Week's Match-Up
After earning their third tie of the season with a 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake last Saturday, the Quakes will head to New Jersey to take on the MetroStars on Saturday, May 7. The game will begin at 1:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on television on ESPN2 and on the radio on 1590 AM KLIV. The Quakes will look for their first win at Giants Stadium since September 22, 1999 when San Jose beat the MetroStars 2-1.
Earthquakes vs. MetroStars All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 11-6-5
Home: 8-2-1
Away: 3-4-4
Shootout: 2-0 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-4 (2000-2003)
Playoffs: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 37, MetroStars - 31
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 5/2/05
Tuesday, May 3: 3:00 p.m. PT - Earthquakes vs. CAL - Berkeley at West Valley College
Wednesday, May 4: 10:30 a.m. PT - Training at West Valley College
Thursday, May 5: Travel to New Jersey
Friday, May 6: 1:00 p.m. ET - Training at New Jersey Institute of Technology
Saturday, May 7: 1:00 p.m. PT - Earthquakes vs. MetroStars at Giants Stadium live on 1590 KLIV (English) and ESPN2.
Injury Report/Suspensions
Probable: Brad Davis (Right - hamstring strain); Eddie Robinson (Right - quad contusion)
Out: Danny Califf (Right - knee sprain)
Last Match
Earthquakes 2, Real Salt Lake 2; Saturday, April 30; Rice-Eccles Stadium; Salt Lake City, UT
The San Jose Earthquakes came from behind to earn a 2-2 tie with Real Salt Lake at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Brian Ching and Alejandro Moreno scored a goal apiece to offset a two-goal effort by Jason Kreis. Ching gave San Jose a 1-0 advantage with a header for his fourth goal of the season in the 11th minute. Brad Davis received a pass from Dwayne De Rosario on the left wing and swung a cross into the box. Ching beat his defender to the ball and headed it behind Countess for the lead. In the 21st minute, Real equalized with a penalty kick by Jason Kreis. After Eddie Robinson was whistled for a foul on a quick free kick, Kreis slotted the ball into the lower left corner. Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad got his fingertips on the shot but could not keep it out of the net. RSL broke out to a 2-1 lead with a goal in the 34th minute from Kreis. After a turnover, Clint Mathis dribbled into the heart of the Quakes defense and drew a defender, before slotting a pass over to Kreis on his left. Kreis blasted a shot that Onstad got a piece of, but the ball deflected off the post and into the net. Moreno finally evened the score in the 82nd minute off a cross from Brian Mullan. Mullan received the ball from De Rosario and made a run down the wing, before finding Moreno at the back post. Moreno floated a header over Countess for the equalizer.
Last Match vs. MetroStars
MetroStars 2, Earthquakes 0; Saturday, July 10, 2004; Giants Stadium; East Rutherford, NJ
The San Jose Earthquakes, missing leading scorers Brian Ching and Landon Donovan and midfielder Brian Mullan who were with the U.S. National Team, were defeated 2-0 by the MetroStars Saturday afternoon at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The MetroStars took a 1-0 lead in the 63rd minute on a goal from John Wolyniec. Wolyniec received a pass in the penalty area from Craig Ziadie, who dribbled into the Quakes penalty box. Running toward the right post, Wolyniec received the pass and one-timed a shot past a diving Onstad. Minutes later, the Quakes had what appeared to be Dwayne De Rosario's tying goal called back on a controversial offside call. Mulrooney drove a ball into the Metros penalty area, which squirted past the MetroStars defenders and to De Rosario who was open in the middle of the box. De Rosario sent the ball into the goal, but the official promptly disallowed the score. The Earthquakes were inches away from tying the game in the 77th minute as Jeff Agoos sent a free kick from the right side into the Metros penalty area. Sandwiched between two defenders, Craig Waibel flicked the ball toward the far post, where Tighe Dombrowski slid in an attempt to knock it in the goal, but the MetroStars goalkeeper Jonny Walker was able to quickly slide to the post and deflect the ball off the goal line. Guevara provided the final margin of victory for the Metros when he put a penalty kick to the right of a diving Onstad in the 93rd minute after Wes Hart was called for a foul on Mike Magee.
