The Earthquakes wrap up a three-game road trip this week with matches in Guatemala and Southern California. First, San Jose will face CD Heredia on Wednesday, Aug. 28 in Guatemala City for CONCACAF Champions League Group 5 play. Kickoff is 7 p.m. PT at Cemento Progreso Stadium on FOX Soccer Plus. Next, the Earthquakes will face the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Aug. 31 at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. PT on Comcast SportsNet Plus, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.
San Jose’s Record in August
The Quakes are 35-28-9 all-time in August in MLS play.
Last Game
Earthquakes 2, FC Dallas 2; Aug. 24, 2013; FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas
The Earthquakes remained in the thick of the MLS Cup Playoff race with a 2-2 draw on the road against FC Dallas. San Jose jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to early goals from Alan Gordon and Steven Beitashour. However, FC Dallas pulled one back in the first half and then completed the comeback on a penalty from Michel in the 72nd minute. With eight games remaining, the Earthquakes are three points behind FC Dallas for the fifth and final MLS Cup Playoff spot after the LA Galaxy defeated Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1-0 on Saturday. The Earthquakes took control early at FC Dallas Stadium. Cordell Cato burst past his defender, beating him the touchline before calmly cutting a pass back to Gordon just inside the edge of the box. Gordon one-timed his shot into the net in the eighth minute for his fourth goal of the season. The strike was the fastest goal San Jose has scored in 2013. Eight minutes later, Gordon picked up an assist after locating Rafael Baca to start a scoring sequence. Baca chipped a pass from 10 yards outside the box over FC Dallas’ backline, catching Beitashour mid-run. Beitashour leapt to volley home his second career MLS goal and first of the campaign. FC Dallas began their rally with a goal from Blas Perez in the 19th minute. Je-Vaughn Watson headed a cross from Michel toward goal where Perez tapped it past Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch on the volley. Michel capped the night’s scoring with a penalty in the 72nd minute. Along with his goal and assist, Gordon reached a career milestone with his 100th MLS start.
OPPONENT INFO
Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 18-25-9
Home: 13-9-6 (42 GF, 37 GA)
Away: 5-16-3 (30 GF, 45 GA)
Shootout (1996-99): 1-4; Overtime (2000-03): 0-0-4
Playoffs: 4-5-1; US Open Cup: 0-4-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 72, LA Galaxy – 82
Last Game vs. LA Galaxy
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.
LA Galaxy Scouting Report
The LA Galaxy (12-9-4, 40 pts.) enter the week second in the Western Conference and five points behind Real Salt Lake in the Supporters’ Shield race. The Galaxy are led by Designated Players Landon Donovan, Omar Gonzalez and Robbie Keane. Keane tops their scoring charts with 10 goals and nine assists while Donovan is next with seven goals and seven assists. They are 3-1-1 in their last five games and 6-3-1 in their last 10, one of the hottest stretches around the league.
History of the Earthquakes – LA Galaxy Rivalry
As the two original MLS teams in California, the Earthquakes (then known as the Clash) and the Galaxy met for the first time on April 28, 1996, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. … In front of a crowd of 40,347, the Clash fell to the Galaxy, 2-1 … From 1996-2005, the in-state rivals matched up more than any other teams in the league … Along with playing each other 48 times in the regular season, the Quakes and the Galaxy have also faced off eight times in the postseason and four times in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup … The teams squared off in the playoffs in 1996, 2003 and 2005, as well as the 2001 MLS Cup … The Galaxy captured the 1996 conference semifinal series, two games to one, taking the final two contests at the Rose Bowl by identical scores of 2-0 … In 2001, the sides met in the MLS Cup, with the Quakes producing a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph at Columbus Crew Stadium as Dwayne De Rosario scored the winner in overtime … The 2003 Western Conference Semifinal series produced one of the most memorable games in league history … After dropping the road leg of a two-game set, 2-0, San Jose fell behind by that same score after just 13 minutes of the home return to trail the series, 4-0 on aggregate … The Quakes responded with a four-goal explosion in regulation to level the aggregate, 4-4, getting the fourth from Chris Ronér in the 90th minute just moments after he had come into the game … Fellow second-half substitute Rodrigo Faria then struck six minutes into sudden-death overtime to send San Jose to the Western Conference Finals, and ultimately its second MLS Cup … In 2005, having lost the first leg of the Western Conference Semifinals, 3-1, at The Home Depot Center, the Quakes needed another two-goal comeback to win the series … After going up 1-0 