MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Weekly Update

Published on September 2, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


The Earthquakes clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season last Saturday night despite a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids. Frank Yallop's squad will attempt to regroup this Sunday, September 7 against the New England Revolution at 12:30 p.m. PT. The match is the second game of a doubleheader at Spartan Stadium, as the United States Women's National Team takes on Mexico at 10:00 a.m. in the first match. The first match is the U.S. Women's last game before to the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. The Quakes have gone unbeaten against the Revolution in their last six matches (5-0-1) after the teams battled to a 1-1 draw in their last meeting on August 16.

Last Match Rapids 2, Earthquakes 1; Saturday, August 30, 2003; Spartan Stadium; San Jose, Calif.

The San Jose Earthquakes saw their six-game unbeaten streak come to an end Saturday night at Spartan Stadium following a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids, but the Quakes managed to secure a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs thanks to the Los Angeles Galaxy's 2-1 win over the Dallas Burn. The Earthquakes become the first team in the league to clinch a playoff spot in 2003. The Rapids were able to take the lead in the 21st minute when Mark Chung scored on Colorado's first shot of the game. Rapids forward Chris Carierri controlled a loose ball on the right side of the field near the centerline, and passed the ball to Chung at the corner of the Quakes penalty area. Chung moved into the box and dished a pass to John Spencer in the middle of the area. Spencer immediately sent the ball back to a streaking Chung, who volleyed a shot over diving Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad into the upper right corner for a 1-0 lead. The Quakes pressure finally paid off when they tied the score in the 59th minute on Mullan's sixth goal of the season. Russell swung a ball into the penalty box from the right flank to the back post. Eddie Robinson rose above his defender and headed the ball back to Mullan in front of the goal. Mullan eluded his defender and then slotted the ball past Garlick to tie the game 1-1. Colorado regained the lead in the 67th minute on a Spencer goal from close range. Carrieri received a pass on the right wing from Kyle Beckerman and then slid a cross to Spencer 10 yards from the goal, which he buried past a diving Onstad.

Last Match vs. Revolution

Earthquakes 1, Revolution 1; Saturday, August 16, 2003; Gillette Stadium; Foxboro, Mass.

The San Jose Earthquakes extended their road unbeaten streak to seven games with a 1-1 tie against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. The unbeaten streak ties a Major League Soccer record and sets a team record, as the Quakes completed a three-game road trip 2-0-1. Ronnie Ekelund scored for San Jose in the first half, but the Revolution tied the game early in the second half. The match was suspended in between the two overtime periods due to a thunder and lightning storm, but play resumed and the game finished in a tie after a 26-minute delay. The game started off poorly for the Earthquakes as forward Brian Ching went down in the 10th minute with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Ramiro Corrales entered the game in midfield and Brian Mullan moved to forward to replace Ching. Quakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad was called upon to make two strong saves in the 13th minute after play resumed following Ching's injury. On the first, Brian Kamler got in behind the Quakes defense to the right of Onstad. Kamler shot near post, but Onstad slid to block the shot out for a corner. On the corner, Jose Cancela played a quick pass and got the ball back before sending a cross on net, which was deflected, but Onstad tipped it over the bar. Ekelund put San Jose on the board first with a perfectly placed free kick to the far upper corner in the 23rd minute. Rusty Pierce fouled Landon Donovan at the edge of the penalty area to set up the goal. Ekelund drove the ball with his right foot over the top of the wall and straight into the upper corner past the dive of Revolution goalkeeper Adin Brown. Taylor Twellman equalized for the Revolution seven minutes after halftime with a left-footed shot to the far post. Twellman received a pass from Kamler inside the penalty box and eluded a defender before firing a shot that was deflected past Onstad and into the lower corner. The goal ended Onstad's shutout streak at 398 minutes. He had not allowed a goal since the Quakes match against D.C. United on July 19.

Misc. Notes

Vote for Goal of the Month

To vote for the Earthquakes August Goal of the Month, media members should email their vote to the Earthquakes media relations department at jed.mettee@sjearthquakes.com.

