Preview: Quakes host DC United for Military Night

072011_19
Geoff Lepper

The San Jose Earthquakes return home looking to put an end to a long winless run when D.C. United pay a visit to Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday evening. The Quakes haven’t won in eight league games, since defeating United on June 11, after a 4-0 loss at Real Salt Lake last weekend. United last played in league competition 10 days ago, falling 1-0 to the New England Revolution at home.


REFEREE: Mark Kadlecik. SAR (bench): James Conlee; JAR (opposite): Mike Kampmeinert; 4th: Edvin Jurisevic. MLS Career: 8 games; FC/gm: 23.9; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 2; pens: 2


INJURY REPORT

  • SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES – OUT: MF Andre Luiz (L knee injury); DF Ike Opara (L foot injury); DOUBTFUL: DF Steven Beitashour (R leg injury); QUESTIONABLE: FW Alan Gordon (R quadriceps strain); MF Simon
  • Dawkins (R hamstring strain)
  • D.C. UNITED – OUT: MF Branko Boskovic (L ACL tear); DF Devon McTavish (concussion); MF Santino Quaranta (concussion); DF Jed Zayner (L knee sprain); GK Joe Willis (L little finger fracture); QUESTIONABLE: FW Charlie Davies (L knee inflammation); FW Josh Wolff (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: MF Brandon Barklage (concussion); FW Blake Brettschneider (concussion)


INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none


SUSPENDED: SJ: Brad Ring (caution accumulation; through July 31); Bobby Burling (through July 31)


WARNINGS:

  • SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: none
  • SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Sam Cronin, Bobby Convey, Alan Gordon, Jason Hernandez, Chris Leitch, Steven Lenhart … DC: Ethan White


HEAD-TO-HEAD

  • ALL-TIME (31 meetings): Earthquakes 14 wins (3 shootout), 48 goals … United 10 wins (0 shootout), 50 goals … Ties 6
  • AT SAN JOSE (15 meetings): Earthquakes 7 wins (1 shootout), 23 goals … United 2 wins (0 shootout), 18 goals …Ties 6
  • Steven Lenhart netted a hat trick as the Earthquakes came away from RFK Stadium with a 4-2 victory in the first meeting of the season between the clubs, June 11.
  • The Earthquakes have a six-game unbeaten streak alive against United, including victories on each of their last three trips to RFK Stadium over the last three seasons.
  • D.C.’s last win against San Jose came June 22, 2008 at home. United have not won at San Jose since a 4-0 victory in 1998.
  • Coaches' records: Frank Yallop vs. DC: P18 W9 L4 D5 … Ben Olsen v SJ: P2 W0 L2 D0


LAST MATCH

  • 6/11: DC 2, SJ 4 (Najar 13; Brettschneider 34 – Lenhart 15, 22, 60; Dawkins 49)
  • United struck first in the 13th minute. Josh Wolff sent in a low, curling ball from the left side that eluded four Earthquakes defenders before Andy Najar slid it home at the back post.
  • But San Jose pulled level two minutes later. Steven Lenhart beat the offside trap to meet a Khari Stephenson through ball before rounding D.C. goalkeeeper Bill Hamid for a finish into an unguarded goal. The visitors then pulled level in the 22nd minute when Hamid couldn’t hold a Stephenson shot from just outside the box and Lenhart pounced on the rebound to finish.
  • Yet United leveled terms in the 34th minute. Blake Brettschneider collected a pass at the edge of the area, turned past Quakes defender Bobby Burling and fired low and hard inside goalkeeper Jon Busch's left post.
  • Shortly after the break, San Jose re-took the lead. Simon Dawkins played a one-two with Steven Lenhart in the area, slotting home the return pass from behind D.C.’s back line.
  • The Quakes finished off the match in the 60th minute. Steven Beitashour looped a cross back into the box from the left, and as Hamid came well off his line to challenge, Lenhart got there first to loop a header into the empty net for his hat trick.
  • D.C. UNITED (4-1-3-2): Bill Hamid - Chris Korb (Brandon Barklage 68), Ethan White, Perry Kitchen, Daniel Woolard (Dax McCarty 78) - Clyde Simms - Andy Najar, Fred, Chris Pontius - Blake Brettschneider (Charlie Davies 62), Josh Wolff.
  • SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Jason Hernandez, Bobby Burling, Bobby Convey - Anthony Ampaipitakwong (Brandon McDonald 89), Sam Cronin, Brad Ring, Ramiro Corrales - Khari Stephenson (Simon Dawkins 48) - Steven Lenhart.


SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

The San Jose Earthquakes saw their winless streak stretched to eight games, going down to a 4-0 defeat to Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening at Rio Tinto Stadium. The Quakes have 24 points from 20 games on the season, sitting in seventh place in the Western Conference.


LAST MATCH

  • The match turned in the 62nd minute. Earthquakes defender Bobby Burling was sent off after Alvaro Saborio went down in the area under his challenge. Burling was sent off by referee David Gantar, and Saborio converted the resulting penalty for the opening goal.
  • Saborío added another in the 75th minute. Midfielder Ned Grabavoy put a curling ball on frame, which San Jose ‘keeper Jon Busch could not control. Saborío was there for the rebound, and easily slotted it into the back of the net.
  • Just a few minutes later, RSL struck again. As Saborío took a shot near the penalty spot, teammate Collen Warner got in the way of it, but the ball found its way to the feet of Kyle Beckerman, who drilled the ball into the corner of the net.
  • Defender Jámison Olave added a fourth goal in the 83rd minute, heading home a cross from Arturo Alvarez to round out the scoring.
  • Earthquakes boss Frank Yallop made six changes to the team that reached a 2-2 result against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Buck Shaw Stadium. Nana Attakora, Tim Ward and Bobby Convey came into the back four for Chris Leitch, Jason Hernandez and Ramiro Corrales, Sam Cronin and Rafael Baca came into the midfield for Brad Ring and Simon Dawkins, and Scott Sealy started up top for Steven Lenhart.
  • SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Nana Attakora (Brad Ring 54), Tim Ward, Bobby Burling (sent off 61), Bobby Convey - Jacob Peterson, Khari Stephenson, Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca - Scott Sealy (Chris Leitch 63), Chris Wondolowski.


