This Week
The San Jose Earthquakes (8-3-3, 27 pts.) return to MLS action following a three-week layoff with a Rocky Mountain road trip to face the Colorado Rapids (6-7-1, 19 pts.) and Real Salt Lake (10-3-2, 32 pts.). First up is a trip to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park for a match against the Rapids on Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. The swing wraps up on Saturday, June 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium where the Earthquakes will face league-leading Real Salt Lake at 6 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet California.
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 6/18/12
Tuesday, June 19 – Travel to Denver, Colo.
Wednesday, June 20 – 6:30 p.m. PT – Earthquakes at Colorado Rapids, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo., live on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF
Thursday, June 21 – Travel to Salt Lake City
Friday, June 22 – Practice in Salt Lake City, time and location TBD
Saturday, June 23 – 6 p.m. PT – Earthquakes at Real Salt Lake, Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, live on Comcast SportsNet California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF
Sunday, June 24 – Travel to San Jose, Calif.
Injury Report
Out: Sam Garza (Fractured ribs), Joey Gjertsen (R – knee surgery), Tim Ward (L – non-specific soft tissue injury).
Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 21-18-9
Home: 11-8-5 (42 GF, 33 GA)
Away: 10-10-4 (27 GF, 31 GA)
Shootout (1996-99): 1-2; Overtime (2000-03): 0-0-2; Playoffs: 0-1-0; US Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 69, Colorado Rapids – 64
Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 4-5-6
Home: 3-3-1 (12 GF, 11 GA)
Away: 1-2-4 (5 GF, 10 GA)
Shootout (1996-99): NA; Overtime (2000-03): NA; Playoffs: 0-0-0; US Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 17, Colorado Rapids – 21
San Jose’s Record in June: The Quakes are 28-19-16 all-time in June in MLS play.
Colorado Rapids Info
Colorado Rapids Scouting Report
The Colorado Rapids (6-7-1, 19 pts.) enter Wednesday’s game against the Earthquakes fifth in the Western Conference, eight points back of the second-place Quakes. The Rapids have been impressive in their six home games this season, losing just once to the LA Galaxy (4-8-2, 14 pts.) on April 21. Most recently, the Rapids fell 1-0 at BC Place against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on June 16. Sebastien Le Toux scored in the 80th minute with Colorado playing a man up after Darren Mattocks was sent off in the 60th minute. Colombian international Jaime Castrillon leads the Rapids with four goals on the season. Martin Rivero commands the midfield for the Rapids and has a team-high five assists.
History of the Earthquakes-Rapids Rivalry
The Earthquakes have a long history with the Colorado Rapids … They played for the first time in 1996 and the Quakes swept the four-game season series, outscoring Colorado 9-3 in the process … In 1997 Colorado won three of four and swept the Quakes in two games at San Jose … Colorado dominated again in 1998 and had a memorable win at Stanford where they edged the Earthquakes 4-3 in penalty kicks … The Earthquakes returned the favor and beat Colorado 4-3 in penalty kicks in the first match of 1999 and they split the season series 2-2 … 2000 saw the teams split the series again with the Earthquakes winning the first two meetings … on August 25, 2001 the Earthquakes scored three goals in four minutes for their second win of the year against the Rapids. Manny Lagos scored his second goal of the match on an assist from Junior Agogo. Two minutes later Landon Donovan scored on an assist from Ian Russel. Then in the 40th minute Donovan assisted Agogo for the fourth goal. The Quakes added one more and then cruised to a 5-2 victory … In 2002 the teams split the series … In 2003 the Quakes opened the season at Colorado and Brian Ching scored 53 seconds into the match and the Quakes were victorious 2-1 … 2004 began an unbeaten streak in which the Earthquakes did not lose to the Rapids from 2004-2010. The Quakes were 8-0-4 during the streak before losing 1-0 on August 7, 2010 … The two teams met again in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, but the Rapids beat the Quakes 1-0 on their way to winning the MLS Cup … The Quakes were unable to beat the Rapids last year, with the Rapids defeating the Quakes 2-1 on August 13, 2011 at Buck Shaw Stadium, and the sides tying 1-1 on September 24, 2011 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.
