The San Jose Earthquakes earned a 0-0 draw with red-hot FC Dallas, a team riding an MLS-best 14-game unbeaten streak.
The Quakes defense preserved their ninth shutout on the season and Jon Busch picked up his third. San Jose threatened to take all three points late when Eduardo latched on to the end of a fantastic ball played through by designated player Geovanni; however, his attempt on goal went just wide.
Both teams seemed content to earn a point on a day when numerous other playoff contenders could not. Chicago, Toronto FC and Colorado - all contenders for the final four wild card spots - lost matches on Saturday.
San Jose hosts the expansion Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium, as they look to continue to improve their playoff standing. Currently, the Quakes sit in a tie for seventh position with Seattle Sounders FC at 33 points.
WATCH:FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY
READ: DEFENSE SHINES
San Jose Earthquakes (9-7-6) vs. FC Dallas (10-2-11)
Sept. 11, 2010 – Buck Shaw Stadium
Attendance: 10,342
Scoring Summary: None
Misconduct Summary: DAL – Eric Alexander (caution) 42; SJ – Eduardo (caution) 88.
San Jose Earthquakes – Jon Busch, Tim Ward, Brandon McDonald, Jason Hernandez, Chris Leitch, Bobby Convey, Brad Ring, Geovanni, Arturo Alvarez (Ryan Johnson 81), Chris Wondolowski, Cornell Glen (Eduardo 70).
Statistics: Shots: 9; Shots on Goal: 2; Saves: 1; Fouls: 9; Offsides: 2; Corners: 3.
FC Dallas – Kevin Hartman, Heath Pearce, Jackson Goncalves (Kyle Davies 69), Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez, Atiba Harris (Marvin Chavez 62), Eric Alexander, Daniel Hernandez, Brek Shea, Jeff Cunningham (Ruben Luna 83), David Ferreira.
Statistics: Shots: 10; Shots on Goal: 1; Saves: 2; Fouls: 14; Offsides: 3; Corners: 7.
QUOTES
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On the result:
“I thought we did well. I thought late in the game we actually could have had the winning goal. I thought a draw was a fair result. I liked the demeanor tonight; I thought we looked like a team that was pretty confident and like a team that didn’t worry about the opposition, which was good. All in all I’m happy, not getting the three points at home is hard, but they’re a good team, Dallas, and I thought we both played well tonight.”
On the improved level of play:
“We’ve worked, we’ve talked, and we’ve tried to give our guys confidence as much as we can. I think Geovanni makes a big difference to us, you give him the ball, they make runs, and he gives it to you at the right time. It snowballs a little bit when someone’s really good on the ball, I think other players start to get confidence too and not worry about giving a guy a ball in tight spot. I’d like to see if we could find him with the ball because he is dangerous when he gets it. All in all, I thought our guys fought hard, the back four and the goalkeeper were excellent, and we created enough chances to score a goal. I’m happy with a point, disappointed we didn’t get three.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER CHRIS LEITCH
On first home game since returning to the lineup:
“It’s always good to come back home, especially with our fans. They’ve been loud all year long and that was no exception tonight; they were fantastic. It’s always easier to come back home after a long lay-off. Last week in Houston was my first game back, but tonight I felt a whole lot better playing in front of our fans.”
Looking ahead to the Philadelphia match:
“Philly looked very impressive earlier today. It’s another home game where we will be looking to secure a playoff position. It’s going to be a fight on Wednesday, both teams played today and both teams are going to be a little fatigued, but we are playing at our place in front of our fans so we are looking to maximize our points.”
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES GOALKEEPER JON BUSCH
Overall feeling on the game:
“I thought it was a good game by two good teams. I thought we had a few chances and they had few chances. I thought we played well, but again, all we needed was that one goal. And that’s what it’s going to be like from now until the end of the season. It’s time to be geared up for the playoffs, and everybody knows it. Teams are focusing on defending well and getting points. They (FC Dallas) were on the road and they’re happy to be getting one point. At the same time, for us, you don’t want to get silly out of the back and give up a goal and lose that point. We were saying that late in the game; we wanted 3 points but when it gets that late we’ll take one.”
On the next match against Philadelphia:
“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing; I thought we played some good soccer tonight. Defensively, I think we played one of our best games of the season. I didn’t have to face many shots and the guys in front of me did another great job tonight. We’re going to be scrapping for points, like the rest of the league, trying to get into the playoffs.”
