Quakes aim to extend streak at Chivas
San Jose plays first of two final road games Saturday
THE HOME DEPOT CENTER, Carson, Calif.
Oct. 17, 2009 (WEEK 31) / MLS Game #216
7:30 p.m. PT (FSN-PT)
Having once again reversed their fortunes, Chivas USA continues their drive toward the top seed in the Western Conference for the MLS Cup Playoffs when they meet the San Jose Earthquakes at The Home Depot Center. Chivas comes into the weekend in a three-way tie with Houston and the LA Galaxy, but have a game in hand on both. Chivas is also the only team with a realistic chance of overhauling Columbus for the Supporters' Shield. The Earthquakes are playing the second of a season-ending three-game road swing, coming off a buoying late draw at Toronto FC.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Adam Garner; JAR (opposite): Jeff Hosking; 4th: Baldomero Toledo MLS Career: 102 games; FC/gm: 28.0; Y/gm: 3.6; R: 32; pens: 39
INJURY REPORT: CHIVAS USA - OUT: DF Jim Curtin (L ankle surgery); MF Kevin Harmse (R knee tendonitis); GK Dan Kennedy (R knee surgery); FW Ante Razov (R ankle tendonitis); MF Bojan Stepanovic (R knee injury); MF Sasha Victorine (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: GK Lance Parker (R quad strain); FW Maicon Santos (R knee injury); GK Zach Thornton (lower back strain); PROBABLE: FW Justin Braun (lower back strain); MF Paulo Nagamura (L foot contusion); FW Jesús Padilla (R ankle sprain) ... SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES - OUT: MF Darren Huckerby (R hip surgery); MF Andre Luiz (L knee sprain); DF Jason Hernandez (L ankle fracture/sprain); FW Chris Wondolowski (R knee sprain); FW Cornell Glen (R knee sprain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Eduardo Lillingston, Jesse Marsch ... SJ: Quincy Amarikwa
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura, Bojan Stepanovic, Mariano Trujillo ... SJ: Arturo Alvarez, Bobby Convey, Ramiro Corrales, Darren Huckerby, Ryan Johnson, Chris Leitch, Brandon McDonald, Aaron Pitchkolan, Shea Salinas, Chris Wondolowski
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (8 meetings): Chivas USA 3 wins, 8 goals ... Earthquakes 2 wins, 9 goals ... Ties 3
AT CARSON: (4 meetings): Chivas USA 1 win, 3 goals ... Earthquakes 1 win, 3 goals ... Ties 2
• Since San Jose returned to the league last year, Chivas USA is undefeated against the northern California, winning three of the four meetings, including a 1-0 victory in the first meeting this year.
• The teams renewed their rivalry after a two-year hiatus a year ago with Chivas USA winning two of three encounters, and not allowing a goal in any of the matches.
• Chivas has won each of the last two meetings, both at Buck Shaw Stadium, by 1-0 scorelines - and Justin Braun has scored the game's lone goal in each.
• When Chivas USA defeated the Earthquakes in the first meeting last season, it was their first win ever against San Jose.
• When the Earthquakes were previously in the league, in Chivas USA's inaugural season of 2005, the then-expansion club did not win any of the four meetings. After draws in the first two meetings, the Quakes took the second two, once at each home ground.
• The 3-3 draw between the clubs on April 9, 2005 at Spartan Stadium, though, was the first point registered by Chivas USA and their first goals second, in the second game of their history.