U.S. Women's Send-Off Game Set For Spartan

The United States Women's National Team will play its final send-off match just two weeks before the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup at Spartan Stadium as part of an exciting Bay Area soccer doubleheader that will feature the San Jose Earthquakes vs. the New England Revolution in the day's second game. The U.S. Women will face Mexico on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 10:00 a.m. PT on ESPN2, followed by the Earthquakes vs. Revolution at 12:30 p.m. PT. Tickets for the match range from $20 to $50 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Earthquakes Ticket Office at 3550 Stevens Creek Blvd., by logging on to www.sjearthquakes.com, by calling Ticketmaster at 408-998-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, 925-685-TIXS or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet, including Tower Records, Rite Aid, and Ritmo Latino. Group discounts of 20 or more are available by calling 408-985-GOAL. All requests for media credentials must be made through U.S. Soccer.

Familiar Face at Spartan

San Jose will welcome a familiar face back to Spartan Stadium this weekend as former NASL Earthquakes great Leonardo Cuellar returns to San Jose as the head coach of the Mexican Women's National Team. Cuellar played with the Earthquakes for three seasons from 1982-1984 and appeared in 71 games. He also earned 41 caps for the Mexican National Team and was part of Mexico's World Cup squad in 1978.

Earthquakes vs. El Salvador

The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the team will play the national team of El Salvador in an international exhibition match at Spartan Stadium on Tuesday, September 16 at 8:00 p.m. PT. The Earthquakes own the best record in Major League Soccer and are on top of the Western Conference with an 11-4-7 record and 40 points. El Salvador has also put together an impressive year that saw them defeat Mexico 2-1 on July 6 and later advance to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup before losing to Costa Rica. Tickets for the September 16 game are on sale now. Ticket prices for the Earthquakes vs. El Salvador are $45, $30 and $20. Tickets can be purchased by visiting the Earthquakes Ticket Office at 3550 Stevens Creek Blvd., by logging on to www.sjearthquakes.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 408-998-TIXS, 415-421-TIXS, 510-625-TIXS, 925-685-TIXS, or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet, including Tower Records, Rite Aid, and Ritmo Latino. Discounted tickets for groups of 20 or more are available by calling 408-985-GOAL.

Earthquakes season credentials will be valid for this match.

Quakes in Vancouver

The Earthquakes spent Labor Day in Vancouver, BC as they took on the A-League's Whitecaps FC in an exhibition match at Swangard Stadium. The Earthquakes rallied in thrilling fashion from a three-goal deficit to defeat the Whitecaps 4-3 behind two goals from Manny Lagos and a goal each from Dwayne De Rosario and Eddie Robinson. After falling behind 3-0 in the 48th minute, the Earthquakes exploded in the second half for four unanswered goals, including the final two by midfielder Lagos to take the win. Lagos netted the game-winner in the 81st minute on a perfect blast from nearly 25-yards away that soared over the Whitecaps goalkeeper and into the net. Ronnie Ekelund earned the game-winning assist after setting Lagos up in the center of the field. De Rosario's goal was the first of the season for him. The Quakes have now beaten Whitecaps FC in all three meetings between the two teams.

Quakes in the Community

-Friday, September 5 - Pat Onstad will be attending San Carlos Youth Soccer League's Soccerama from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. to sign autographs.

-Saturday, September 6 - Craig Waibel will be kicking off the festivities for the opening day of Mt. Hamilton's Youth Soccer League. Waibel will be there from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. serving as a honorary coach.

Caution Points

The Quakes are currently tied for the fewest caution points in the league as the team has received just 35 cautions in the 2003 season. The team is tied with the Chicago Fire for fewest cautions. The Quakes won the Team Fair Play award in 2001 by receiving the fewest cautions in MLS (37).

Faria Update

Newly acquired Earthquakes forward Rodrigo Faria, who has been in Brazil attending to personal business and visa complications, has had his visa approved and will join the Quakes has soon as he receives the proper paperwork.

