MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Weekly Update

Published on May 26, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


This Week's Match-Up The Earthquakes get back to action this week with two matches after having the Memorial Day weekend off. The Quakes week begins with an exhibition match against the A-League's Seattle Sounders on Wednesday, May 28 at Seahawks Stadium in Seattle at 7:00 p.m. PT. The Quakes will travel to Seattle Wednesday morning and return on Thursday. The Quakes return to MLS play this Saturday, May 31 when they take on the Chicago Fire at 1:00 p.m. PT at Spartan Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2. The teams played to a 0-0 tie on May 10 at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville, Ill. After six games, the Quakes sit on top of the Western Conference with a 4-0-2 record, the best start in club history.

Earthquakes vs. Fire All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 5-6-4
Home: 4-2-1
Away: 1-4-3
Shootout: 1-0 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-4 (2000-01)
Playoffs: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 18, Chicago - 23

Injury Report/Suspensions

Player Injury Status
Ramiro Corrales Ankle Sprain (Right) Questionable
Dwayne De Rosario Torn LCL (Right) Out
Troy Dayak Sports Hernia/Knee (Left) Surgery Out
Ronnie Ekelund Ankle Surgery (Right) Out
Roger Levesque Torn ACL (Right) Out

Last Match

Earthquakes 4, Crew 3; Saturday, May 17, 2003; Spartan Stadium, San Jose, Calif.

The Earthquakes remained unbeaten in 2003 (4-0-2) following a fast-paced and intense 4-3 win over the Columbus Crew at Spartan Stadium. Landon Donovan's goal in the 87th minute proved to be the game winner as the Quakes won the battle of league leaders. The high-scoring affair got off to a quick start when the Earthquakes relentless pressure on the Columbus net finally paid off in the 30th minute when Brian Mullan gave San Jose a 1-0 lead. The Quakes nearly added to their lead several times, with Mullan missing a fine opportunity in the 36th minute. Two minutes later, the Crew tied the game at 1-1 on a penalty kick from Brian McBride, breaking San Jose goalkeeper Pat Onstad's 344-minute scoreless streak. San Jose stormed back to take the lead to open the second half on a beautiful combination between Donovan and Brian Ching in the 49th minute. Donovan gathered in an Agoos header in the middle of the field. He then sent a perfect pass through the middle of the Columbus defense, where Ching was able to run onto the ball in the Crew penalty box and power a shot past a diving Busch for his third goal of the year. The Crew tied the game at 2-2 once again in the 62nd minute on a header by Cunningham. The Quakes responded with a sensational goal five minutes later by Agoos. Following a Dunseth foul on Ching, Agoos smashed a curving free kick from about 25 yards out that slipped into the left corner past Busch to give San Jose a 3-2 lead. Donovan gave the Quakes a cushion when he capped a brilliant attack with a wicked blast past Busch in the 87th minute to give San Jose a 4-2 lead. The Quakes would need the cushion after Columbus made it 4-3 in the 90th minute on a Ross Paule goal. Columbus defender Frankie Hejduk finished a Crew attack with a cross that Paule headed into the net.

Last Match vs. Fire

Earthquakes 0, Fire 0; Saturday, May 10, 2003; Cardinal Stadium; Naperville, IL

The San Jose Earthquakes earned their third consecutive shutout in a 0-0 tie with the Chicago Fire at Cardinal Stadium. With the tie, the Earthquakes have now gone unbeaten on the road in their first three games of the 2003 season. Pat Onstad was outstanding for the Earthquakes in goal, as he made six saves, including three tough stops late in the second half. After a scoreless first half, both teams came out hard in the second half looking for a goal. In the opening moments of the second half, Brian Ching was again in the middle of the attack. Richard Mulrooney sent a free kick to the six-yard box and Ching headed off the post, but the ball deflected out of play. Seventeen minutes after the Ching near miss, Onstad came up with a big save on a blast by Ante Razov. Razov got free 30 yards from goal and shot high to the near post, but Onstad came across his net and punched the ball clear. Moments later it was Thornton's turn to make a game-saving stop. Landon Donovan got away from his defender at the right edge of the penalty box and crossed for Ching. The ball skipped past Ching and found Ramiro Corrales at the back post. Corrales shot to the far post behind Thornton, but Thornton got a hand on the shot and the ball was cleared away by the defense. Onstad made three big stops in the last 20 minutes of regulation to keep his shutout intact. He dove to his right to tip an Andy Williams' drive just past the far post in the 73rd minute. Then in the 80th minute, he went low to deny a chance by Chicago midfielder Evan Whitfield, followed by a save on a Rodrigo Faria shot with five minutes remaining.

