West rivals face off at Buck Shaw
San Jose hosts Colorado in first leg of home-and-home series
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
Sept. 18, 2009 (WEEK 27) / MLS Game #185
8 p.m. PT (ESPN2/Deportes)
The Colorado Rapids continue a vital stretch in their bid for a postseason berth when they travel to take on the San Jose Earthquakes on Friday evening in the first game of a home-and-home series between the clubs. After winning back-to-back games, the Rapids went down to a 3-2 defeat at Toronto FC over the weekend - the return match of another home-and-home series - starting a run of five away matches over the final seven games of the season. The Earthquakes are playing a league game for the first time since a 2-1 loss to New England on Aug. 29.
REFEREE: Edvin Jurisevic. SAR (bench): Anthony Vasoli; JAR (opposite): David Bragg; 4th: Yader Reyes MLS Career: 9 games; FC/gm: 23.0; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 1; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: MF Darren Huckerby (R hip surgery); QUESTIONABLE: MF Arturo Alvarez (R hamstring strain); MF Bobby Convey (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: MF Shea Salinas (R knee contusion) ... COLORADO RAPIDS - OUT: MF Colin Clark (L ACL tear); GK Matt Pickens (R knee sprain); MF Jamie Smith (L knee strain); DOUBTFUL: DF Cory Gibbs (R thigh strain); PROBABLE: DF Scott Palguta (R calf strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: COL: Pablo Mastroeni (through Sept. 18)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Arturo Alvarez, Ramiro Corrales, Aaron Pitchkolan ... COL: Conor Casey
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Quincy Amarikwa, Darren Huckerby, Ryan Johnson, Shea Salinas, Chris Wondolowski ... COL: Mehdi Ballouchy, Omar Cummings, Cory Gibbs, Scott Palguta
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (42 meetings): Earthquakes 20 wins (1 shootout), 64 goals ... Rapids 16 wins (2 shootout), 58 goals ... Ties 6AT SAN JOSE: (21 meetings): Earthquakes 10 wins (1 shootout), 39 goals ... Rapids 7 wins (1 shootout), 30 goals ... Ties 4
RETURN MATCH: 9/23: San Jose Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m. MT
LAST SEASON (MLS):
4/19: COL 0, SJ 2 (O'Brien 43; Kamara 61)
7/12: SJ 1, COL 1 (Johnson 62 - Casey 70)
• The Rapids have not defeated the Earthquakes since April 24, 2004, the first of four meetings that season. In the nine meetings since, San Jose has won five, with four draws.
• The Quakes won one of the two meetings a season ago, with the second a draw. The teams met for the first time ever at both Buck Shaw Stadium and Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
• Throughout the first 10 years in the league, when both teams were in the Western Conference, they never once met in the MLS Cup Playoffs. In 2006, after the San Jose club moved to Houston and became the Dynamo, the Rapids and Dynamo met that year in the Western Conference Championship.
• Coaches record: Frank Yallop v COL: P19 W9 L8 D4 ... Gary Smith vs. SJ: first game
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes return to action in league play for the first time in three weeks, their last match a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution on Aug. 29 at Gillette Stadium. The Earthquakes have 20 points from 22 matches on the year, still in eighth place in the Western Conference, 20 points behind the first-place Houston Dynamo.LAST MATCH
• The Revolution were coming off back-to-back wins and four wins in their last six games, while the Earthquakes had won two of their last three after a dramatic home defeat of Kansas City the week before.
• The Revolution grabbed control of the match with two goals in a six-minute span in the second half. In the 68th minute, a long goalkeeper clearance was flicked on by Shalrie Joseph and Steve Ralston raced unimpeded into the area to get on the end of it, looping a shot over goalkeeper Joe Cannon for his seventh goal of the season.
• Then in the 74th minute, Wells Thompson received a pass on the right flank, cut inside across the top of the area and curled a magisterial shot inside the far post for his second career MLS goal.
• The Earthquakes pulled a goal back in stoppage time when Ramiro Corrales hooked in a cross from the left flank and Salvadoran international Ramon Sanchez stooped to direct a header inside the near post for his first MLS goal.
• Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop made three changes to the team that defeated the Kansas City Wizards 1-0. Simon Elliott and Ramon Sanchez returned to the team, in place of Jason Hernandez and Bobby Convey, and Chris Wondolowski replaced Cornell Glen, who was a late scratch.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Leitch, Andre Luiz, Brandon McDonald, Ramiro Corrales - Shea Salinas (Quincy Amarikwa 75), Simon Elliott, Ramon Sanchez, Darren Huckerby (Ryan Johnson 66) - Arturo Alvarez, Chris Wondolowski. Substitutes Not Used: Fabio da Silva, Cornell Glen, Antonio Ribeiro, Andrew Weber, Michael Zaher
TEAM NEWS
• With Jason Hernandez suspended and Aaron Pitchkolan injured, Andre Luiz was pressed into service at center back against New England, ahead of countryman Fabio da Silva.
• "We had to make sort of a late decision on both Cornell (Glen) and Bobby (Convey) couldn't go, so we mixed it up a little bit and decided to go with Andre Luiz in the middle back, Ramiro (Corrales) left back and obviously starting with Simon (Elliott) and Ramon (Sanchez) in the middle, but I think our first half was great," Yallop said. "I thought we did all of the things we talked about doing in the game in the team talk, and basically, really, if you look at the chances and that we had the same number of chances."
• It was the second time in three matches the Earthquakes had kept the game scoreless into the final quarter of the match, only to concede multiple goals in short order. The Columbus Crew scored three goals from the 69th minute on Aug. 8.
