SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs NEW YORK RED BULLS
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
March 10, 2013 (WEEK 2, MLS Game #17)
7 p.m. PT (ESPN2 / ESPN Deportes)
Two clubs which suffered through tough results in the seasonís first week meet when the San Jose Earthquakes play host to the New York Red Bulls at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes began defense of their Supportersí Shield won last year with a 2-0 home loss to Real Salt Lake. The Red Bulls opened the season in Portland and held a 2-goal lead early in the first half, before settling for a 3-3 draw.
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REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Ian Anderson; JAR (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Baldomero Toledo
MLS Career: 160 games; FC/gm: 26.9; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 46; pens: 57
DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (33 meetings): Earthquakes 15 wins (2 shootout), 51 goals Ö Red Bulls 10 wins (2 shootout), 48 goals Ö Ties 8
AT SAN JOSE (16 meetings): Earthquakes 11 wins (2 shootout), 34 goals Ö Red Bulls 2 wins (2 shootout), 16 goals Ö Ties 3
LAST YEAR (MLS):
4/14: NY 2, SJ 2 (Cooper 5; McCarty 22 ñ Baca 14; Wondolowski 35)
- This is the only league meeting between the teams this season.
- New Yorkís last victory in league play in northern California came in a 2-0 win Oct. 5, 2003 at Spartan Stadium. The Earthquakes have won four of the seven meetings at home since, with three draws.
- The Red Bulls have never won at Buck Shaw Stadium in league play (0-2-2), but did come away with a 1-0 victory in Santa Clara in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2010. The Red Bulls also won a U.S. Open Cup play-in match at Buck Shaw in 2009.
- The Red Bulls had won four home meetings in a row vs. San Jose before the teams played to a 2-2 draw in their only meeting a season ago.
- Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. NY: P19 W5 L7 D7 Ö Mike Petke vs. SJ: first game
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes did not get the defense of their Supporters' Shield off to the best possible start, falling to a pair of late goals in a 2-0 defeat by Real Salt Lake on Sunday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium.
LAST MATCH
- Real broke open the scoring in the 71st minute when Alvaro SaborÌo outraced two San Jose defenders to reach a looping lead pass from Joao Plata, firing home a powerful right-footed drive inside the near post, cleanly beating San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch.
- RSL finished off the contest five minutes from the end when Kyle Beckerman found SaborÌo too loosely marked in the Quakes box, and he swiveled nicely from 11 yards out to tuck a left-footed shot inside the far post.
- Mike Fucito was paired with Chris Wondolowski in attack by Frank Yallop, and Ty Harden was given the start at right back.
- SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Ty Harden (Adam Jahn 83), Jason Hernandez, Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow - Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato 79), Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Ramiro Corrales (Sam Garza 72) - Chris Wondolowski, Mike Fucito.
WATCH: Quakes go down in season opener against Real Salt Lake
TEAM NEWS
- The Earthquakes backline, already missing Steven Beitashour following offseason sports hernia surgery, saw Dan Gargan miss the opener after suffering a quadriceps strain in training.
- We take a lot of pride, the defenders and myself,î goalkeeper Jon Busch said. ìWe take a lot of pride in defending well and giving our team an opportunity in each game, whether thatís get a shutout or keep the other team at one, whatever the circumstances are. We know what we need to do the first few weeks of the season.î
- Said center back Jason Hernandez: ìWhen I look back on it, I donít think that we were necessarily in bad spots. I think weíre pretty well covered. Itís just a better touch and a better ball than our formation and our shape. Sometimes youíve got to give credit to a good team and good players.î
- With Marvin Ch·vez sidelined due to an MCL sprain in his knee, Quakes head coach Frank Yallop started Ramiro Corrales on one wing and Shea Salinas on the other.
- If you look at the first 60 minutes, we played really well,î Yallop said. ìAnd I thought Shea was a part of that. It was kind of the plan to get him the ball as much as we can, feed him and let him do his thing, because heís a good dribbler.î Said Salinas: ìI was happy when I did create. Maybe [I was] playing a little bit too aggressive in the middle of the park, trying to go forward instead of sometimes playing safe. With that said, we did create a lot of chances.î
- Chris Wondolowski, who tied the leagueís all-time single season goalscoring record with 27 goals last season, took seven attempts at goal but was not able to open his 2013 account.A little unlucky, but pretty bad finishing by me,î Wondolowski said. Horrible finishing by me. I had four clear looks and didnít make Rimando make a save. ... If I score those in the first half, it puts the game away. Weíre cruising in the second half and have three points in our pocket.î
- Said Hernandez: ìI think [Wondolowski] sets his standards exceptionally high, and I think weíve come to know him as a guy who really, every time he steps on the field, that heís going to make magic happen and really impact the game. He puts a lot of pressure on himself to get on the scoreboard and carry us. Itís worked so well so far, so weíre not going to change that formula.î
- With Steven Lenhart and Alan Gordon both sidelined through injury, Mike Fucito was given the start alongside Wondolowski in attack. Fucito did not score a goal in 15 appearances last season split between Montreal and Portland.
