MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes weekly update

Published on September 20, 2004 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


The Earthquakes will attempt to snap a three-game losing streak Saturday, September 25 against their biggest rival, the Los Angeles Galaxy, at Spartan Stadium. The match kicks off at 7:00 p.m. PT and can be heard live on 1590 KLIV (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish). The game will also be televised in high definition on HDNet. A win would put the Quakes just one point behind the Galaxy in the Western Conference standings.

Earthquakes All-Time Record vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
MLS Regular Season: 9-20-4
Home: 6-8-2
Away: 3-12-2
Shootout: 1-4 (1996-99)
Overtime: 0-0-5 (2000-2003)
Playoffs: 3-3-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-3-0
All-Time Scoring; San Jose - 51, L.A. - 67

Injury Report/Suspensions

Out: Chris Ronér (R - ankle surgery); Questionable: Ramiro Corrales (L - hamstring strain); Dwayne De Rosario (L - groin sprain); Ronnie Ekelund (L - calf strain);

Last Match

Kansas City Wizards 1, Earthquakes 0; Saturday, September 18; Arrowhead Stadium; Kansas City, MO

The San Jose Earthquakes lost 1-0 to the Kansas City Wizards Saturday night on a goal by Diego Gutierrez in the 82nd minute, as the Wizards defeated the Quakes for the first time in six straight MLS regular season games and for the first time since July 27, 2002. Near the end of the half the Quakes picked up the pressure on Kansas City, as Troy Dayak nearly scored in the 44th minute on two consecutive chances. Jeff Agoos sent in a perfect corner kick from the left side that Dayak headed down past Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi, but an alert Kerry Zavagnin standing on the far post was able to kick the ball away. His clearance went into the middle of the box, where a sliding Dayak hit the ball again past Oshoniyi and toward the net, only to see Zavagnin clear the ball away from danger again. The Quakes started to press forward to start the second half and had an opportunity in the 50th minute when Ching headed a long-ball up ahead to Donovan in the penalty area. Donovan beat his defender and Oshoniyi to the ball and then popped a shot over the goalkeeper's head that went just over the crossbar. San Jose continued their attack, and in the 52nd minute Richard Mulrooney dribbled into the middle of the field and fired a hard shot that Oshoniyi was able to save. Onstad was forced to again make a terrific save on Wolff in the 58th minute when Arnaud worked a give-and-go with Wolff near the top of the 18-yard box. Wolff broke into the box with the ball, but a charging Onstad managed to storm off his line and gather the loose ball. The Wizards took a 1-0 lead in the 83rd minute on a transition play when Arnaud broke down the right sideline with the ball. Arnaud then sent a low cross into the middle of the field to an open Diego Gutierrez, who fired a low shot past a diving Onstad that glanced off the left post and into the goal for the 1-0 advantage.

Last Match vs. Galaxy

Los Angeles Galaxy 2, Earthquakes 1; Saturday, September 11, 2004; The Home Depot Center; Carson, CA

The San Jose Earthquakes fell 2-1 to the Los Angeles Galaxy at The Home Depot Center. The Galaxy got out to a 2-0 lead on a first-half Sasha Victorine goal and a 75th minute goal by Arturo Torres, but the Earthquakes battled back, drawing to 2-1 on Ronnie Ekelund's fourth goal of the season in the 77th minute. San Jose desperately attempted to get the equalizer in the final moments, but the Galaxy defense was able to hold on for the win. The Galaxy took a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute on a Victorine goal. Herzog lofted a cross from the left side to the Quakes far post, where Alejandro Moreno was able to head the ball off the crossbar. The ball bounced into the middle of the area, where an open Victorine powered the ball into the net for the 1-0 lead. The Galaxy made it 2-0 in the 75th minute on a goal by Torres. The Galaxy's Peter Vagenas received a pass in the center of the field and dribbled toward the Quakes penalty area. Vagenas held the ball and then slipped a pass through the defense to an open Torres on the left side, who slotted a shot past a diving Onstad. San Jose responded quickly, however, as Ekelund scored in the 77th minute to draw within 2-1. Jeff Agoos launched a free kick from the left side into the Galaxy penalty area, only to see it deflected out to Ekelund at the 18-yard line. Ekelund took a dribble before firing a high shot that bounced off the top of the crossbar and into the net to cut the lead to 2-1.

