THIS WEEK
The Earthquakes hit the road for a pair of matches this week. First up are the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, July 3 at Toyota Park. Kickoff is 5:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet Plus and 1370 KZSF. Next, San Jose will head east to face the New England Revolution on Saturday, July 6 at Gillette Stadium. Kickoff for that game is 4:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet California, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.
San Jose’s Record in July
The Quakes are 23-35-19 all-time in July in MLS play.
Last Game
Earthquakes 3, LA Galaxy 2; June 29, 2013; Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif.
The Earthquakes scored twice in second-half stoppage time while playing a man down to knock off LA Galaxy in front of a sold-out crowd of 50,028 at Stanford Stadium. The Galaxy led 2-0 with 22 minutes remaining, but the Earthquakes rallied with three unanswered goals to cap another memorable comeback. The win extended San Jose’s home-unbeaten streak against their Southern California rivals to eight games. Marcelo Sarvas put the Galaxy in front in the 20th minute. Landon Donovan chipped a ball from the wing to Robbie Keane who volleyed a pass from the point to Sarvas. The Brazilian midfielder one-timed his shot out of the air, redirecting it to the near post past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch. The Galaxy were also first to the scoreboard in the second half, doubling their lead with a strike from Hector Jimenez in the 65th minute. Donovan found Keane on the left in space, allowing the Irish international to send a ball across the goal face. Jimenez was waiting on the other end, polishing his shot off into an open net at the far post. That set the stage for late-game heroics from the Earthquakes. Alan Gordon began the comeback with a header in the 68th minute. Shea Salinas cut back and found Gordon with a pinpoint pass at the near post. Gordon leapt and nodded home his first goal of the season. The match took a tumultuous turn for San Jose in the 77th minute after center back Victor Bernardez was issued his second yellow card, resulting in an automatic ejection. Playing a man down, the Earthquakes found their way back into the game in the waning moments. Justin Morrow sent a long throw into the mix where Adam Jahn redirected the pass toward goal. The ball deflected off of Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza and toward goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini. The former Chelsea FC product couldn’t hang onto the ball and Salinas capitalized, pounding in the equalizer from close range in the 92nd minute. One minute later, Gordon capped the comeback with a header at the far post. Marvin Chavez led a counter attack on the left wing and found Salinas open on the right. Salinas then slid a pass back to Cronin in the area where the 2013 AT&T MLS All-Star nominee lofted a perfectly placed pass to Gordon for the game winner.
OPPONENT INFO
Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 8-12-12
Home: 6-5-6 (21 GF, 23 GA)
Away: 2-7-6 (15 GF, 27 GA)
Playoffs: 1-0-0; US Open Cup: 0-1-0;
US Open Cup Play-in: 0-1-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 43, Chicago – 52
Last Game vs. Chicago Fire
Earthquakes 1, Chicago Fire 1; July 28, 2012; Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
Steven Lenhart volleyed home an equalizer with his squad playing a man down to earn the Earthquakes a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire in front of a sellout crowd of 10,525 at Buck Shaw Stadium. The goal came, fittingly, on a night that honored San Jose’s striker with Lenhart Wig Night, presented by Cosmo Catering. Lenhart came on in the 59th minute for Rafael Baca to see his first action since July 3 at Portland after missing San Jose’s previous four matches due to concussion symptoms. The striker left his mark eight minutes into stoppage time, volleying a pass from Chris Wondolowski’s chest past Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson to tie the game. The goal was his seventh of the season, a new career high. San Jose was playing a man down when Lenhart scored after Alan Gordon was sent off with his second yellow after catching Fire defender Dan Gargan on a tackle.
Chicago Fire Scouting Report
The Chicago Fire (5-7-3, 18 pts.) are eighth in the Eastern Conference, but have been one of the hotter clubs in the league over the last month. Since late May, the fire are unbeaten in five MLS matches and eight total, including three wins to reach the U.S. Open Cup Semifinal. Their last league game was a 2-1 win against the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium. Dilly Duka and Mike Magee scored to rally the Fire to their second victory in a row. Magee leads the Fire with four goals on the year, a total he’s reached in just four games since joining his hometown club in a trade with the LA Galaxy for the right of first refusal to Robbie Rogers on May 24. Meanwhile, midfielder Daniel Paladini leads the Fire with three assists.