Misc. Notes
Quakes Auction Team Banners on eBay
The Earthquakes are auctioning off 15 banners that were on display throughout the city of San Jose during the month of April. Fans can bid on one of three types of banners: five that are signed by the entire 2005 Earthquakes team, five autographed by forward Brian Ching, and five that remain unsigned. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Earthquakes Kicks For Kids Program, which provides Quakes game tickets to underprivileged and at-youth risk in the Bay Area. Visit sjearthquakes.com to bid today.
Ching Five For Five
Forward Brian Ching has now scored or notched an assist in each of the Quakes' five games this season. Against Real Salt Lake on Saturday, Ching added another goal to his 2005 tally, giving him four goals and two assists already on the year. The Earthquakes forward is the only MLS player to have either scored or recorded an assist in every game this season.
Mullan Makes His Mark
Midfielder Brian Mullan notched his first assist of the year on April 30 against Real Salt Lake. In the 82nd minute of the match, Mullan beat two Salt Lake defenders before sending a high cross to Alejandro Moreno, who headed the ball into the net for the equalizing goal. Mullan has now registered 18 assists for the Earthquakes in his career, ninth all-time in club history.
Ching and Davis Lethal Combination
Forward Brian Ching and midfielder Brad Davis have proven to be a dangerous duo on the field in 2005. Davis has assisted on every single one of Ching's four goals in 2005. Ching's first three goals all came off of Davis' free kicks on April 2 against New England, April 9 vs. Chivas USA, and April 23 against Kansas City. Ching's goal on April 30 against Real Salt Lake was the first time Davis found Ching in the run of play.
Road Warrior
Quakes forward Alejandro Moreno scored his second goal of the season against Real Salt Lake. He has now scored in each of the Quakes road games in 2005. He also scored on April 16 at Soldier Field. Both of his goals have come in the 82nd minute to tie the game.
Road Tripping
After beginning the 2005 season with the comfort of playing three out of their first four games at home, the Earthquakes face a difficult road trip ahead of them. Four of the Quakes five games in the month of May will be played on the road, including stops in New Jersey, Los Angeles, Colorado, and Kansas City. The Quakes will take a break in the middle of the away stretch when they return home to Spartan Stadium to play FC Dallas on Saturday, May 14. Including the Quakes match against RSL last weekend, they have five out of their next six on the road.
Quakes Unbeaten in First Meetings With Expansion Teams
The Earthquakes remained unbeaten in their first match against an expansion team on Saturday against Real Salt Lake with a 2-2 tie. They now possess a 2-0-2 record in such games. San Jose defeated the Miami Fusion 2-0 at Spartan Stadium on May 16, 1998 in the teams first-ever meeting, and also downed the then-expansion Chicago Fire in the teams' first meeting 1-0 on April 11, 1998. In 2005, the Earthquakes earned a 3-3 tie against Chivas USA in the teams' first ever meeting on April 9.
League Leaders
-San Jose is currently in second place in the league in scoring with 11 goals through five games, just two behind New England.
-The Quakes are also tied with New England to lead MLS in assists with 12.
-The Quakes have netted multiple goals in four of their five Quakes matches so far, which places them in a first place tie with the Revolution for the league lead in that category.
-After three games at Spartan Stadium this season, the Earthquakes are tied for first in the league with the Los Angeles Galaxy with eight goals scored at home.
-Brian Ching is tied with Clint Dempsey of New England for the most goals in the league with four.
-Brad Davis leads MLS with five assists.
Fouls Committed, Fouls Suffered
San Jose has played in five tough contests so far in the 2005 season and leads MLS in both fouls committed (105) and fouls suffered (100) by wide margins. In their season opener against New England on April 2, San Jose set the team record with 30 fouls committed. Individually, Brian Ching is tied for first with Simo Valakari of FC Dallas in MLS in fouls committed with 19, while Danny O'Rourke is fourth in the league with 17. Brian Mullan leads the league in fouls suffered with 17 along with Clint Dempsey of New England and Kyle Martino of Columbus.
Quakes All-Time in May
San Jose possesses an 18-17-8 all-time record in the month of May.
Quakes in the Community
Who: Brian Ching and Brian Mullan
Location: Camera 7 Theaters at the Pruneyard in Campbell
Date: Tuesday, May 3
Time: 6:15 to 7:00 p.m.