Playoffs Clinched

The Quakes became the first team in MLS to clinch a spot in the playoffs on Saturday night despite their 2-1 loss to Colorado. The Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the Dallas Burn 2-1 to put the Quakes into the playoffs with eight games remaining. This is the earliest the Quakes have clinched a playoff spot under Frank Yallop. In 1996, 2001 and 2002, the team clinched with five games remaining.

Six Games Unbeaten, Three Different Times

The Earthquakes had their six-game unbeaten streak snapped by the Rapids on Saturday night, losing 2-1. Three times in 2003 San Jose has put together a six-game unbeaten streak, but the team has lost each time it has attempted to extend the streak to seven. On May 31, the Chicago Fire beat the Quakes 4-1 and on July 12 Colorado earned a 2-0 win over San Jose. San Jose had never had three separate six-game unbeaten streaks in a single season in its history and is the only team to accomplish the feat in MLS this season.

Quick Notes

-The Earthquakes have allowed a league-low 23 goals against in 2003.
-The Quakes have allowed a league-low 10 goals on the road and have scored a league-high 18 road goals this season.
-San Jose leads MLS in assists with 39.

Shutout Streak

The Quakes had put together a 241-minute shutout streak at Spartan Stadium before Mark Chung's goal in the 21st minute on Saturday for Colorado. The Quakes had not allowed a goal at home since July 12 against Colorado.

Assist for Eddie

Eddie Robinson notched his first assist of 2003 on Saturday against Colorado, setting up Brian Mullan's 59th minute tally. The assist was Robinson's first since July 20, 2002 and the second of the defender's career.

Hot at Spartan

Brian Mullan has had great success finding the back of the net for the Quakes at Spartan Stadium. After netting a goal against the Rapids on Saturday, the third-year pro has scored five of his six goals this season in the friendly confines of Spartan.

Onstad's Hot August

The Canadian international goalkeeper led the Quakes to a 3-1-1 record in the month of August to help the Quakes to a sizable lead on top of the Western Conference. Behind Onstad's play the Quakes became the first team to clinch a playoff spot in 2003 as he posted three shutouts in five games to give him a league-leading nine for the season. Onstad broke the San Jose club record for shutouts in a season on August 24 with a 1-0 shutout of D.C. United. In the month, Onstad allowed just three goals in five matches for a 0.59 goals against average. He now leads MLS in wins (11), goals against average (0.82), shutouts (9) and catch/punches (91).

Top 10

With his goal Saturday against the Rapids, Brian Mullan tied Landon Donovan and Brian Ching for the team lead in goals with six on the season. The goal also put Mullan into eighth place overall in MLS in scoring with 19 points, one spot ahead of Donovan, who is ninth with 17 points. Mullan is also tied for third in the league in assists with seven.

Yallop Dominating vs. Revs

Since becoming the Earthquakes head coach prior to the 2001 season, Frank Yallop has not lost to the Revolution in six matches, posting a 5-0-1 record. In those six games, the Quakes have outscored the Revs 15-5.

Leading Scorers vs. Revolution Troy Dayak has been a "Beast" against the New England Revolution during his career, having scored five of his seven career goals against the Revs, while also notching two assists. He is the Quakes leader in points against the Revs. Manny Lagos has had success against New England also with 11 points on four goals and three assists.

Earthquakes - Revolution Connections

Revolution defender Carlos Llamosa and Earthquakes defender Jeff Agoos were teammates from 1997-2000 on D.C. United, winning two MLS Cups...Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop and assistant coach Dominic Kinnear were teammates with Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston on the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1998. Yallop coached Ralston and Kinnear as an assistant with the Mutiny in 1999...Earthquakes Brian Ching, Brian Mullan and Craig Waibel were teammates on the L.A. Galaxy with Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis in 2001...Waibel, Mullan and Reis were also teammates in 2002 on L.A.

History vs. Revs

Landon Donovan had a performance to remember against the Revolution on August 8, 2001, as he equaled the club record for points in a game with six (two goals and two assists). After scoring the Quakes first two goals of the game, he later assisted on a Junior Agogo goal and another by Manny Lagos to cap his historic evening. He tied the club record set by Eric Wynalda on June 30, 1996 against Tampa Bay.

