MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Weekly Update

Published on October 26, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


This Week

The San Jose Earthquakes wrapped up the 2009 season with a 2-0 defeat to the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Oct. 24 in Carson. The Quakes concluded their season with a 7-14-9 record and 30 points. The team posted solid months of September and October, losing only twice in eight matches during that span.

Last Game

LA Galaxy 2, Earthquakes 0; Oct. 24, 2009; The Home Depot Center; Carson, Calif.

The San Jose Earthquakes came into The Home Depot Center looking for favorable results to close out 2009. However, an own goal in the first half and a Landon Donovan goal in the second half led to a 2-0 win for the Los Angeles Galaxy in front of a sold-out crowd of 27,000. The Galaxy took a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute when Donovan lobbed a ball over Cannon, but with the help of an Earthquakes defender. Bobby Burling tried to block what appeared to be a Donovan centered pass into the area from right to left by attempting to poke at the ball with his right foot. The ball instead deflected off of Burling's foot, re-directing its trajectory. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon could only watch as the ball floated over his head into the back of the net-out of the reach of his extended left arm for an own goal. San Jose tried to answer shortly after Donovan's goal. Earthquakes defender Brandon McDonald sent a point-blank header straight to Ricketts off a free kick in the 28th minute. McDonald was looking for the near post from the left side, but Ricketts was quick to react and slapped the ball away from danger. The Earthquakes didn't have another real threat before going into halftime trailing 1-0. David Beckham had a couple of shots of his own in the first half. He sent a signature free kick from about 28 yards out, bending it inches wide of Cannon's right post. The English midfielder sent another blast from about 30 yards out after dribbling across the defense from left to right, sending his shot whistling above the crossbar. Donovan then put the match out of reach in the 77th minute with his second goal against San Jose this season. Donovan finished a touch and go play that included a series of passes from goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts to David Beckham to Chris Klein back to Donovan. In alone on goal, the U.S. international sent a rolling shot between the legs of a charging Cannon at the top of the area. Donovan's shot rolled to the left post and deflected into the back of the net.

Misc. Notes

Johnson Wins Budweiser Golden Boot for San Jose

San Jose forward Ryan Johnson tallied a career-high 11 goals in 2009 to capture the Budweiser Golden Boot for the Earthquakes. Johnson is the first Quakes player since 2004 to reach double digits in goals. Brian Ching was the last Earthquakes player to reach 10 goals when he scored 12 in 2004. Ronald Cerritos' 15 goals in 1999 are the all-time single season record for San Jose. Johnson's previous career-high was five, which he scored last year for San Jose when he finished second on the team in goals to Darren Huckerby. Johnson was also the only player on San Jose to appear in all 30 matches in 2009.

Leitch Posts Career High in Assists

Earthquakes defender Chris Leitch notched a career-high seven assists in 2009. Leitch had just six assists in his previous seven seasons in the league, his best mark being two in one season. In addition, he led the Earthquakes in starts with 29 and minutes with 2,537. He earned the team's Defensive Player of the Year award for his outstanding season. The University of North Carolina product joined the Quakes in a preseason trade from the New York Red Bulls.

Corrales Signs New Contract

The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the team has signed defender/midfielder Ramiro Corrales to a new multi-year contract. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The local player from Salinas made franchise history earlier this season on Oct. 7 against FC Dallas, becoming the all-time leader in appearances with 164. Corrales passed former Quakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney and has appeared in 167 matches following Saturday's game against the LA Galaxy. Corrales began the season in central midfield before finding his home at left back, where he has helped to solidify the San Jose defense. Corrales is among the franchise leaders in three categories: appearances (167, first), starts (151 games, third) and minutes played (13,332 minutes, third). He has also been a key part of two MLS Cup Championship teams (2001 and 2003), while scoring 11 goals and notching 19 assists (career-high nine in 2002). His 19 assists rank 10th all-time in San Jose history. Corrales started his career straight out of high school as an 18-year-old, signing with the San Jose Clash in 1996. He has played in MLS for 11 seasons, appearing in 223 games-starting 199 of those-and has scored 11 goals and registered 24 assists. From San Jose, Corrales moved to the Miami Fusion and was then traded to New York, where he spent part of three seasons. After his successful first nine seasons in MLS, Corrales moved overseas to play with Ham-Kam in Norway in 2005. He was named the team's most valuable player in 2006 and then moved to another Norwegian team, SK Brann, for the 2007 season. Corrales made his return to San Jose in 2008 and helped San Jose put together one of the top expansion seasons in league history. He started 22 games and recorded two goals and two assists as San Jose battled for a playoff spot. He was named team captain prior to the 2009 season.