Earthquakes- Colorado Rapids Connections
Rapids forward Quincy Amarikwa was traded by San Jose to Colorado on April 7, 2010 in exchange for a second round pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft … Rapids midfielder Pablo Mastroeni played briefly in 1998 with Quakes midfielder Ramiro Corrales for the Miami Fusion and on the U.S. National Team with Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch on March 9, 2005 against Colombia … Earthquakes midfielder Brad Ring (2005-2008) and Rapids defender Drew Moor (2003-2004) both attended the University of Indiana … Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens played with Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch in 2007 with Chicago … Rapids goalkeeper Ian Joyce played at Seton Hall University, the same school where Quakes defender Jason Hernandez played … Rapids midfielder Wells Thompson is a Wake Forest product (2003-06), just like Quakes defender Ike Opara and midfielder Sam Cronin ... Rapids midfielder Brian Mullan played with the Earthquakes from 2003-05 and played with Chris Wondolowski in Houston from 2006-09 … Wondolowski and Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz were both called up to the USMNT this January for its games against Venezuela on January 22 and Panama on January 25. Wondolowski and Larentowicz appeared in both games, both 1-0 victories for the U.S. … Quakes midfielder Khari Stephenson, Rapids defender Tyrone Marshall, and Rapids forward Omar Cummings all represent Jamaica at the international level, with Stephenson winning 26 caps, Marshall winning 82 caps, and Cummings winning 28 caps … Quakes midfielder Tressor Moreno and Rapids midfielder Jaime Castrillon both represent Colombia at the international level, with Moreno winning 32 caps and Castrillon winning 29 caps … Quakes midfielder Jean-Marc Alexandre and Rapids goalkeeper Stewart Ceus both represent Haiti at the international level, with Alexandre winning 13 caps, and Ceus winning seven caps.
Earthquakes All-Time Leaders vs. Colorado Rapids
Forward Alan Gordon has three goals in 13 games … Chris Wondolowski has three goals and one assist in seven matches … Forward Steven Lenhart … Midfielder Joey Gjertsen has one goal in four appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is 5-7-4 and has 58 saves in 16 appearances against the Rapids.
Colorado Rapids All-Time Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Forward Conor Casey has three goals in four appearances … Wells Thompson has one goal in seven games... Defender Tyrone Marshall has three assists in 25 matches … Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz has scored one goal in eight appearances … Goalkeeper Matt Pickens is 3-1-1 and has 13 saves in five appearances.
Real Salt Lake Info
Real Salt Lake Scouting Report
Real Salt Lake (10-3-2, 32 pts.) enters Saturday’s match on top of the Supporters’ Shield standings following a dominant 3-0 win against Chivas USA on June 16. Fabian Espindola struck twice and Will Johnson tacked another on in stoppage time while Nick Rimando recorded his fifth shutout of the season to lead RSL in their first match back following the FIFA break. Espindola is tied for the club lead in goals with strike partner Alvaro Saborio. Midfielder Javier Morales leads the club in assists with four.
History of the Earthquakes- Real Salt Lake Rivalry
The Quakes beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 at Buck Shaw Stadium on April 21st , but RSL has had the upper hand recently in the all-time series between these two Western Conference rivals … The Quakes win against RSL this season snapped a six-game winless streak in all competitions, including an 0-3-2 mark in the five prior MLS regular-season match-ups, and a loss via penalty-kick shootout in a 2010 US Open Cup play-in contest at Buck Shaw Stadium … The Quakes had suffered two straight home defeats in league play during this stretch, in shutout fashion in back-to-back season openers in 2010 (3-0) and 2011 (1-0) … On March 19 the Quakes and RSL kicked off the 2011 season at Buck Shaw Stadium in a match later dubbed The Great Deluge as RSL took a 1-0 decision in a driving rainstorm through a 64th-minute Kyle Beckerman strike from 25 yards out that glanced off the left post and went in … That game marked Simon Dawkins’ MLS debut for the Quakes as a 66th-minute substitute … The Claret-and-Gold swept the 2011 season series with a 4-0 triumph in Utah on July 23 … The two teams played to a 2-2 draw in their first-ever meeting on April 30, 2005, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, with Alejandro Moreno providing a late equalizer for San Jose … After going 2-0-2 over their first four MLS regular-season meetings, the Quakes dropped their first league tilt to RSL, 3-1, on May 31, 2008, at Rice-Eccles … RSL was the last Quakes opponent to play a regular-season match at Spartan Stadium, earning a 2-2 tie on Oct. 8, 2005 … RSL knocked the Quakes out of the 2010 US Open Cup, advancing 5-3 on penalty kicks after the first 120 minutes ended 3-3 in a play-in game … RSL joined MLS as an expansion side prior to the 2005 campaign.
