Out of playoffs, Quakes can play spoiler

San Jose has chance to end Toronto FC's playoff hopes with victory in Canada

The Quakes have certainly done their best to scuttle the postseason plans of some teams. San Jose forced Colorado to settle for two draws back in September, and later helped propel D.C. United into their downward spiral by winning on the road for the first time in over 15 months. In midweek, they nearly took points from FCD, only to be undone by Jeff Cunningham's late tally.

But getting a result in Toronto will take some doing, even though the home side will be missing some key performers. TFC will be without Amado Guevara due to international duty, while Carl Robinson and Marvell Wynne are both out injured. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei could also find himself out due to a dislocated finger. That said, TFC are rested, having not played since a 2-2 draw at Chicago on Sept. 26. And given the stakes involved - Toronto lies just three points behind New England for the eighth and final playoff spot -- they should be plenty motivated.

Tipping the scales further in TFC's favor is the fact that San Jose is hurting even more in terms of missing players. The Quakes will try and make due without injured starters Darren Huckerby and Andre Luiz, as well as international performers Arturo Alvarez, Ramon Sanchez and Simon Elliott.

One potential bit of good news is that the Quakes could welcome back defender Jason Hernandez from a hamstring injury, and if he's recovered sufficiently, manager Frank Yallop indicated he'll move Brandon McDonald into the center of midfield, while returning Ramiro Corrales to left back.

"We need some sturdiness in [midfield]," said Yallop. "We need to be more solid and have some toughness."

That's especially the case given the dangerous midfield that Toronto possesses, with players like Julian de Guzman and Dwayne De Rosario giving TFC a huge edge in quality. For that reason, the Quakes will need to make sure they apply the necessary pressure up the field, lest the two have the time and space to pick San Jose apart.

If Hernandez isn't able to go, Yallop indicated he'll go with the same lineup that took the field against Dallas, meaning that it will be up to Corrales and Antonio Ribeiro to provide the midfield grit that Yallop wants. But the San Jose manager insists his team will be ready regardless of Hernandez's health.

"We can't worry about those [absences]," said the San Jose manager. "You've just got to get on with it because that's the league. We've just got to try and do our best."

The Quakes are expected to take a conservative approach, especially since Toronto will be keen to carry the game on an artificial surface that hasn't been kind to San Jose. In fact, the Quakes have yet to win on turf since returning to MLS in 2008. The makeshift nature of their lineup also demands making sure that the team thinks defense first.

"We don't have the experience to hold the ball in hostile places," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon. "The team we have out there, they haven't played together enough. Hopefully none of that means anything and we can come out and deliver a good performance."

But Cannon also warned that San Jose has to pick their spots on when to sit and when to be aggressive in attack.

"We have to be cautious of not trying to come out playing too defensively too early there," he said. "We could be stuck in our end the whole time. The games I've had in Toronto the last two years, they were both 0-0, but I think last year we defended too much."

If the Quakes can strike that balance, then they'll be able to trip up yet another playoff aspirant.

Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com

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