History of the Quakes-Chicago Fire Rivalry
The Earthquakes and the Chicago Fire have had a memorable rivalry since the Fire came into MLS in 1998 … The most memorable game of the rivalry came in 2003, when Chicago and San Jose met for the MLS Cup at The Home Depot Center on Nov. 23 … The Quakes defeated the Fire 4-2 in Frank Yallop’s final game as the head coach before returning two seasons ago … Landon Donovan scored two goals, while Ronnie Ekelund and Richard Mulrooney each netted a goal to lead the Quakes to the victory … That game was the only playoff meeting between two of the league’s most successful clubs … The two teams have played each other twice in U.S. Open Cup Play, during Chicago’s inaugural season in 1998 and on May 24, 2011 … The first Open Cup match saw a quarterfinal tie that went into penalty kicks after goals from Lubos Kubik for Chicago and Jeff Baicher for San Jose saw the score knotted at one-all after regulation and overtime … The Fire prevailed in the PK shootout, 4-3, on their way to winning the title … In May of 2011, a 2-2 tie with goals from Ellis McLoughlin and Justin Morrow for San Jose and Orr Barouch and Yamith Cuesta for Chicago led to another round of PKs. Chicago prevailed 5-4 in the PK shootout … Chicago failed to win an MLS game against San Jose in 2011 for the first time in franchise history … Fire defender Cory Gibbs robbed San Jose of a road win on May 28, 2011, after Ramiro Corrales and Chris Wondolowski scored for the Quakes … Corrales and Wondolowski each scored again in the return fixture at Buck Shaw Stadium on September 10 to give San Jose a 2-0 win, their first home against the Fire since a 2-0 win on Sep. 21, 2005 at Spartan Stadium … On July 28, 2012, San Jose and Chicago played to a 1-1 draw. Quakes forward Steven Lenhart scored the equalizer eight minutes into stoppage time.
Earthquakes-Chicago Fire Connections
Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch played with the Fire from 2007-09, where he won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2008 … Jason Hernandez made his MLS debut on Oct. 5, 2005, playing for New York against the Fire at Soldier Field in Chicago ... Quakes midfielder Sam Cronin played with Fire midfielder Corben Bone at Wake Forest, where they won a national championship together … Chicago midfielder Wells Thompson also attended Wake Forest … Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski also played in the 2011 Gold Cup with the United States … San Jose midfielder Brad Ring grew up in the Chicago area and played his youth and high school soccer there … Chicago defender Jalil Anibaba and Quakes midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy both attended Santa Clara University … Fire forward Quincy Amarikwa played for the Earthquakes from 2009-10 … Chicago midfielder Brendan King and Quakes defender Justin Morrow both attended the University of Notre Dame … San Jose midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy played with Chicago forward Quincy Amarikwa and midfielders Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson on the Colorado Rapids in 2010 … Amarikwa also played with Earthquakes defender Ty Harden on Toronto FC in 2012 … Fire midfielder Alvaro Fernandez played on Sounders FC with Quakes forward Mike Fucito (2010-11) and midfielder Cordell Cato (2012) … Earthquakes midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy played alongside Fire midfielder Joel Lindpere on the New York Red Bulls from 2010-12 … Quakes defender Jason Hernandez played with Chicago forward Mike Magee on the Metrostars in 2005 … San Jose forward Alan Gordon suited up for the LA Galaxy with Chicago forward Mike Magee (2009-10) and midfielder Daniel Paladini (2006) … Chicago forward Maicon Santos played on Toronto FC with Quakes defender Nana Attakora (2010-11) and midfielder Sam Cronin (2010) … Santos also played with San Jose midfielder Marvin Chavez on FC Dallas in 2011.
Earthquakes Leaders vs. Chicago Fire
Forward Chris Wondolowski has four goals and two assists in nine career appearances … Forward Steven Lenhart has two goals in nine appearances against Chicago, with one coming in 2012 … Midfielder Ramiro Corrales has two goals and an assist in 19 career appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch is 6-4-6 with four shutouts in 16 career appearances.
Chicago Fire Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Forward Patrick Nyarko has two goals and three assists in six appearances … Forward Mike Magee has four goals and two assists in 17 games against San Jose … Midfielder Logan Pause has two assists in thirteen career games ... Goalkeeper Sean Johnson is 1-1-2 with one shutout in four career appearances.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Earthquakes Make Historic Comeback
The Earthquakes’ 3-2 win against the LA Galaxy marked the first time in league history that a team came back to win in second-half stoppage time while playing a man down. Center back Victor Bernardez was sent off in the 77th minute, leaving the home side down a goal and a man. However, Shea Salinas equalized in the 92nd minute and Alan Gordon headed in the game winner in the 93rd to lead San Jose to an historic comeback victory.
Gordon Finds First Goals of 2013
Alan Gordon scored twice in San Jose’s historic comeback 3-2 win against the LA Galaxy on Saturday at Stanford Stadium, his first two goals of 2013. The veteran striker found the net with a pair of headers, the first in the 68th minute and the last in the 93rd. Gordon was second on the club with 13 goals in 2012.
Salinas Scores First Goal of 2013
Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas scored his first goal of 2013 in the Earthquakes’ 3-2 comeback win at Stanford Stadium on Saturday. The speedy winger pounced on a loose ball in front of the goal to tie the game at 2-2 in the 92nd minute, setting the stage for Alan Gordon’s dramatic game-winner in the 93rd. Salinas also had a pair of assists bringing his season total up to six.
Busch Records Season-High Eight Saves
Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch recorded a season-high eight saves in Saturday’s 3-2 comeback win agains the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium. Busch is No. 2 in MLS with 58 saves on the season, three behind Columbus’ Andy Gruenebaum.