Misc. Notes

U.S. National Team - Lagos In the Mix

The Earthquakes will be well represented on Monday, May 26 as the U.S. National Team takes on Wales at Spartan Stadium at 7:00 p.m. PT. Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan, Richard Mulrooney, Brian Ching and Manny Lagos will all be available for Bruce Arena in Monday's match. Lagos was a late replacement for Ramiro Corrales. Corrales left the team after a death in his family over the weekend. Lagos will be looking for his third senior national team cap. He made his debut on December 9, 2001 against South Korea.

Top of the League

The Earthquakes currently boast one of the top defenses in MLS. The Quakes are second in goals against with five goals allowed and have allowed a league low 62 shots over six games. On the road, the Quakes have conceded just one goal in three games.

End of The Shutout Line For Onstad

Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad had his three-game shutout streak broken May 17 against the Columbus Crew. When Brian McBride scored on a penalty kick in the 38th minute, Onstad also saw his 344-minute scoreless streak snapped. Onstad had shut out the Los Angeles Galaxy on April 26 at Spartan Stadium and followed that performance with two straight road shutouts, May 3 against the Revolution and May 10 against the Fire. Onstad's 344-minute scoreless streak is the third longest in team history behind David Kramer's 399 minutes and Joe Cannon's all-time shutout streak of 410 minutes.

Guest Players

Due to recent injuries and national team call-ups, the Earthquakes will bring two guest players with them when they make the trip to Seattle to face the A-League Sounders in an exhibition game on Wednesday. Kapono Lowe, a former Fresno State standout who has been training with the Quakes for the last week and half will travel with the team, as will local San Jose product Nelson Santana. Lowe participated in the Quakes scrimmage against Stanford University and the U.S. National Team last week, while Santana has participated in numerous training sessions and scrimmages with San Jose. Santana was last with the Quakes for their pre-season match vs. Shanghai Shenhua in February.

Earthqukes - Fire Connections

Earthquakes midfielder Manny Lagos played 10 games for the Fire in 1998-99 ... Chicago head coach Dave Sarachan coached the Quakes Jeff Agoos as an assistant coach at D.C. United in 1998-99 ... Chicago midfielder C.J. Brown is from Hayward, Calif. and played college soccer at San Jose State ... Chicago defender Kelly Gray is from San Jose ... Fire midfielder Jesse Marsch and Agoos were teammates on D.C. United from 1996-97.

Leading Scorers vs. Fire

Richard Mulrooney is the Quakes current active leading scorer against the Fire with a goal and two assists in ten games. Jeff Agoos, Manny Lagos and Ian Russell all have scored one goal vs. Chicago in their careers.

History vs. Fire

Landon Donovan recorded his first career assist vs. the Fire on May 26, 2001. Richard Mulrooney scored his first MLS goal against Chicago when he entered as a late-game substitute on July 23, 1999.

Fire To Watch

Fire forward Ante Razov has been solid against the Quakes, recording 14 points in 13 games against San Jose. Razov has five goals and four assists. Midfielder Chris Armas has five points on a goal and three assists, while newly acquired forward Rodrigo Faria has a goal and an assist vs. the Quakes.

Onstad Goes Off

Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad was named to the roster for the Canadian National Team's June 1 international friendly match against Germany in Wolfsburg, Germany. Onstad last played for Canada against Estonia in a 2-1 loss on March 29, 2003. Onstad is a veteran of the Canadian National Team, earning 36 caps and recording 15 international shutouts. Onstad is the longest serving member of the Canadian team, first playing in 1988. Onstad joined the team on Sunday, May 25 and will return to San Jose on June 2. Onstad's absence leaves the Quakes with Jon Conway and Josh Saunders as the alternatives in goal. Neither has seen any action in 2003, but Conway is likely to earn his first start after missing the beginning of the season recovering from a broken right ankle.

Off The Injured List

For the first time in the 2003 regular season, the Earthquakes trio of Eddie Robinson, Ian Russell and Jon Conway are not listed on the injured report. All three played the entire game in the Earthquakes scrimmages against Stanford University and the U.S. National Team last week, and will be available for head coach Frank Yallop this week. Robinson, who was recovering from a strained right hamstring could see action with Troy Dayak on the sidelines with an injury, as could Conway now that goalkeeper Pat Onstad will miss the May 31 game to be with the Canadian National Team.

Troy To The Sidelines

Earthquakes defender Troy Dayak, who had started every game for the Quakes in 2003, underwent successful surgery on Thursday, May 22 in two different areas. He had a minor meniscus tear in his left knee repaired in an arthroscopic surgery. He also had a procedure to repair a sports hernia. Dayak is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks while recovering from these surgeries. The knee surgery was performed by Dr. Arthur Ting, while the sports hernia surgery was performed by Dr. Mike Brown. Dayak is scheduled to begin rehab this week.