Details: Brian Ching and Brian Mullan will be at Camera 7 Theaters signing autographs prior to the showing of the movie The Game of Their Lives, which begins at 7:15.
Who: Alejandro Moreno
Location: Alum Rock Youth Community Center, San Jose
Date: Wednesday, May 4
Time: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Details: Alejandro Moreno will be signing autographs at the Cinco de Mayo Festival at the Alum Rock Youth Community Center.
Who: Q
Location: Early Childhood Learning Center, San Jose
Date: Wednesday, May 4
Time: 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Details: San Jose Earthquakes mascot Q will be presenting "Q's Safety School" to the students at Early Childhood Learning Center in San Jose.
Who: Earthquakes players TBD and Q
Location: Santee Elementary School, San Jose
Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: TBD
Details: San Jose Earthquakes players and mascot Q will be at the FMEF Soccer League signing autographs at Santee Elementary School.
Success In The Past
Of the Quakes and MetroStars 22 meetings since 1996, the Earthquakes have lost only six games, posting an 11-6-5 record. The Quakes had a 10-game unbeaten streak against the MetroStars that stretched from August 9, 1998 - July 2, 2003 before they lost to them 2-0 at Spartan Stadium on October 5, 2003. During the streak, the Earthquakes held a 6-0-4 record against the Metros.
High Scoring
The Quakes and MetroStars have played to two dramatic, high-scoring ties in the past two seasons. On July 2, 2003, San Jose and the MetroStars tied 4-4 at Giants Stadium with Landon Donovan scoring in stoppage time to tie the game. At the time, it was the highest scoring game in Quakes team history. Then on May 8, 2004, the two teams topped that score by playing to a 5-5 tie at Spartan Staidum. Cornell Glen scored a late goal to tie that game. That 5-5 tie stands as the highest combined scoring game in San Jose club history, breaking the record set in 2003.
Quakes Look For Win At Giants Stadium
The Quakes will seek three points on Giants Stadium turf this weekend for the first time since September 22, 1999 when San Jose beat the MetroStars 2-1. Since 1999, the Earthquakes hold a 0-1-4 record at Giants Stadium and have won only three out of their 11 away appearances against the Metros.
Top MetroStars Players vs. Quakes
Midfielder Amado Guevara is by far the most dangerous MetroStars player against the Quakes. In just four games vs. San Jose, Guevara has scored four goals and notched three assists. Other successful MetroStars players are midfielder Eddie Gaven with two assists in four games, and forward Mike Magee and John Wolyniec with one goal each against the Quakes.
Top Quakes Players vs. MetroStars
Forward Ronald Cerritos has scored four goals and registered five assists against the MetroStars over 10 games played. However, in just three games Brian Ching has also scored four goals and notched an assist against the Metros. Midfielder Brian Mullan has one goal and two assists over four games against the MetroStars.
History vs. MetroStars
Craig Waibel notched his first two assists as a member of the Earthquakes against the MetroStars on July 2, 2003 and also scored his first career MLS goal against the Metros on May 8, 2004...Brian Ching had his first career multi-goal game on July 2, 2003, scoring two goals...Dwayne De Rosario equaled a San Jose record for shots on goal on April 27, 2002 against the MetroStars with five shots...The Quakes and MetroStars scored the most combined goals in a game in Quakes team history with 10 on May 8, 2003 in a 5-5 tie.
Earthquakes - MetroStars Connections
Brad Davis played for the MetroStars in 2002...Ricardo Clark was a member of the MetroStars for the 2003 and 2004 seasons...Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Conway attended Rutgers University in New Jersey... Earthquakes defender Troy Dayak was originally drafted by the MetroStars in the 1996 MLS Draft, before being traded to San Jose in the first trade in MLS history...Current MetroStars defender Jeff Agoos was a veteran member of the Earthquakes from 2001 to 2004...Earthquakes defender Chris Aloisi was born in North Babylon, New York and attended Syracuse University.
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 117-122-40.
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
For the second time in 2005, the Quakes earned a tie after scoring first on Saturday against Real Salt Lake. However, that marks just the ninth time in the past 56 games that the Quakes did not win when scoring the first goal. They have only lost three of those matches. 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 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 47-3-6 record in their last 56 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.
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.
