MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes weekly update

Published on February 2, 2004 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


Misc. Notes

Preseason Training

The Earthquakes returned to the training field on Tuesday, Feb. 3 for the first practice of 2004 and the first practice under new head coach Dominic Kinnear and assistant coach John Doyle. After a team meeting, the Quakes went through a short workout despite a heavy rain at a soggy West Valley College. The Quakes will continue to train at West Valley until Feb. 19, when they travel to Spain for their second consecutive La Manga Cup in La Manga, Spain. The Earthquakes will join eight other teams in this year's La Manga Cup, including the MetroStars and the Dallas Burn from MLS. The other teams in the tournament are Bodo Glimt, Viking, Odd Grenland and Stabaek from the Norwegian Tippeligaen, Dinamo Kiev from the Ukranian First Division and Gif Sundsvall from Switzerland's first division. The teams will be divided into three groups for preliminary games. The Quakes play Gif Sundsvall and Stabaek in preliminary round matches. San Jose returns from Spain on March 6 and will then prepare for their quarterfinal match-up against LD Alajuelense in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Earthquakes face Alajuelense on Wednesday, March 17 in Alajuela, Costa Rica at 6:00 p.m. PT and then return home to play the Costa Rican powerhouse on Wednesday, March 24 at 7:30 p.m. PT at Spartan Stadium.

Donovan Ready For Olympic Qualifying

Earthquakes forward Landon Donovan remains with the United States Under-23 National Team as they continue to prepare for CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying in Guadalajara, Mexico. Donovan and the U.S. open the qualifying tournament on Feb. 3 against Panama at 6:00 p.m. PT. Donovan and the U.S. next play Canada on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. PT and Honduras on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 11:00 a.m. PT in first round Group A play at Estadio Tres de Marzo. Fans can follow the matches live via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker. The semifinals and finals will be Feb. 10-12 at Estadio Jalisco. The top two finishers in Group A and Group B (Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago) will advance to the semifinals. The two semifinal winners earn automatic berths to the 2004 Athens Olympics in August. Donovan led the U.S. to a 3-2 exhibition victory over the Mexican club team Atlas on Jan. 29, scoring the first two goals of the game.

Ekelund and Mullan Re-Sign

The Earthquakes announced that midfielders Ronnie Ekelund and Brian Mullan have signed new contracts with Major League Soccer and the Earthquakes. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed. Ekelund, 31, will begin his fourth season with the team following a one goal, three assist year in 2003. The Glostrup, Denmark native played in 22 regular season matches and three playoff games in the Quakes run to the MLS Cup. Ekelund scored the first goal of MLS Cup on a direct kick just five minutes into the match. Ekelund also recorded an assist in the 2003 playoffs. Mullan, 25, has signed a multi-year contract extension after enjoying the best season of his MLS career in 2003. In his third year in the league and first with San Jose, he was the Quakes second leading scorer, registering career highs in games played (30), minutes (2,723), goals (6), assists (9) and points (21). Mullan was one of only two Quakes players to start and play in every game in 2003.

Mulrooney To Train With U.S. National Team

Earthquakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney continues his busy off-season as he travels to Florida this Wednesday. After starting for the U.S. in a 1-1 tie vs. Denmark in January, Mulrooney has been invited by U.S. National Team head coach Bruce Arena to be a part of the 17-man training camp roster for sessions at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. from Feb. 4-13. Mulrooney will be vying for a spot on the U.S. roster for a Feb. 18 match vs. Holland in Amsterdam. Kickoff for the match at the Amsterdam ArenA is set for 11:30 a.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

Injury Update

Two Quakes did not practice with the team on Tuesday as they continue to recover from off-season surgery. Defender Todd Dunivant remained sidelined as he rehabilitates from December arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The second year player is expected back in about a week. Midfielder Brian Mullan also missed practice and will miss about two weeks of full training as he continues to recover from mid-January arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. 2003 Goalkeeper of the Year Pat Onstad has entered full practice, but continues to rehab from off-season surgery on his left ankle.

Draftees Take The Field

The Earthquakes draft class of 2004 took to the practice field for the first time on Tuesday. Ryan Cochrane (Santa Clara) Steve Cronin (Santa Clara), Mike Wilson (Stanford), Marin Pusek (Alabama-Birmingham) and Tighe Dombrowski (Wisconsin-Milwaukee) all participated in the Quakes first official training session of 2004. Quakes third round selection Lindon Pecorelli (Connecticut) is remaining at school until graduation and will join the team at a later date.

Invited Guests

In addition to the Quakes returning players and the five recently drafted players in attendance, head coach Dominic Kinnear and assistant coach John Doyle invited former Santa Clara forward Matt Upton and former San Jose State midfielder Frank Sanfilippo to train with the club. Upton was the Broncos captain in 2003, starting 19 matches to help the team to the NCAA College Cup. Sanfilippo was originally drafted by the Earthquakes in 2003, but opted to return to school for another year at San Jose State. The Quakes still retain Sanfilippo's MLS rights. The midfielder was named to the 2003 National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Far West Region second team.

A Walker In Scotland

Earthquakes forward Jamil Walker returned on Saturday, Jan. 31 from a week-long training session with Scottish First Division power Glasgow Celtic. Walker practiced with Celtic's first team and enjoyed the sessions that were arranged by his managing group, IMG.

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Major League Soccer Stories from February 2, 2004


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