Ekelund On The Mend

Earthquakes midfielder Ronnie Ekelund, who had surgery on his right ankle April 18 has begun doing ball work and light running while he recovers. Ekelund is targeting Saturday, June 7 against the Columbus Crew as a potential return date.

In May

With a 4-3 win over the Columbus Crew on May 17, the Earthquakes moved their record in the month of May in their history to 16-15-6. May of 2001 was the best month in San Jose history when the team went 4-0-2.

Historic Start

The Earthquakes win continues the best start in club history after six games with a 4-0-2 record and 14 points. In 1999, the team started 4-2, but earned all four victories by virtue of the shootout and compiled only four points in those six games. The Quakes 14 points in their first six games is the fastest the team has reached that point total ever. In 1999 and 2000, San Jose didn't earn 14 points until the 15th game of the year, while in 1997 San Jose didn't earn 14 points until the 16th game of the season. In 2001 and 2002, the Quakes reached 14 points in their 8th game.

Road Start

After struggling last season with a 2-10-2 record on the road, the Quakes have opened the 2003 campaign with their best road start in club history with two wins and a tie in their first three games. The previous best start on the road came in 1999 when the team started 2-1 on the road.

The Yallop Watch

Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop reached 31 wins for his career in San Jose with the team's win victory over Columbus on Saturday, May 17. Yallop is now just four wins away from the club record of 35 held by Brian Quinn, who coached parts of three seasons from 1997-99.

Goals Under Yallop

The Earthquakes recorded the 100th MLS regular season goal of the Frank Yallop era when Brian Ching slotted a shot past Jon Busch on May 17 in the 49th minute. The Quakes have now scored 102 MLS regular season goals since Yallop took over as head coach prior to the 2001 season.

Making The First One Count

The Earthquakes were 25-2-2 in 2001 and 2002 when finding the back of the net first. The Quakes only gave up leads two times last season, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. The team has continued that trend in 2003, improving to 4-0 when they score the first goal this season. In their past 36 games when scoring the first goal, the Earthquakes have posted a 33-2-2 record, dating back to 2000.

Six In A Row

Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop started the same lineup for the sixth straight game May 17. Due to injuries, suspensions and national team commitments, Yallop was only able to use the same starting lineup back-to-back eight times in 2002, and never used the same lineup three games in a row.

Leading Lagos

Earthquakes midfielder Manny Lagos is one of only three players in MLS to record two assists in the same game in 2003. Lagos chipped in two assists on May 17.

Topping It Off

The 11 total points the Quakes racked up in their 4-3 win over Columbus May 17 is the highest point total scored in MLS this season.

Top Scorers Square Off

Only two teams have scored four goals in an MLS game so far this season, and they will both meet this Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Quakes won 4-3 over the Columbus Crew on May 17, while the Chicago Fire defeated Colorado 4-0 on May 24.

Being Careful With Chicago

The Fire have taken the most penalty kicks in the league this season, scoring three goals on three attempts.

League Leaders

The Earthquakes currently have three players among the top 10 scoring leaders in MLS. Landon Donovan is tied in sixth place with seven points, while forward Brian Ching and midfielder Brian Mullan are tied for seventh place with six points each. Ching is tied for third in the league with three goals in 2003, while Donovan and Manny Lagos are tied for the MLS lead in assists with three. Lagos is also tied for the MLS lead with two game-winning assists. Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad is tied for the league lead in shutouts (3), but is now second in wins (4) and goals against average (0.80 GAA). As a team the Earthquakes are tied for the MLS lead with 37 corner kicks in 2003.

Moving On Up

Earthquakes forward Landon Donovan is currently alone in fourth place on the Earthquakes all-time goal-scoring list with 16. Manny Lagos is tied for eighth place on the all-time goal-scoring list with 11. Donovan is fifth on the Quakes all-time points list with 48 while Richard Mulrooney is currently in eighth 35 points. Lagos is now tied for seventh place with John Doyle with 37 points. Mulrooney is in a tie with Eric Wynalda for third place on the Quakes all-time assists list with 29. Donovan is now alone in sixth place with 16 career assists and forward Dwayne De Rosario is in tenth place with 12. Mulrooney is also alone in fourth place on the Quakes all-time appearances list with 114 and tied for third with 106 games started. Troy Dayak is now tied for sixth place with 103 all-time appearances. Donovan is tied for second place with six game-winning goals.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 26, 2003


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