MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Beat Minnesota Thunder 2-0 in Exhibition

Published on July 14, 2002 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


Blaine, MN (Sunday, July 14, 2002) - The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the A-League's Minnesota Thunder 2-0 on Sunday night in an exhibition match that served as a homecoming for Earthquakes midfielder Manny Lagos. Dwayne De Rosario scored for the second straight night and Luchi Gonzalez also found the back of the net for the Quakes, who were playing their second game in as many nights. Lagos, a native of Minnesota, who began his career with the Minnesota Thunder in 1990 and his brother Gerard, a forward for the Thunder, were both inducted into the Thunder Hall of Fame in a pre-game ceremony. Head Coach Frank Yallop and Assistant Coach Dominic Kinnear both saw action in the match.

The Thunder pushed forward early in the match and in the 18th minute, Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Conway was forced to make a difficult save on a free kick by the Thunder's Gerard Lagos. After a foul by Eddie Robinson at the edge of the box, Gerard took a right-footed free kick that got past the wall and swerved towards the corner. Conway shuffled to his right to make the diving stop.

10 minutes later, the Quakes had a chance of their own due to the efforts of rookie Luchi Gonzalez. Gonzalez checked back for a pass in midfield and then turned on his defender to get free behind the defense. Thunder goalkeeper Joe Warren came off his line and knocked the ball off Gonzalez's foot and towards the corner flag. Gonzalez tracked down the loose ball and moved it out to Scott Bower, who switched the ball to Zak Ibsen. Ibsen unleashed a left-footed shot that went high.

De Rosario scored an impressive goal in the closing moments of the first half. Devin Barclay found Chris Roner down the right wing and Roner sent a one-timed cross to the penalty spot. De Rosario leapt and side-volleyed a powerful right-footer into the upper corner, freezing Warren and giving the Quakes a 1-0 lead at halftime.

Three minutes into the second half, Quakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who entered as a sub at halftime, was forced to make a diving save on Orrett Prendergast. Prendergast received a through ball just inside the box and fired towards the far post, but Cannon dove to pull in the shot.

Lagos, who was designated captain for the match, had a strong chance early in the second half for the Quakes. After stealing a ball at midfield, Lagos found Scott Bower on the right wing. Bower took a touch and sent a cross into the box, where Lagos got on the end of it and half-volleyed a shot off the crossbar.

Moments after his opportunity, Lagos was subbed off to a standing ovation from the crowd at the National Sports Center. Cannon made a breakaway save in the 58th minute to keep the Quakes in the lead. After a turnover in the defense, Thunder forward Jakob Fenger got in alone on Cannon. He shot low, but Cannon closed down the space quickly and made a diving save.

Gonzalez gave San Jose a two-goal lead with a goal in the 67th minute after a strong buildup in midfield. Bower found Ariel Graziani on the left wing, where Graziani took a touch and then slid a pass to Gonzalez just inside the 18-yard box. Gonzalez side-stepped two Thunder defenders before slotting a shot into the corner for a 2-0 advantage.

Barclay could have stretched the lead to 3-0 in the 80th minute, but his shot from 15 yards out did not find the mark. Ronnie Ekelund chipped a pass over the defense to Barclay, who brought down the ball with his right foot and then hit a left-footed shot that went high.

The Earthquakes continue their six-day road trip on Wednesday, July 17 as they take on the Seattle Sounders at 7:00 p.m. PT at Interbay Stadium in Seattle, WA. The match is a third round game of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Notes:

-In a pre-game ceremony, Manny Lagos and his brother Gerard, a long-time member of the Thunder, were inducted into the Thunder Hall of Fame. Sunday's match marks the final game of Gerard Lagos' 12-year career with the Thunder. Manny's father, Buzz Lagos coaches the Thunder and helped found the team in 1990. The other two members of the Thunder Hall of Fame are Tony Pesznecker and U.S. World Cup star Tony Sanneh.

-2002 Earthquakes SuperDraft pick Aaron Biddle (Stanford University) started in defense for the Thunder.

-Quakes midfielder Scott Bower made his first appearance of the season for the Quakes on Sunday night. Despite playing in the Thunder exhibition, he is still on the injured reserve for MLS games and unavailable for MLS duty.

-Quakes forward Luchi Gonzalez celebrated his 22nd birthday with a goal against the Thunder.

Quotes:

Frank Yallop, on game: "Great occasion for the Lagos family. We had some fun out there, and it is nice to get players some time. Good to see Scott Bower play his first game, and Luchi Gonzalez scored a goal on his birthday. I thought that the team played very well."

Yallop, on goals: "We scored two good goals. Dwayne (De Rosario) had a spectacular finish."

Manny Lagos, on night: "It was a great night for Minnesota soccer. I was very happy to be a part of a great tribute for my brother (Gerard). He has contributed a lot to the community and to soccer in this area. Players in our generation see themselves as pioneers, and my brother certainly fits in that category."

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