TEAM NEWS

  • The Earthquakes has a run of three consecutive draws put to an end in the loss to Real Salt Lake, but still last won in their first meeting with D.C. United, a 4-2 win June 11 at RFK Stadium.
  • "I just asked Bobby Burling, and he didn't touch him. It’s up to the referee to make sure it is a penalty kick and that changed the game. Red card, penalty, goal and we were done after that. Up until then we were doing OK,” said San Jose boss Frank Yallop.
  • The four goals allowed by the Quakes was a season-high, after allowing three in a loss to New York on April 16. San Jose has allowed six goals in the last two games.
  • “Jon is a good goalkeeper and he made some great saves. He kept us in the game early with a good save on (Fabian) Espíndola,” said Yallop.
  • Bobby Burling received a red card for the second time this season, also sent off July 2 vs. New York.
  • “It changed the whole game. Up until that point we were playing a pretty good road game against a very good team,” said Busch. “Salt Lake is a very good team, especially at home; they play possession, they knock the ball and wear you down. That card changes the game and it’s a shame, because who knows how it ends.”
  • After five games out of the starting lineup with a left knee contusion, Bobby Convey returned to the Earthquakes team – at left back. He had played left back for six straight matches, May 14-June 17.
  • “(S)itting out, you just realize you want to play,” said Convey. “There’s no point in being miserable about it. I just want to get back playing.” Said Quakes coach Frank Yallop: “Whatever the coach — who’s in charge of the players — whatever he thinks you’re good at, you’ve got to embrace it. We talked about it. It’s like, ‘Clear your mind. Whatever I say you do, just do it, because I’m putting you in spots I know you can play and play well at.’”
  • Convey has also appeared on the left side of midfield – the position he says he prefers – but has made only one start there since beginning the first six games of the season on the left wing.
  • “For me, I was just more disappointed we weren’t doing as well as last year,” Convey said. “I just wanted to get back to how it was last year, and we weren’t winning as many games. I was thinking if we played the same positions we played last year, we’d win more games like last year. Talking to Frank, he pointed out we won a lot of games with me in the back.”


D.C. UNITED

D.C. United had their undefeated streak come to an end at five games, falling 1-0 to the New England Revolution on Wednesday evening at RFK Stadium. United have 23 points from 19 games on the year, sitting in sixth place in the Eastern Conference.


LAST MATCH

  • United had a glorious chance to open the scoring just before halftime when Pat Phelan handled inside the box and referee Michael Kennedy pointed to the spot. But Charlie Davies skied his effort over the crossbar.
  • The game's lone goal came in the the 73rd minute. Midfielder Stephen McCarthy broke free of Ethan White on a corner kick and sent a glancing header past United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, off the far post and into the back of the net.
  • United coach Ben Olsen made one change to the team that reached a scoreless draw with FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park. Josh Wolff came back in for Joseph Ngwenya in attack.
  • D.C. UNITED (4-1-2-1-2): Bill Hamid - Perry Kitchen, Ethan White, Brandon McDonald, Daniel Woolard – Clyde Simms (Joseph Ngwenya 79), Andy Najar, Chris Pontius (Austin da Luz 71) - Dwayne De Rosario – Charlie Davies, Josh Wolff (Fred 63).


TEAM NEWS

  • United were shut out for a second consecutive match, their first back-to-back games without a goal this season.
  • “We put a good effort in for the first 45 [minutes] and the goal didn’t come, and then physically we tanked. I was disappointed we didn’t get through it a little bit more and find a way to get a result,” United head coach Ben Olsen said. “We created very good chances, and they created pretty good chances too. Again, you get these summer games were you are back and forth, you give up chances, you get chances – but you got to do well with yours.”
  • United also allowed a goal for the first time in three games, coming into a midweek game three days after the scoreless draw with FC Dallas.
  • “Dallas took a lot out of us. I was hoping that we could recover physically, but there were some zombies out there at times,” Olsen said. “You go through these summers and you have games when back-to-back is going to be tough.”
  • Three of Charlie Davies’ eight goals in league play had come from the penalty spot, but he missed for the first time in MLS.
  • “I’ve missed them, we’ve all missed them. I’m not too worried about that; I thought he played better today. I thought he was pretty good running off the ball,” Olsen said. “It was just that final stuff that failed him tonight, but he got into some good spots and he was dangerous.”
  • On Saturday, United fell 3-1 to Everton FC in a friendly at RFK Stadium. Victor Anichebe (4) and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (16) gave Everton an early lead. Chris Pontius pulled a goal back for United two minutes after the break, but Magaye Gueye put the match away (82)
  • Here’s United’s team: Bill Hamid (Steve Cronin 46), Chris Korb (Perry Kitchen 46), Brandon McDonald (Clyde Simms 78), Dejan Jakovic (Ethan White 46), Marc Burch (Daniel Woolard 70), Andy Najar (Dwayne De Rosario 46), Stephen King, Kurt Morsink (Conor Shanosky 46), Austin Da Luz, Joseph Ngwenya, Josh Wolff (Chris Pontius 36).