Revs To Watch

New England midfielder Steve Ralston has 15 career points vs. the Earthquakes with two goals and 11 assists. Forward Joe-Max Moore has 14 points with five goals and four assists.

Alvarez Returns To Quakes

Earthquakes rookie midfielder Arturo Alvarez rejoined the Earthquakes on Aug. 29 after playing in The L'Alcudia Tournament in Spain from Aug. 21-Aug. 28. The L'Alcudia Tournament is the U-20's final event before the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships, and the team finished in third place after defeating Russia 5-3 on penalty kicks on Aug. 28. Alvarez was one of six U.S. players to convert from the penalty spot to give the team the win. The U-20's advanced to the knockout round after drawing 0-0 with Slovenia in their final group match. In their earlier two group games in the eight-team tournament, the U-20s defeated Egypt 3-0 and tied Russia 1-1. In the semifinals, the U.S. fell to Uruguay 1-0. The U-20s began the trip with a 1-0 exhibition loss to the reserve team from Spanish club Villareal. The U-20s remain in preparation for the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates from Nov. 27 to Dec. 19.

In September

San Jose has recorded a 14-16-0 record in the month of September in its history and a 2-3-0 record under Frank Yallop in the month.

In August

San Jose finished August with a 3-1-1 to move Frank Yallop's all-time record in August to 6-5-3. The club has an 18-19-3 record in the month of August all-time.

Ever Escalating Point Total

The Earthquakes 1-0 win over D.C. United Sunday, August 24 gave the club 40 points in 2003. San Jose is now just five points away from tying the club record for points in a season (45), which was set in 2001 and equaled in 2002.

Working Overtime

Earthquakes rookie Todd Dunivant was subbed out of a match for the first time this season Saturday against the Rapids. Dunivant was the last remaining Quakes player to have played every minute of every match in 2003. The Quakes have three players amongst the league leaders in minutes played. Jeff Agoos is fifth with 2,043 minutes played, Dunivant is sixth with 2,038 minutes and Brian Mullan is ninth with 1,983.

Road Warriors

The Earthquakes currently own the best road record in MLS. The Quakes 6-1-4 mark and .727 winning percentage is tops in the league and equals the club season record for road wins (6), set in 1996 and equaled in 1997. San Jose has only allowed 10 goals on the road this season, the fewest in the league when away.

Record Breaking Road Streak

By tying the New England Revolution on Aug. 16, the Quakes extended their road unbeaten streak to seven games, equaling the longest road unbeaten streak in MLS history, while breaking the club record streak of six games. The Quakes are tied with D.C. United (1999) and the Los Angeles Galaxy (1997-1998) for the longest road unbeaten streak in league history. The team will have a chance to set the record on September 13 against D.C. United.

Halftime Success

If the Earthquakes enter the half-time break with the lead, recent history suggests they will keep it. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are 33-0-4 in games when leading at the half, including 6-0-1 this year.

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, possessing an 8-0-1 mark when they score the first goal this season. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 37-2-3 record in their last 42 matches when they score the first goal of the game.

Rookie Impact

Earthquakes rookie defender Todd Dunivant made history on July 2 against the MetroStars when he assisted on Brian Ching's goal in the 15th minute. The assist gave Dunivant six points in his rookie campaign, as he tied Wade Barrett for the Quakes rookie record for points in a season set in 1998. Dunivant has a goal and four assists in addition to shutting down some of the best attackers in MLS. Dunivant has made himself a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year with his strong play in the first 21 games of the season. Dunivant has started all 21 games for the Quakes, becoming the first San Jose rookie to ever start the first 21 games of his career. Dunivant was named the Earthquakes Los Gatos Brewing Company Player of the Month for April.

Moving On Up

Several current members of the Earthquakes are moving up in the all-time Earthquakes record books, including Landon Donovan, Richard Mulrooney, Ian Russell, Manny Lagos and Troy Dayak.

Check out the San Jose Earthquakes Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from September 2, 2003


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central