Earthquakes- Real Salt Lake Connections
Quakes midfielder Jean-Marc Alexandre was selected by Real Salt Lake in the first round (No. 12 overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, making 38 league appearances for the club over three seasons, all of which ended with qualification into the MLS Cup Playoffs, prior to being traded to San Jose on Dec. 1, 2011 … Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski and RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando have played together twice for the U.S. Men’s National Team, most recently featuring in head coach Jurgen Klinsmann’s starting lineup earlier this year on Jan. 25 for a 1-0 win over Panama in Panama City … On May 25 Wondolowski, Rimando, and RSL midfielder Kyle Beckerman were all named to Klinsmann’s final 23 man roster for matches against Scotland, Brazil, Canada, and 2014 World Cup Qualifiers against Antigua & Barbuda and Guatemala … Quakes midfielder Tressor Moreno, RSL defender Jamison Olave and RSL midfielder Sebastian Velasquez were all born in Colombia, with Moreno and Olave having played previously for Colombian side Deportivo Cali … RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy appeared in 24 games for San Jose in 2008 … Grabavoy also played under current Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop while with the LA Galaxy during the early part of the 2006 season, and was a teammate of Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch with the Columbus Crew later in 2006 … Grabavoy played with Quakes forward Alan Gordon for the LA Galaxy from 2004-06 … Busch also played alongside RSL defender Chris Wingert with the Crew in 2004-05 … Wingert (St. John’s) and Quakes defender Jason Hernandez (Seton Hall) played against each other in the BIG EAST Conference from 2001-03 … Quakes rookie midfielder Sam Garza and rookie RSL defender Diogo de Almeida were teammates on the adiPure side at the 2012 MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. … Garza (2008) and RSL defender Nat Borchers (1999-2002) each played at the University of Denver … Garza (2010-11) and RSL goalkeeper Kyle Reynish (2002-06) each played at UC Santa Barbara … Quakes midfielder Sam Cronin (2005-08) and defender Ike Opara (2007-09) played with RSL midfielder Cody Arnoux (2006-08) at Wake Forest, guiding the Demon Deacons to the program’s first national title together in 2007 … Rookie defender Chris Estridge, RSL’s newest addition, also played with Cronin (2008) and Opara (2008-09) at Wake … Estridge spent his final two years of college eligibility at Indiana University (2010-11), where Quakes midfielder Brad Ring (2005-08) and Ring’s fellow Illinois native Grabavoy (2001-03) previously played and RSL defender Chris Schuler redshirted (2005) … Quakes defender Justin Morrow and RSL midfielder Jonny Steele both played for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in 2010 … Rimando (Montclair, Calif.), RSL defender Tony Beltran (Claremont) and Quakes rookie forward Cesar Diaz Pizarro (Chino) are all alumni of the Arsenal FC club program based in Temecula, Calif. … Second-year Real Salt Lake assistant coach C.J. Brown is a Hayward, Calif., native who starred in the South Bay in his college playing days at San Jose State (1993-96) prior to a 13-year MLS career, all with the Chicago Fire … Quakes head coach Frank Yallop (52), assistant coach Mark Watson (77) and RSL defender Will Johnson (24) have all earned caps for the Canadian men’s national team, with Johnson having played under Watson at various youth levels, including U-23 during 2008 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying … Quakes captain Ramiro Corrales and RSL assistant coach Jeff Cassar played 90 minutes together for the now-defunct Miami Fusion on May 31, 1998, against the then-Dallas Burn at the Cotton Bowl, with current RSL head coach Jason Kreis scoring the 37th-minute winner in a 2-0 Dallas victory in what was Corrales’ only appearance for Miami … RSL general manager Garth Lagerwey was the back-up goalkeeper for the Burn that day … Corrales also played with RSL assistant coach Miles Joseph with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars from 1998-2000 … Quakes rookie midfielder Jacob Hustedt lists Sandy, Utah, as his hometown, home of RSL’s Rio Tinto Stadium.
Earthquakes Leaders vs. Real Salt Lake
Until the last meeting between the Quakes and Real Salt Lake on April 21 when he scored in the 93rd minute, RSL was one of just four clubs among the 19 in MLS in 2012 that Chris Wondolowski had not scored a goal against in a regular-season MLS match, with the others being Houston, Portland and newcomer Montreal, whom he has yet to face … Steven Lenhart had one goal and one assist against RSL in 2009 while with the Columbus Crew … Jon Busch is 4-2-4 with five shutouts against RSL for his career, including 1-2-1 with a shutout in his first start at RSL as the Quakes’ goalie in a scoreless draw on June 25, 2010.
Real Salt Lake Leaders vs. San Jose
Argentine midfielder Javier Morales has four goals and five assists in nine career appearances against San Jose, all with RSL … Midfielder Kyle Beckerman has three goals and five assists in 20 career games against the Quakes, with all goals and assists coming in eight matches with RSL since 2008 … Forward Alvaro Saborio has two goals and one assist, all coming in a 4-0 RSL win at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 23, 2011, in five matches over the past two seasons … Forward Fabian Espindola has one goal and one assist in eight games, as well as a red card he picked up when the Quakes and RSL last played earlier this season on April 21 … Defender Jamison Olave has one goal (2011) in nine matches … Defender Tony Beltran has one assist (2011) in six games … Goalkeeper Nick Rimando is 10-5-7 with seven shutouts all-time against the Quakes, and 5-2-3 with five shutouts with RSL since 2008.