Corrales Alone at the Top in Career Appearances

After starting and playing 90 minutes on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the LA Galaxy in Carson, Earthquakes captain Ramiro Corrales is the all-time franchise leader in appearances with 167.

Corrales Makes 200th Career Start

Quakes midfielder/defender Ramiro Corrales started and played the full 90 minutes on Saturday, Oct. 24 against the LA Galaxy, marking his 200th career MLS start. Corrales is third in San Jose franchise history for all-time starts with 151.

Glen Undergoes Successful Surgery

The San Jose Earthquakes announced that forward Cornell Glen underwent successful surgery last week. Glen had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to repair a torn meniscus. Earthquakes team orthopaedist Dr. Mike Oberlander performed the surgery at the Sequoia Surgical Pavilion. Glen is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2010 season. Glen appeared in 12 matches this season for the Earthquakes, scoring four goals and notching one assist.

Quakes Reduce Ticket Prices for 2010 Season

The San Jose Earthquakes announced that they will significantly reduce ticket prices for the 2010 Major League Soccer season. Season tickets start as low as $204. Season ticket prices have been reduced in all sections; Premier Midfield will now be $40 per game ($50 in 2009), Center Circle $30 per game ($35 in 2009), Sideline $20 per game ($30 in 2009), Goal View $15 per game ($20 in 2009) and Supporters Section $12 per game ($18 in 2009). For more information on season tickets, to renew season tickets or to place a deposit, call the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700. The Quakes have also created a number of new features and benefits for season ticket holders next year. A family section has been added inside the stadium, and the Supporters Section has been expanded to create an even greater home field advantage. Season Ticket Holders will additionally have access to the exclusive tailgate parking lot. Corona Cove seats will now be available as a season ticket option and an extra row of NetSuite VIP On-field seats will be added for next season. Season Ticket Holders will also have first priority to purchase Earthquakes playoff tickets and tickets for international games. They will receive a 15 percent discount on game day merchandise, invitations to exclusive events, and priority rights to seats in the new stadium. The one thing that is not exclusive to Season Ticket Holders is savings. Single game tickets are also reduced; as Premier Midfield will now be $50 ($60 in 2009), Center Circle $35 ($40 in 2009), Sideline $25 ($35 in 2009) and Goal View $20 ($22 in 2009).

Cannon Among All-Time Leaders

Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon is among the all-time MLS leaders in a number of goalkeeping categories. He is second in goalkeeper appearances (274), starts (273) and minutes played (24,675). He is now third all-time in saves (1,123), third all-time in shutouts (68) and tied for fourth all-time in wins (98) in league history. For San Jose, Cannon is first in club history as a goalkeeper in starts (159), minutes played (14,481), saves (655), wins (60) and shutouts (38) and second in goals against average (1.33), and saves percentage (73.3). He also holds the team's all-time record for saves in a game with 12 on July 8, 2000 at Colorado.

Corrales Among All-Time Leaders

Ramiro Corrales has 151 starts and 13,422 minutes played as a member of the Quakes. He is now third place in franchise history in starts and is third in all-time in club history for minutes played.