• Coaches record: Preki v SJ: P4 W3 L0 D1 ... Frank Yallop vs. CHV: P11 W2 L6 D3
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/2: SJ 0, CHV 1 (Braun 53)
•Chivas USA extended their unbeaten streak to four games vs. San Jose with a 1-0 victory in the first meeting this season, May 2 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• The game's lone goal came in the 53rd minute. Jonathan Bornstein floated a harmless cross from the left flank, and as it dropped in between goalkeeper Joe Cannon and defender Nick Garcia, they hesitated and Justin Braun was able to slip in and poke the ball home.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Leitch (Aaron Pitchkolan 53), Kelly Gray, Nick Garcia, Eric Denton - Shea Salinas (Quincy Amarikwa 62), Ramiro Corrales, Simon Elliott, Bobby Convey - Arturo Alvarez, Pablo Campos (Ryan Johnson 58). Substitutes Not Used: Brandon McDonald, Cam Weaver, Andrew Weber, Michael Zaher
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Zach Thornton - Mariano Trujillo, Carey Talley, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein - Sacha Kljestan, Jesse Marsch, Paulo Nagamura, Bojan Stepanovic (Gerson Mayen 79) - Justin Braun (Maykel Galindo 60), Eduardo Lillingston (Sasha Victorine 74). Substitutes Not Used: Miguel Benitez, Chukwudi Chijindu, Jim Curtin, Jorge Flores
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA won for the second match and stretched their undefeated streak to five games with a 2-0 win Saturday at The Home Depot Center. Chivas have 44 points from 27 matches, now in a tie for first place in the Western Conference with the LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo, with a game in hand over both.
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA extended their unbeaten streak to four games and kept their hopes alive for top spot in the Western Conference with a crucial 2-0 win at D.C. United the week before. The Wizards also extended their unbeaten run to four games, yet saw their playoff dreams dwindle with a 1-1 draw against a 10-man Houston Dynamo.
• The game's two goals came in a three-minute period late in the second half. In the 72nd minute, Sacha Kljestan hammered a free kick goalward from some 25 yards out, and Kevin Hartman pushed it aside at full stretch. But defender Yamith Cuesta chased down the rebound and sent back into the six, where Justin Braun hooked into the roof of the goal for his second on the season.
• Chivas doubled the lead in the 74th minute. Eduardo Lillingston clipped a short pass to Kljestan, who wove through a pair of Kansas City defenders into the area before slotting home past Hartman for his fifth goal of the season, all since Aug. 22.
• Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton was credited with two saves in recording his league-leading 12th clean sheet of the season.
• Chivas USA coach Preki made one change to the team that defeated D.C. United 2-0 at RFK Stadium the week before. With Jonathan Bornstein away on international duty, Claudio Suarez made his first start of 2009.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Zach Thornton - Carey Talley, Yamith Cuesta, Claudio Suarez (Mariano Trujillo 46), Ante Jazic - Jesus Padilla (Jesse Marsch 46), Michael Lahoud (Eduardo Lillingston 55), Paulo Nagamura, Sacha Kljestan - Justin Braun, Maykel Galindo. Substitutes Not Used: Chukwudi Chijindu, Jon Conway, Jorge Flores, Shavar Thomas
TEAM NEWS
• Sacha Kljestan continued his late-season return to form. All five of his goals on the year have come in the last eight games, since scoring twice Aug. 22 vs. Toronto FC.
• "He's been more committed, he has more of a sense of urgency, he's better defensively," Preki said. "I always told him 'when you are pretty good defensively, then your offense will come more natural to you because that's the talent that you have.' I think it's something he's been doing better. He's been committed defensively and it carries into the offense."
• With three games remaining, Chivas USA will have a game in hand over the remainder of the league this weekend; the Red-and-White play twice over the season's final week. They still have a chance to claim the Supporter's Shield - Columbus can clinch it, however, with a victory against D.C. United and the failure of Chivas to defeat San Jose.
• "It's a personal goal of mine to get the Supporters' Shield. It's big -- it shows that over a season you're the best team in the league," Kljestan said. "Columbus may have it wrapped up pretty soon depending on how they do, but I think if we can finish the season strong, we might have a good chance."
• More importantly, Chivas hold a game in hand over their Western Conference regular-season title contenders - who all play each other. The LA Galaxy and Houston Dynamo meet Sunday, then Chivas plays Houston next Thursday.
