San Jose Earthquakes vs. Toronto FC | MLS Match Preview

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs TORONTO FC
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
May 8, 2013 (WEEK 11, MLS Game #93)
7:30 p.m. PT (CSN-CA; Snet One)

The San Jose Earthquakes will be looking to snap a long winless run when Toronto FC come to town riding a longer streak, as the clubs face off Wednesday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes now haven’t won in six games, despite yet another late comeback last weekend for a 2-2 draw with the Montréal Impact. Toronto FC started their two-game Western swing with a late 1-0 loss in Colorado, stretching their current league winless run to seven games.

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REFEREE: Fotis Bazakos. AR1 (bench): Peter Manikowski; AR2 (opposite): Sean Hurd; 4th: Jesus Cisneros
MLS Career: 14 games; FC/gm: 24.4; Y/gm: 2.6; R: 1; pens: 3

DISABLED LIST: none
SUSPENDED: SJ: Alan Gordon (through May 8); Steven Lenhart (through May 8)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Victor Bernardez
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: none
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Earthquakes 3 wins, 13 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 11 goals … Ties 4
AT SAN JOSE (9 meetings): Earthquakes 1 win, 5 goals … Toronto FC 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 1

LAST YEAR (MLS):
3/24: TOR 0, SJ 3 (Wondolowski 9, 68; Salinas 56)

• This is the only league meeting of the season between the two clubs.
• The Earthquakes haven’t lost to Toronto FC in four meetings, with a pair of victories (and two draws), including a 3-0 victory in the lone meeting a year ago, March 24 at BMO Field.
• Toronto FC have come away with points on each of its last three visits to Buck Shaw Stadium (two wins and a draw). TFC has never defeated San Jose at home, with two losses and three draws all-time at BMO Field.
• Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. TOR: P11 W4 L2 D5 … Ryan Nelsen v SJ: first game

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes saw their winless run extended to six games despite yet more late heroics, getting a late equalizer for a 2-2 draw with the Montréal Impact on Saturday afternoon at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes sit in a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference with 11 points from 10 matches.

READ: After years of battling injuries, Marcus Tracy makes "big mental step" in MLS debut

LAST MATCH

• The Impact took the lead in the 24th minute. Taking the ball some 30 yards from goal, Justin Mapp let fly with a 30-yard blast that pinged in off the near post and into the back of the net.
• Mapp and Montreal then had a second two minutes after the restart. Andrew Wenger’s short pass across the face of goal set up Mapp for a simple tap-in at the back post.
• But the Quakes pulled a goal back in the 59th minute. Adam Jahn completed a sequence that began with passes from Marvin Chavez, Chris Wondolowski and finally Sam Cronin in and around the area in tight quarters, finally slipping the ball home from inside the area.

• It was then yet another touch of late heroics, with another stoppage-time equalizer for San Jose. A long ball from Waltker Martinez was knocked down by Wondolowski into Cronin’s lap, and he finished with a low strike inside the left-hand post for the 2-2.
• Quakes head coach Frank Yallop made one change to the team that came back for a 2-2 tie with Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center. Adam Jahn started in place of the suspended Steven Lenhart.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Victor Bernardez, Nana Attakora, Justin Morrow - Marvin Chavez (Marcus Tracy 76), Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca (Walter Martinez 62), Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato 58) - Chris Wondolowski, Adam Jahn.
  