Misc. Notes

In September

The Earthquakes all time record in the month of September is 18-20-0.

Quakes Auction For Charity

The Earthquakes will host another silent auction on Saturday, Sept. 25 when the Quakes host the Los Angeles Galaxy. The club will auction off the retro NASL jerseys the team wore on Aug. 21 vs. the Dallas Burn. All of the proceeds will benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The jerseys of Todd Dunivant, Troy Dayak, Pat Onstad and Richard Mulrooney will be available for auction, as will a jersey signed by the entire team.

Dominance of Wizards Ends

The Quakes had a six-game unbeaten streak against the Wizards and a three-game winning streak at Arrowhead Stadium snapped last Saturday night with their 1-0 loss. The Wizards last defeated San Jose on July 27, 2002 at Arrowhead Stadium and the last time the Wizards won in San Jose was on Aug. 16, 2000 in a 3-0 win.

Defense Holding Strong

Since the all-star break, the Earthquakes defense has been strong, having allowed just six goals in nine games and the team is now fourth in MLS in fewest goals allowed with 32. The team has posted five shutouts in those nine games, including four in a row from Aug. 14 - Sept. 4.

League Leaders

Earthquakes forward Brian Ching is the league leader in goals scored with 11...Ching is also fifth in MLS in points with 26 on 11 goals and four assists...Quakes forward Landon Donovan has the 12th most points in the league (21) and is third in assists with nine...Three Quakes (Richard Mulrooney, Brian Mullan and Brian Ching) are all amongst the top ten most fouled players in MLS. Mulrooney has been fouled 70 times, Mullan 63 and Ching 62 times.

Milestones

Earthquakes defender Troy Dayak moved into third place all-time in minutes played in San Jose history after playing 90 minutes against the Wizards. Dayak is third all-time in games played (120) in San Jose history and if he starts against the Galaxy on Saturday, he will tie Ronald Cerritos for third all-time in starts (114).

Triple Losses

The Quakes are in the midst of their second three-game losing streak of the season after falling 1-0 to the Wizards on Sept. 18. San Jose also lost three games in a row on July 4 - July 10. This year is the first time that the team has had two separate three-game losing streaks since 1998, when the team had five separate three-game losing streaks.

Quakes In The Community WHEN: Tuesday, September 21 - 6:00 p.m. -7:00pm
WHO: Ramiro Corrales
DETAILS: Ramiro Corrales will be visiting the youth soccer players at the San Jose East Bay Athletic Soccer League and signing autographs for the kids.

WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 22 - 6:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
WHO: Alexi Lalas
DETAILS: Lalas will be signing autographs at Club One Almaden Valley, 5434 Thornwood Dr. in San Jose

WHEN: Friday, September 24 - 6:00 p.m. - 7:00pm
WHO: Player TBD
DETAILS: A San Jose Earthquakes player will be at Ballistic United's Harvest Tournament Coaches Meeting.

WHEN: Saturday, September 25 - 9:30 am to 10:30 am
WHO: Chris Roner
DETAILS: Chris Roner will be at Santa Clara Youth Soccer League's Games at Curtis Fields signing autographs. Curtis Fields is located at 890 Pomeroy Avenue in Santa Clara.

WHEN: Sunday, September 26 - 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
WHO: Brian Mullan & Brian Ching
DETAILS: Brian Mullan and Brian Ching will be at the Arca Clinic at West Valley College. Mullan and Ching will be instructing the kids at the clinic and signing autographs. For more information, please contact our Sponsorship Department at (408) 288-2600

WHEN: Sunday, September 26 - 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
WHO: Tighe Dombrowski
DETAILS: Tighe Dombrowski will be awarding the trophies at the Ballistic United Harvest Tournament to the Championship team and the runner-ups.

Earthquakes - Galaxy Connections

Earthquakes forward Brian Ching, midfielder Brian Mullan, and defender Craig Waibel were teammates on the Galaxy in 2001, and Waibel and Mullan also played together in L.A. in 2002 ... Earthquakes defender Jeff Agoos was teammates with Galaxy forward Chris Albright on D.C. United during the 1999 season ...Earthquakes President & General Manager Alexi Lalas played for the Galaxy from 2001-2003 ... Galaxy defender Ryan Suarez played college soccer at San Jose State ... Galaxy midfielder and long-time U.S. National Team veteran Cobi Jones has played on the National Team regularly with Agoos, Quakes forward Landon Donovan and Lalas.