• "The most important one is this weekend coming up against San Jose, a team that is out of the playoffs but have been playing well lately," Kljestan said. "To move to 47 points that weekend, and I think that Galaxy and Houston play each other, pending that result maybe we're in first by ourselves and we kind of put a little separation going into the final hard week with two games in three days to finish the season."
• Chivas USA have posted shutouts in four of their last five games, meaning they've started and ended the year with sterling defensive streaks. The rojiblancos collected clean sheets in six of their first nine games on the season, allowing just three goals in that time.
• "The whole team, not just the back four, prides itself on our defense," said defender Ante Jazic. "We keep clean sheets and everyone works hard. We have a good thing going right now; we just have to maintain it in the playoffs."
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes came back to deal Toronto FC's playoff hopes a real blow, playing to a 1-1 draw at BMO Field on Saturday afternoon. The Earthquakes have 29 points from 28 matches on the year, still in eighth place in the Western Conference.
LAST MATCH
• Toronto FC were back home after a 2-2 draw at the Chicago Fire two weeks earlier that extended their road winless run to seven games. The Earthquakes had been officially eliminated from playoff consideration with their midweek home loss.
• The Reds took the lead just after halftime. Dwayne De Rosario took a pass on the right flank and curled in a cross that skipped through the box and all the way past the left post. Defender Nana Attakora ghosted in behind everyone and knocked the ball home from a tight angle for his second goal on the season.
• But the Quakes put on the pressure down the stretch and finally hit for the equalizer three minutes into added time. Chris Leitch corraled a loose ball and whipped in a cross from the right. The ball took a slight deflection but still fell to the feet of Cornell Glen, and he hammered home a half-volley through a sea of bodies for his third goal of 2009.
• San Jose head coach Frank Yallop made one changes from the side that lost 2-1 to FC Dallas the Wednesday before at Buck Shaw Stadium. Jason Hernandez came into the back four in place of Michael Zaher.
• Here's Yallop's team (4-4-2): Joe Cannon - Chris Leitch, Bobby Burling, Brandon McDonald, Jason Hernandez (Quincy Amarikwa 59) - Shea Salinas (Cornell Glen 77), Ramiro Corrales, Antonio Ribeiro, Bobby Convey - Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski. Substitutes Not Used: Aaron Pitchkolan, Jamil Roberts, Andrew Weber, Michael Zaher
TEAM NEWS
• Cornell Glen had missed three consecutive games before making substitute appearances in both games over the last week, coming off a knee sprain. But he made his few minutes count against Toronto, scoring for the first time since Aug. 2.
• "He's not trained really at all in 4 weeks; he played for 5 minutes against Dallas and tonight he comes on and plays about 15 minutes. He's not game-fit at all - it's really just good to get him on the field as a goal scorer," Yallop said. "He's dangerous around the goal - when he does get chances he tends to score."
• The Quakes might have been eliminated from the playoff chase just three days before, but still battled to the end - even with a near cross-country flight in between - and snatched the late leveler.
• It was nice to get on the other side of things and grab a result. I think this bodes well for our organization and our fans too -- you know we're not going to give up, we're not in the playoff race anymore but this group of guys are still going to work hard for the result and try to make our fans proud," said goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
• The Quakes were able to turn the tables in getting the stoppage-time equalizer - they have conceded 12 goals in the final 15 minutes of play in matches this year, most in MLS.
• "We didn't give up," Yallop said. "There wasn't any blame that we were losing 1-0, and this team is now in great spirits from now being able to see it is possible to achieve what we want to achieve in this league."
• But there was another injury blow for Jason Hernandez, who came down awkwardly while trying to clear a ball in the second half in Toronto. "He's not only fractured the ankle, but his torn the ligaments as well," said manager Frank Yallop. "He'll be out for a long time." Hernandez had missed more than half the season with first a calf injury, then a hamstring strain.