Miscellaneous Notes
Busch Suspended for One Game
The MLS Disciplinary Committee suspended San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch for one game and fined him an undisclosed amount for aggressively retrieving a ball in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time of the game at Sporting Kansas City on May 27. Busch will serve his suspension June 20 when the Earthquakes travel to face the Colorado Rapids. Fines collected will be donated to the charitable partners of MLS W.O.R.K.S. and the MLS Players Union.
Earthquakes Set to Wrap Up Four-Game Road Stretch
The San Jose Earthquakes will wrap up a season-long four-game road stretch with matches against the Colorado Rapids and Real Salt Lake this week. San Jose faces the Rapids on Wednesday and Real Salt Lake on Saturday after defeating the LA Galaxy 3-2 on May 23 and falling 2-1 to Sporting Kansas City on May 27 to open the four-game span.
Quakes Announce Addition of Club Seats to New Stadium
The San Jose Earthquakes announced last week that the team has added club seats and patio suites to the team’s new stadium that will be located at Coleman Ave. in San Jose, Calif. The 576 club seats represent the first tickets available for purchase at the new stadium. The Earthquakes also announced that the team has sold all 12 luxury suites in the stadium and has started a waiting list for the luxury suites. For more information or to secure your spot on the club seats waiting list, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/newstadium.
All Star Ballot
Voting for the 2012 AT&T MLS All-Star is now underway at MLSsoccer.com and via text messaging. A panel of media members nominated a total of 114 players – the top six per team – to the fan ballot. CLICK HERE TO VOTE. Fans can also vote by sending a player’s first and last name via text message to 22442. Twitter voting will occur June 21-22. The Quakes eligible for fan voting are Rafael Baca, Steven Beitashour, Jon Busch, Marvin Chavez, Steven Lenhart and Chris Wondolowski. The players with the highest combined votes from these three voting methods will become the first 11 All-Stars – known as the All-Star First XI. The player who receives the most text votes by 2 p.m. PT on Monday, July 2 will automatically earn a spot among the All-Star First XI. All-Star Head Coach Peter Nowak of the Philadelphia Union will choose the gameday roster and the starting lineup against Chelsea FC on July 25. The first marquee MLS event ever to be held at PPL Park in Chester, Penn., will be broadcast live on ESPN2, TeleFutura, and in Canada on TSN and RDS starting at 5:30 p.m. PT.
Jean-Marc Alexandre Returns from Loan
Quakes midfielder Jean-Marc Alexandre returned from his two-week loan to Orlando City SC on Monday. He scored in a 2-1 win for the Lions on June 9 against the Charleston Battery. Alexandre also started and played 83 minutes in a 2-0 Orlando City SC win against Antigua Barracudas FC on Sunday.
Earthquakes to Host U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal at Kezar Stadium vs. Seattle Sounders FC
The Earthquakes will host a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Seattle Sounders FC on Tuesday, June 26 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT. For tickets or more information, visit sjearthquakes.com.
Quakes Second in the Western Conference
Approaching the midway point in the season, the San Jose Earthquakes (8-3-3, 27 pts.) are second in the Western Conference, five points behind Supporters’ Shield leaders Real Salt Lake (10-3-2, 32 pts.) with a game in hand. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (7-3-4, 25 pts.) is third, followed by Seattle Sounders FC (7-4-3, 24 pts.) and the Colorado Rapids (6-7-1, 19 pts.).
Quakes Among MLS Category Leaders
Through 15 weeks of the 2012 MLS season, the Earthquakes are tied for No. 2 in MLS with 27 goals scored and are second with 29 assists. With 17 scores conceded, the Quakes are also tied for No. 2 in the league with a +10 goal differential.
Race for the Budweiser Golden Boot
Chris Wondolowski is tied with New York Red Bulls striker Kenny Cooper atop the 2012 Budweiser Golden Boot race with 11 goals. Thierry Henry is next with nine followed by MLS newcomer Saer Sene of New England and D.C. United’s Maicon Santos with seven apiece.
Take Advantage of the Red, White & Blue Mini Plan for June 30
Quakes fans can enjoy the best possible seating for the Earthquakes’ highly-anticipated meeting with the rival LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium on June 30, and three more home games of their choice at Buck Shaw Stadium this season in the Sideline section, by taking advantage of the Red, White & Blue Mini Plan. Packages start at $100 per person and include a commemorative Independence Day scarf. To learn more about this plan, click HERE, call (408) 556-7700 or email seasontickets@sjearthquakes.com.
Wells Fargo Goals for Education
Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2012 through the Goals for Education program. With 27 goals through 14 games, the donated total for this season already stands at $6,750. Thanks to 40 goals in 2011, the partnership raised $10,000 for local youth soccer and athletic development programs a year ago.
