SAN JOSE, Calif. – Barely 24 hours after arriving in the United States, Simon Dawkins made his MLS debut with the San Jose Earthquakes, playing 25 minutes in a 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake.
So with a week under his belt, Dawkins is more than ready to move into the starting lineup – at least that’s what the Quakes hope as they prepare to face FC Dallas on Saturday night (9 p.m. ET, MatchDay Live). With Khari Stephenson on call for Jamaica’s national team, Dawkins will step into San Jose’s vacant attacking midfielder spot alongside 2010 Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski.
“I think he’s going to bring his energy, his busyness, his clean feet – all the things we liked with him,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop told MLSsoccer.com. “I have really high expectations of him.”
Dawkins created a golden opportunity shortly after subbing in last weekend, carving through RSL’s midfield and laying the ball off for a 71st-minute shot by Wondolowski. San Jose could use that kind of production against Dallas, since target forward Steven Lenhart will miss the game due to personal reasons.
There’s a silver lining in that, since it gives Lenhart more time to rehab his right knee, which required arthroscopic surgery March 3 to repair a slight tear in his meniscus. But in the meantime, it puts more pressure on Ryan Johnson, who will once again play at the point of San Jose’s 4-3-3 formation, and the rest of the Quakes to punch home their first goal of 2011.
At the other end of the field, holding midfielder Sam Cronin is getting tasked with the job of chaperoning 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira, with help from either center backs Brandon McDonald or Jason Hernandez.
“We’ve just got to deny [Ferreira] space,” Yallop said. “Basically, it’s Sam’s job to make sure he’s taken care of.”
That being said, Yallop feels San Jose’s defense can’t focus too much on the diminutive Colombian. Brek Shea, who tore up the Quakes with both goals in a 2-0 win last year, is fortunately (for San Jose) out because of his red card last week. But dangerous players remain.
“He’s one player you’ve got to make sure stays covered, but there are a number of guys who can hurt us, like [Milton] Rodriguez up front,” Yallop said.
Quakes captain Ramiro Corrales, who departed early in the RSL game after tweaking a hamstring, is expected to start. Tim Ward, a potential starter at right back, is out.
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com. On Twitter: @sjquakes