History vs. Galaxy

The Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy in a dramatic 5-2 overtime victory in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals at Spartan Stadium that saw San Jose recover from a 4-0 aggregate goal deficit to win what has been called the "greatest MLS game ever played" ... The Quakes and Galaxy have met a total of 42 times, the most of any other MLS opponent, including MLS regular season games, playoff games and U.S. Open Cup matches. The Galaxy owns a 26-12-4 record overall in the series ... Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Conway made his MLS debut against L.A. on May 17, 2000 in a 0-0 tie ... Ramiro Corrales made his MLS debut against L.A. on April 26, 1996, playing three minutes in a 2-1 loss ...Dwayne De Rosario made his MLS debut against L.A. on April 7, 2001 and scored his first MLS goal on the same day in a 3-2 win ... Landon Donovan made his MLS debut against the Galaxy on April 7, 2001, playing 17 minutes ... Ronnie Ekelund registered his first MLS assist vs. L.A. on June 9, 2001 in a 3-1 win ... Richard Mulrooney made his first MLS start against the Galaxy on April 3, 1999 in a 1-1 tie ... Jamil Walker scored his first MLS goal against the Galaxy on June 18, 2003 in a 1-1 tie in the Quakes first-ever game at The Home Depot Center.

Top Earthquakes Against Galaxy

Dwayne De Rosario is the Quakes current leading scorer vs. the Galaxy with nine points on three goals and three assists. De Rosario had a multi-point game vs. L.A. on May 22, 2004 with one goal and two assists...Landon Donovan has eight points on four goals in 11 career regular season games vs. L.A ... Brian Ching scored two goals in the Quakes meeting with Los Angeles on May 22 ... Chris Brown has a goal and three assists in 17 career games vs. the Galaxy.

Los Angeles Leaders vs. San Jose

Cobi Jones is the Galaxy's current leading scorer vs. the Earthquakes with 15 points on two goals and 11 assists in 29 career games ... Carlos Ruiz has registered six goals and two assists in nine career regular season games vs. San Jose ... Sasha Victorine has 10 points on four goals and two assists in 15 career regular season games.

Quakes Finding the Net At Home

The Earthquakes have done well finishing at home in 2004, scoring 25 goals in 13 appearances at Spartan Stadium this year, placing them second in MLS in home scoring. The club record for all-time goals scored at home is 33, set in 2002, when the Quakes posted a league record 12-1-1 home mark.

Quakes Lead the League The Earthquakes lead MLS in assists with 41 this season. San Jose is also the league leader in three-goal games with six.

Quakes Set Unbeaten Streak Record At Home

The Earthquakes set an MLS record with their August 7 win against D.C. United, extending their unbeaten streak at home to 46 games when scoring first. That streak now stands at 47 games after San Jose's win over the Dallas Burn on August 21. It started on April 3, 1999.

Slim Losses

In all but one of their nine losses this year, the Earthquakes have only lost by one goal. The only game decided by more than one goal was on July 10 against the MetroStars in a 2-0 loss. However, forwards Landon Donovan and Brian Ching, the teams leading scorers, missed the game while traveling with the U.S. National Team. The Quakes own a 2-9-0 record in one-goal games.

Mulrooney Is Quakes Only Constant

Earthquakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney is the only member of the San Jose roster who has started and played 90 minutes in all 26 games for the Quakes in 2004. In his 2,340 minutes of play, Mulrooney has scored one goal and notched eight assists for ten points, which is the fifth highest point total on the Quakes.

Quakes Closing In On .500

The Earthquakes are closing in on bringing their all-time regular season MLS record to the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 116-120-33.

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 42-0-5 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003 and 7-0-1 in 2004.

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 in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. The team continued that trend in 2003, possessing an 11-0-1 mark in the regular season when they scored the first goal. In 2004, the Quakes are 8-1-1 when scoring first. The Quakes gave up their lead to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. Dating back to the 2000 season, the Earthquakes own a 47-3-4 record in their last 54 matches when they score the first goal of the game. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.

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Major League Soccer Stories from September 20, 2004


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