Two-Goal Comeback

The Earthquakes trailed 2-0 Saturday, July 25 against D.C. United before coming back to tie the game 2-2 on goals by Ryan Johnson and Cornell Glen. The last time San Jose recovered from a 2-0 deficit was July 24, 2004 when the Quakes scored two goals in second-half stoppage time to tie the New England Revolution 2-2 at Spartan Stadium. The Quakes had lost 16 straight times in games that they trailed by two goals since that comeback.

Wondo's Late Strike

Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski scored his second goal of the season with the Quakes Saturday, Aug. 22 against Kansas City in second-half stoppage time to give the Quakes a 1-0 win. He finished with a career-high five goals this season after scoring two with the Houston Dynamo earlier in the year. The goal against the Wizards was also the only stoppage-time winner for the Quakes this season.

Quakes Comeback Victory

The Earthquakes allowed the first goal of the game Sunday, Sept. 27 against D.C. United, but the team recovered for a 2-1 victory. Since returning to MLS as an expansion team in 2008, the Quakes had not won a game after allowing the first goal. The Quakes had come back to earn a tie three times prior to this win, but had not come back to win a game either 2008 or 2009.

Quakes Win Back-to-Back Games for First Time in 2009

The San Jose Earthquakes picked up their first set of back-to-back wins of 2009 with a 2-1 triumph in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, Sept. 27 over D.C. United and a 1-0 victory at home over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Oct. 3. In D.C., San Jose scored two second half goals to come back from a 1-0 deficit, snapping their 20-game winless streak on the road. At home against New York, Ryan Johnson converted a first half penalty to hold off the Red Bulls 1-0.

Weber 1-0-1 in Goal

Earthquakes goalkeeper Andrew Weber made his first two career starts this season, winning on the road against DC United on Sept. 27 and tying at Chivas USA on Oct. 17. He made three saves in the 2-1 win over United to help the Earthquakes snap a 20-game road winless streak, and he made eight saves against Chivas in a 2-2 tie.

Earthquakes International Participation

Several Earthquakes players saw international action this season for their respective countries. Trinidad and Tobago's Cornell Glen participated in five matches in the final round of qualifying, including a match against his Earthquakes teammates on El Salvador, where he scored the game-winner. Arturo Alvarez and Ramon Sanchez played in five and 10 World Cup qualifiers for El Salvador in this round of qualification, respectively. Alvarez made his national team debut on Aug. 12 against Trinidad & Tobago after switching from his native United States after the new FIFA rules. He had played for the U.S. in youth national team matches. Sanchez captained the side in each of his appearances. New Zealand's Simon Elliott appeared for the All Whites in three Confederations Cup matches and one World Cup Qualifier this year, along with a number of friendlies. If New Zealand wins its next World Cup qualifying match at home against Bahrain on Nov. 14, they will qualify for the 2010 World Cup.

Making the First One Count

The Earthquakes now own a 75-5-17 record in their last 97 matches when they score the first goal of the game after scoring first and defeating the New York Red Bulls on Oct. 3. They finished 8-1-3 in 2008 when scoring first. They tied Dallas 1-1 on October 2, 2008 after scoring first. In 2005, San Jose went undefeated at 14-0-5 when scoring first. 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 went 8-1-1 when scoring first, the top mark in MLS. The Quakes gave up their lead and lost to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.

Scoring First Under Yallop

During Frank Yallop's first tenure with San Jose, the Earthquakes were one of the best teams in the league when scoring the first goal. The team went 36-2-1 from 2001-03 when scoring the first goal of the game. 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. Yallop's team was 8-1-3 in 2008 when scoring first and finished 6-1-5 in 2009 when netting the first goal.

Halftime Success

The Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding onto a half-time lead after beating the New York Red Bulls 1-0 on Oct. 3. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are now 58-1-12 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 7-0-3 in 2005. Despite holding a halftime lead on May 10, 2008 vs. Columbus, the Quakes fell 3-2. That game marked the team's first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime lead.

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