- Anybody watching the match could tell that we were a dangerous pair up top. We created a lot of opportunities when we worked together. The two of us had chances that we wish we had back, but the technique wasnít there tonight,î said Wondolowski. ìOverall, I felt we didnít miss a beat with Mike up top and Iím excited to see how scary our attack will be once we are at full strength.î
- Said defender Justin Morrow: ìWe missed the guys up top in [Steven] Lenhart and Alan [Gordon]. We also missed Steven Beitashour in the back. No question we are a better team with them, but we were able create chances in their place. Players are going to miss time due to injury throughout the season. If we can step up to fill their voids like we did tonight we are going to be fine.î
- Fucito could be questionable for the New York match, suffering a hamstring strain out of the season opener. ìItís not [a bad injury], but itís one of those where, if youíve got cover, itís not a problem,î Yallop said. ìThe reason we built the squad is to cover all the games we have. Weíve got a lot of good players that are out. So weíve just got to get everyone healthy and then weíll be fine.î
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls opened their 2013 season with three goals in the first half-hour, but couldnít hang on as they settled for a 3-3 draw with the Portland Timbers on Sunday afternoon at Jeld-Wen Field.
LAST MATCH
- The Timbers gave away an early lead after just nine minutes when Portland goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts was unable to control an ill-advised back pass and Fabian EspÌndola was right there to pot the easy open-net goal.
- But Portland responded quickly. Diego Valeri took a pass from Kalif Alhassan in the area, cleverly volleyed past Olave and slotted a perfectly placed right-footed shot past New York goalkeeper Luis Robles inside the right post in the 14th minute.
- The Red Bulls opened up a two-goal lead within a five-minute span. EspÌndola finished off a long pass from fullback Kosuke Kimura in the right side of the area in the 24th minute, then Jamison Olave snuck in at the back post to finish off a Heath Pearce pass across the face of goal from a corner kick.
- The Timbers pulled a goal in the 56th minute. Valeri hit a screaming blast that forced Robles into a diving save which he could not hold, and Darlington Nagbe swooped in put it into the open net. Then the equalizer came in the 83rd minute when Jose Valencia's attempted crossing pass from the right bounced off Olave into the goal.
- Fabian Espindola was given the start as the spearhead in attack with new signings Juninho and Ruben Bover debuting in midfield for new coach Mike Petke.
- NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-2-3-1): Luis Robles - Kosuke Kimura (Eric Alexander 90), Jamison Olave, Heath Pearce, Roy Miller - Dax McCarty, Juninho - Ruben Bover (Jonny Steele 66), Tim Cahill, Thierry Henry - Fabian Espindola (Brandon Barklage 73)
WATCH: Red Bulls draw Timbers in wild one at JELD-WEN
TEAM NEWS
- In the first game as a head coach for former Red Bulls defender Mike Petke, his team conceded three goals ñ a total they allowed just three times in 34 league matches last season.
- We let an opportunity slip away from us. If you would have asked us a week ago, 10 days ago, if we would like to take a point on the road of the opening game in an environment like this and a good team like this maybe you say yes, maybe you make a deal with the devil and you say yes, but at the end of the day youíre on the road,î said Petke. ìBut possibly we let two (points) slip away.î
- The Red Bulls saw their prematch preparations go awry when they were forced to leave New York on Saturday, a day late, because of mechanical issues on their aircraft.
- What is frustrating is the way we came here,î Thierry Henry said. ìWe didnít prepare anything because we were at the airport on Friday [and] on Saturday, too, trying to come here. We did eventually but we didnít prepare the game how we shouldíve prepared the game and you could see the last 30 minutes, everyone ran out of steam.î
- In his Red Bulls debut, playing as the lone striker with Henry and Tim Cahill providing the promptings from midfield, Fabi·n EspÌndola netted a pair of goals. He had a pair of two-goal games last season, including the last one in which Real Salt Lake scored, a 2-1 win at LA on Sept. 15.
- He brings so much to the table and the reason why he came off is because he runs and works so hard that he was just dead,î said Petke. ìThat was a reward for him, after all the work heís done. Come off and have a rest my man, great work.î
- The Red Bulls once again hit for a big number at the attacking end. A year ago, they scored three or more goals in a game nine times, tied for second-most in MLS (with LA, behind San Joseís 11).
- I just think that we possibly came out with the mindset that we should save the lead instead of keep doing what we were doing in the first half. That falls on the coaching staff first and foremost,î said Petke. ìMaybe we should have made it clearer Ö At the end of the day they battled, and there are guys in that locker room that are crushed right now. To see that type of attitude and that sort of letdown after scoring three goals on the road and getting a point on the road, which in MLS is very difficult to do, it's great to see.