Watson Earns First Home Win
Interim head coach Mark Watson earned his first home win with the club in Saturday’s 3-2 comeback victory against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium. Watson is 2-1-0 since taking his new role with the team. His previous two games came on the road, a 2-1 win against the Colorado Rapids on June 15 and a 1-0 loss against D.C. United on June 22.
It’s a Sellout
For the second-straight year, the Earthquakes sold out Stanford Stadium for the California Clasico against the LA Galaxy. The attendance on Saturday was 50,028, the club’s second-largest non-doubleheader total in club history – behind only the 2012 edition, which featured a crowd of 50,391.
Iron Man
The San Jose Earthquakes have one player that has played every minute of all 18 matches this season, Jon Busch. He has played 1,620 minutes.
Earthquakes to Host A&W Root Beer Float Night on July 13
The Earthquakes will host their third annual A&W Root Beer Float Night on Saturday, July 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. PT in the Epicenter Fan Zone prior to the club’s clash with Western Conference foe Seattle Sounders FC. Local celebrities, including the club’s broadcast team of Dan Dibley, Kate Scott and Kelly Gray, have teamed up with the Earthquakes for the charity event to scoop, pour and serve root beer floats to fans with a recommended $3 donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Each fan that makes the recommended donation will also receive an A&W souvenir cup while supplies last. Last year, the Earthquakes raised $10,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as part of the second annual A&W Root Beer Float Night.
Earthquakes New Stadium Update
The Earthquakes unveiled a number of new features for the club’s stadium that is under construction at Coleman Ave. in San Jose. The team has added Game Day Clubs and has revealed that the seats in the new stadium will be blue. Additionally, the south end of the stadium will spell out ‘Quakes’ in the seats. All of the new features can be viewed in the newly launched interactive 3D seat map at www.sjearthquakes.com. The Earthquakes also announced the arrival of a new stadium mobile viewing center that allows fans to experience the club’s new venue in person. Appointments are available to drop by the mobile viewing center on game days or regular weekday business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT by calling club headquarters at 408-556-7700. Additionally, the Earthquakes gave fans a way to keep tabs on the construction process through a live webcam stationed at the construction site. The StreamCam HD will provide live and archived footage to fans at www.sjearthquakes.com and will collect images for a timelapse video of the completed project when the stadium opens, courtesy of EarthCam.
Earthquakes to Induct Gabbo Gavric, Peter Bridgwater to Club’s Hall of Fame
Former defender Momcilo “Gabbo” Gavric and former president Peter Bridgwater have been voted into the Earthquakes Hall of Fame. The pair of soccer legends will be inducted in a ceremony during halftime of San Jose’s match on July 27 against the Portland Timbers. For more information about the duo, click here.
Earthquakes 5K/10K Challenge, Presented by Stanford Hospital & Clinics
The club will host its second annual Earthquakes 5K/10K Challenge, presented by Stanford Hospital & Clinics, benefiting The Health Trust of Silicon Valley and the San Jose Earthquakes Community Fund, on Sunday, Aug. 18. More information and a registration link are available at www.quakeschallenge.com. The 5K/10K Challenge begins at 8 a.m. with three options for runners of all ages. All participants receive a race t-shirt and access to a post-race celebration. The event is co-produced by Threshold Racing and Firstwave Events, the same companies that organize the San Jose Turkey Trot, Santa Cruz Half Marathon, and the San Jose Metro Triathlon.
T-Mobile 4G Power Zone Back for 2013
The Earthquakes have teamed with T-Mobile for the second year in a row to create the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone” at all home games for the 2013 season. The promotion will give fans the opportunity to purchase great seats for only $17 – a discount of $10 off the day-of-game price, the most affordable Earthquakes tickets available to the public. Through the agreement, T-Mobile has rebranded the Corner Flag Section 107 at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara as the “T-Mobile 4G Power Zone.” For more information, visit www.sjearthquakes.com/tickets.
Quakes President Dave Kaval’s Office Hours
Earthquakes President Dave Kaval’s office hours will continue in 2013. Fans can drop by his office at 451 El Camino Real, Suite 201 in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesdays between 3 and 5 p.m. PT. Participants will be seen on a first come, first served basis. Be sure to read his blog, Kaval’s Kickoff, exclusively at www.sjearthquakes.com, and follow him on Twitter at @QuakesPrez.
Season Tickets on Sale/Priority for New Stadium
Season tickets for the 2013 season at Buck Shaw Stadium are still available. By purchasing season tickets for the final season at Buck Shaw Stadium, fans can enter the queue for priority seating for the Earthquakes New Stadium. Season ticket holders are currently selecting their seats for the New Stadium. To purchase season tickets or for more information, please contact the Earthquakes headquarters at 408-556-7700.
Wells Fargo Goals for Education
Wells Fargo has again pledged to donate $250 for each goal the Earthquakes score in 2013 through the Goals for Education program. The club has raised $4,500 so far this season thanks to 18 goals. The Earthquakes raised $18,000 in 2012 after scoring a club record 72 goals.
