SAN JOSE, Calif. – It appears the San Jose Earthquakes’ impending logjam at forward has been delayed.
Veteran target men Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart are both eligible to return from suspension when the Quakes travel to Seattle on Saturday (4 pm ET; Watch Free on MLS LIVE), which led some to wonder whether the club would be able to keep rookie Adam Jahn – who has bagged a goal in three of his last four appearances – out of the starting lineup.
But coach Frank Yallop told reporters Friday at training that Lenhart has been ruled out after suffering a flare-up in his bruised heel, and Jahn is dealing with a nasty right thigh contusion he received while doing some last-minute defending in the Quakes’ 2-1 win against Toronto FC on Wednesday.
That means Gordon likely could jump back in the Quakes’ first XI after missing four matches – one for receiving two yellow cards against Portland on April 14 (video above), and the other three due to his use of a homophobic slur against Timbers captain Will Johnson in that same match.
“I think Alan’s dying to play,” Yallop said. “It’s great that Alan’s fit, training well and ready to go. He’s had a good three weeks of practice.”
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Gordon said the enforced time off has helped him fully recover from two offseason surgeries that forced him to miss San Jose’s opening four games and slowed him during his three appearances. After scoring 13 goals and notching seven assists in 1,297 minutes last season, Gordon has no goals and one assist in 167 minutes this year.
“I’ve had little bumps and bruises, and those are pretty much taken care of,” Gordon said. “[It’s] given me some good time to get my body right. So hopefully, we can move forward in a strong way.”
As for Jahn, he is still expected to make the trip, but the club’s second-leading scorer was in sneakers at the start of Friday’s training. Yallop said the club will make a final decision on Jahn’s availability tomorrow before the afternoon kickoff.
