SAN JOSE, Calif. ā Frank Yallop is usually the one facing cutting questions from the media members, not vice-versa.
Nevertheless, itās been the Earthquakes coach who has had a request for reporters of late: Stop bugging me about San Joseās chances of making the postseason.
āWe just want to make the playoffs, then we can start talking about the playoffs,ā Yallop said after San Jose forced a scoreless tie against the Crew in Columbus on Saturday. āI donāt want to get too far ahead of myself.ā
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The Quakes canāt get too much further ahead without actually clinching their first playoff berth since being reborn in 2008. Sitting eighth in the MLS overall standings, San Jose hold a seven-point advantage on ninth-place Kansas City. A win for the Quakes on Saturday against D.C. United would put them clear of No. 10 Toronto and No. 11 Chicago; if San Jose triumph and the Wizards lose their match against Seattle, the Quakes are guaranteed a spot in the MLS Cup chase.
[inline_node:316600]Not that Yallop is letting that puncture his pessimistic exterior.
āWeāre still really nervous because Kansas City can still win some games,ā Yallop told MLSsoccer.com. āI guess it makes it a little more comfortable knowing itās seven points [clear] with four games left, but Iām still nervous as hell. I wish it were nine points with three games left.ā
Despite Yallopās attempt to freeze out any playoff talk ā the coach studiously avoids bringing up the subject with his players ā the Quakes know how close they are and that one win would all but sew up a spot, even if Kansas City do put up a result against visiting Seattle.
āWe honestly feel that weāre one win away,ā said Quakes forward Ryan Johnson, who will miss the trip to D.C. to join Jamaicaās national team this weekend. āThatās something that weāre very excited about. It doesnāt matter if itās home or away, we can get the job done. Weāre looking forward to going into DC and, hopefully, we can get three points.ā
It would behoove the Quakes to wrap things up on their first attempt. With three matches in eight days leading up to the playoffs, and an end-of-the-season trip to Kansas City, San Jose donāt want to let the Wizardsā hopes of catching them linger.
"We don't really want it to come down to the last game," Yallop said.
Even if a win is not forthcoming ā despite Unitedās sorrowful 21-point total through this point, they did just knock off Colorado 1-0 in the high altitude of Commerce City ā the Quakes could still use a tie to help try to run out the clock on the Wizards.
āEvery little bit helps. At this point, we donāt care if we get [make the playoffs] by 10 points or by one point,ā Quakes center back Jason Hernandez said. āWeāre keeping our heads down, trying to grind out results and get as many points as possible and to maybe catch somebody in front of us before the seasonās out. Thatās the mentality you have to have.ā
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com. On Twitter: @sjquakes.