• "But it just seems that we're getting punished for our odd mistake and we don't really capitalize on the other team's slips here and there. One-nil has a great chance. If you hit the target, make it 1-0, it's a different game," Yallop said. "But we're just not quite getting it done; it's frustrating. A couple of guys out through injury, which didn't help -- and suspension -- but I still think we still had enough to at least get a draw tonight."
• With the three weeks off between matches, the Earthquakes did play a couple of friendlies. They defeated a team of local league all-stars 6-0, then played El Salvador's CD Aguila to a scoreless draw on Sept. 8 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes held on for the tie despite having Shea Salinas sent off in the 77th minute.
• Here's Yallop's team: Andrew Weber, Jamil Roberts (Chris Leitch 46), Jason Hernandez, Fabio da Silva, Mike Zaher (Ismael Ibarra 83), Quincy Amarikwa (Shea Salinas 46), Andre Luiz (Bobby Convey 65), Antonio Ribeiro (Aaron Pitchkolan 80), Ramiro Corrales, Chris Wondolowski, Ryan Johnson.
• "I thought for us, being a man down, at least we kept a clean sheet. We should've finished our chances to score," Yallop said. "At least you're creating chances, which is good in any game. I think overall we should have won the match. To not concede a goal after going down to 10 men was important."
• Da Silva was given starts and full runouts in both friendlies, but on the roster freeze deadline, he was released.
• In addition, the Quakes suffered a blow in their bid for another late-season charge when Darren Huckerby underwent hip surgery and will be lost for the remainder of the season. Of his six goals and four assists in his first season last year, three of those goals (and one assist) came in the month of September.
COLORADO RAPIDS
The Colorado Rapids saw their brief two-game winning streak come to an end, Toronto FC winning the back end of their home-and-home series, 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. The Rapids have 36 points from 25 matches, sitting in a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference, four points in arrears of the Houston Dynamo.TEAM NEWS
• Toronto FC and the Colorado Rapids were meeting in the back end of their home-and-home series, a Conor Casey giving Colorado the 1-0 win in Commerce City. TFC was back home after suffering two losses and a scoreless draw on a three-game road swing, while the Rapids were coming off their first back-to-back wins since the second and third weeks of the season.
• Toronto opened the scoring in the 19th minute, when Marvell Wynne put in a cross from the right flank where Dwayne De Rosario nipped in front of teammate Pablo Vitti to collect the ball and fire home through a tangle of players for his 10th goal on the season and TFC's first in 314 minutes.
• But Colorado were level just four minutes after the second-half restart when Kosuke Kimura cross from the right corner fell perfectly for Casey at the far post, and he headed back inside the right post for his league-leading 13th goal on the season.
• Yet TFC took control with two goals three minutes apart. In the 71st minute, rookie O'Brian White scored his second career goal, rounding a defender to get onto the end of a De Rosario through ball and sending a wonderful flick over Preston Burpo inside the right post. Then in the 74th minute, Nana Attakora got onto the end of a corner kick to head home his first professional goal.
• The Rapids pulled a goal back late when Michael Holody poked home a ball from a crowded penalty area, his first professional goal.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made two changes to the team from the opening game of the home-and-home series with TFC. Preston Burpo came in between the posts for the injured Matt Pickens, and Greg Dalby replaced Mehdi Ballouchy.
• Here's Smith's team (4-1-3-2): Preston Burpo - Kosuke Kimura, Julien Baudet, Drew Moor, Jordan Harvey (Michael Holody 83) - Greg Dalby - Jacob Peterson, Nick LaBrocca, Pat Noonan (Scott Palguta 46) - Conor Casey (Facundo Diz 76), Omar Cummings. Substitutes Not Used: Steward Ceus, Ty Harden, Ross Schunk, Rob Valentino
• "It's disappointing," said Smith. "This is a tough place to play with a makeshift group, I thought we did a wonderful job of trying to get something out of the game."
TEAM NEWS
• Preston Burpo was given the start after first-choice goalkeeper Matt Pickens injured his knee during a training session the week before the match. Burpo had last started a league match April 25, the last of four consecutive matches where the veteran was in the team. Pickens was expected to miss 2-3 weeks.
• "For goalkeepers who haven't played, it is tough coming into a big atmosphere, a big game, and getting into the pace of it," Smith said. "He'll be disappointed he's conceded three goals, that's for sure."
• There were other changes. Jamie Smith will be lost for the season with a knee injury suffered against Houston, and Pat Noonan started back-to-back games against Toronto after starting just two of the previous seven games. Mehdi Ballouchy also did not make the trip to Canada, as Greg Dalby made just his second start of the campaign.
• "The reality is, a group that's pretty much decimated with injuries and suspensions have given a wonderful account of themselves," Smith said. "On many occasions we might have got something out of this. Sadly we haven't today."
• The week after making his professional debut, Michael Holody scored his first MLS goal, bringing the Rapids back to within a goal. Holody had spent much of the year on loan at USL-2 Real Maryland before returning to the MLS side. "You just get situations in games that you can't get in training, so I think it has helped." he said.
• The game in Toronto started a stretch of five games out of the final seven where the Rapids will be playing away from Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Colorado has won eight of 13 games at home, taking 27 of a possible 39 points; they've won just twice away from Commerce City, taking nine of a possible 33 points.
• "We want to put the two top teams [Houston and LA] under pressure but we don't want to set our sights too highly or be too unrealistic, because that would have an adverse effect," Smith said. "Our challenge is to get into the playoffs and be in that shakeup at the end of the season."