TEAM NEWS

• For the third time season, the Earthquakes scored in stoppage time to secure at least a point, now with one win and two draws in those games. A year ago, the Quakes won or tied eight games with goals in second-half stoppage time.
• The Quakes have also scored five goals after the 76-minute mark, out of their 10 this season, tied for second-most in MLS (behind Houston’s six). A year ago, 22 of their 72 goals on the season came after the 76th minute.
• “For some reason, we don’t bury teams when we have them on the ropes,” Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop said. “We should have been 2-1 up [at halftime]. So obviously, we’re trying to change that trend ... We can’t play any better. We’ve just got to finish better.”
• But the Quakes are now winless in their last six games, their longest stretch without a victory since going a club-record 13 games without the full three points from June 17-Aug. 27, 2011.
• “We’re battling,” goalkeeper Jon Busch said. “We’re doing a lot of good things. We’ve got to start picking up three points, though. Yes, it’s good to get the one point, but it’s happened a few times, and now you’ve got to turn those ones into threes. We did enough today to win, again. We’ll definitely take the point, it’s a positive we came back, but we’ve got to start putting ourselves in better spots and getting three points.”
• The Quakes have conceded the opening goal in seven of their 10 games this season, tied with Chivas USA for the most games when allowing the opening goal. Their six points from those matches is tied for most in MLS with Portland.
• “We need to sort it out, because it’s something we can’t do, especially at home,” Sam Cronin said. “Playing well is all good and well, but it’s a results-driven league. We’ve got to get results, find a way to get the winning mentality back.”
• For the first time in his MLS career, Chris Wondolowski recorded two assists in a game, playing a part in both Earthquakes in the 2-2 draw with Montréal last weekend. Wondolowski has 16 assists to go with 72 goals for his MLS career.
• Rookie Adam Jahn, in the lineup with suspensions to Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart, scored for the third time this season for the Quakes in the draw.
• After a long bout with injuries, Marcus Tracy made his MLS debut, coming on for the final 14 minutes. Tracy won the 2008 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy as the top NCAA Division I soccer player.
• “It was great to see him out on the field after battling injuries for three years. He looked sharp and he did well, especially considering he had not played a first team game in so long,” said Yallop. “He played in the reserve game recently and he told us he was ready to go. He put in a lot of hard work to get here and it was a nice moment for him and the team.”

TORONTO FC
Toronto FC lost for a second consecutive league match and had their winless run extended to seven games, dropping a late 1-0 decision to the Colorado Rapids on Saturday afternoon at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. TFC sit in a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 8 points from 9 matches.

READ: Toronto add New Zealand international Jeremy Brockie on loan

LAST MATCH

• The game's lone goal came through some real misfortune four minutes from the end. TFC’s Logan Emory slipped in his own box trying to defend a cross, and the unfortunate mistake gave substitute Edson Buddle enough time to blast the ball into the net.
• Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin was credited with four saves in recording his third clean sheet of the season.

• TFC boss Ryan Nelsen made two changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the New York Red Bulls at BMO Field. Matias Laba made his MLS debut, in place of Justin Braun, and Logan Emory came back into the team for Ashtone Morgan.
• TORONTO FC (4-4-2): Joseph Bendik - Ryan Richter, Darren O'Dea, Gale Agbossoumonde, Logan Emory (John Bostock 89) - Reggie Lambe, Matias Laba (Jonathan Osorio 87), Jeremy Hall, Hogan Ephraim (Darel Russell 78) - Luis Silva, Robert Earnshaw.
  

TEAM NEWS

• Toronto FC lost for a second match in a row, and saw their league winless streak extended to seven games, in their 1-0 loss at Colorado to start the two-game Western swing. Since last July 28, Toronto FC is 1-14-8 in their last 23 MLS games.
• “One day when hopefully we bring in a witch doctor or the black cat leaves, we’ll turn these games into wins. The effort is there and you can see that they have made progress,” TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen said.
• The trip actually began with a record-setting 6-0 loss to the Montréal Impact in the second leg of their Canadian Championship semifinal.
• “I knew they would come back and deliver a performance like that. I thought it was an excellent performance, especially playing at altitude. They had some great opportunities to score and reward their hard work,” Nelsen said. “We’re learning as a team and we’ll always stick by the boys. They really tried hard and worked their socks off.”
• While Toronto FC were shut out on the attacking end for the first time since the season-opening 1-0 loss at Vancouver, they still have not lost any match by more than one goal this season in league play.
• “That is what is probably so frustrating. Everybody involved with the club can see how far the team has come. We are so close to turning draws into wins and losses into draws or wins as well,” said Nelsen. “We’re really close. We just have to keep on the path and it will turn.”
• Making his MLS debut, Matias Laba started in the center of midfield and played 87 minutes before being forced to come off with cramping.
• “I thought [Matias] was superb today,” Nelsen said. “It was his first game in the US and it was played at altitude. I thought he and Jeremy [Hall] were fantastic in there. The way his passing was and how he fit in there, he did great. It is exciting for a first performance. Obviously it takes time for any new player in this league. Given that was his first performance, he really showed well. Once he gets settled here, gets his family here and gets his life sorted out, and then makes some friends and gets comfortable, I think you will see what type of player we have got. But based on his first performance, I am very excited.”
• With Laba in the team, Luis Silva moved forward to partner Robert Earnshaw in attack. “[Laba] and Jeremy (Hall) in the middle were brilliant. They controlled the park very well, and I thought Luis Silva was very good tonight,” said Nelsen.