on a Brian Ching goal in Game 2 on Oct. 29, 2005, Ned Grabavoy scored for the Galaxy to end the Quakes’ hopes … That match marked the Quakes’ final game before the team was relocated to Houston on Dec. 15, 2005 … Since the Earthquakes rejoined MLS in 2008, the teams have met 10 times … San Jose has gone 3-4-3 during that stretch, including a 1-0 win in front of what was then a stadium-record crowd of 10,799 at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug. 21, 2010, thanks to a fourth-minute goal by Chris Wondolowski … The sides played to a scoreless draw in front of a new Buck Shaw record crowd of 10,872 in last year’s first meeting on June 25, with the Quakes unable to find a goal despite out-shooting the Galaxy, 25-8, and playing with a man advantage for 47 minutes … The return fixture in Carson resulted in a 2-0 victory for LA as Robbie Keane scored the winner on his MLS debut … The Earthquakes were 2-0-1 against the Galaxy in 2012, rallying from two-goal deficits to knock off their Southern California rival on May 23, 3-2, at The Home Depot Center and June 30, 4-3, in front of 50,391 at Stanford Stadium … San Jose again came from behind in their final regular season meeting of 2012, equalizing a pair of one-goal deficits for a 2-2 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium … After defeating the Galaxy 1-0 in the first leg of Western Conference Semifinals, the Quakes dropped the second match at Buck Shaw Stadium 3-1 and were eliminated from the postseason … The 2013 California Clasico got off to a lively start as the Earthquakes rallied from a 2-1 deficit while playing a man down with goals from Shea Salinas and Alan Gordon in second-half stoppage time, making San Jose the first team in league history to accomplish that feat.
Earthquakes – LA Galaxy Connections
Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan began his MLS career with the Earthquakes, producing 32 goals and 29 assists over 87 appearances from 2001-04 and helping lead San Jose to both of its MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003 … Quakes forward Alan Gordon played for the Galaxy from 2004-10, scoring 16 goals in 99 games … Quakes assistant coach Ian Russell played in three games for the Galaxy in 2007 … Galaxy defender Todd Dunivant was San Jose’s first-round selection in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft and played 46 games for the Earthquakes from 2003-04, producing one goal and six assists … Dunivant and Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn both attended Stanford … Dunivant was teammates with Quakes defender Nana Attakora on Toronto FC from 2007-08 … Galaxy assistant coach Curt Onalfo played in six matches for San Jose in 1997 … Galaxy technical director Jovan Kirovski played in nine matches for the Quakes in 2008 … Quakes defender Jason Hernandez was teammates with Galaxy midfielder Mike Magee with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 2005 … Quakes goalkeeper David Bingham (2008-10) and Galaxy midfielder Hector Jimenez (2006-10) were teammates at Cal … LA Galaxy defender Tommy Meyer and San Jose defender Brad Ring both attended Indiana University … Galaxy midfielders Colin Clark (2006-10) and Pablo Mastroeni (2002-13) played on the Colorado Rapids with Quakes midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy (2007-10), defender Dan Gargan (2006-08) and defender Ty Harden (2009) … Clark also played with Earthquakes goalkeeper Evan Newton on the Houston Dynamo in 2011 … Galaxy midfielder Robbie Rogers was teammates with Quakes forward Steven Lenhart on the Columbus Crew from 2008-10.
Earthquakes Leaders vs. LA Galaxy
Chris Wondolowski has three goals in nine career appearances … Alan Gordon has six goals in five matches against his former club … Steven Lenhart has four goals and an assist in nine career appearances against LA … Jon Busch is 9-7-5 with six shutouts in his career against the Galaxy, including a 3-1-3 record with two shutouts in a Quakes uniform.
LA Galaxy Leaders vs. San Jose
Midfielder Landon Donovan has seven goals and seven assists in 13 games against his old club … Forward Robbie Keane has two goals and two assists in four appearances … Midfielder Pablo Mastroeni has two assists in 24 career appearances against San Jose.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
Gordon Moves to No. 8 on San Jose’s All-Time Goals List
Alan Gordon’s goal in the eighth minute of Saturday’s 2-2 draw at FC Dallas moved him up to No. 8 on San Jose’s all-time goals list with 18 in 41 games. He scored one goal in his first season with the Earthquakes after joining the club through a midseason trade with Toronto FC on July 14, 2011, tacked on a career-high 13 goals in 2012 and has scored four times so far in 2013.
Beitashour Scores First Goal of 2013
Steven Beitashour scored his second career MLS goal and first of 2013 in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at FC Dallas. The fourth-year right back volleyed home a chipped pass from Rafael Baca in the 16th minute for San Jose’s second goal of the evening. Beitashour’s first MLS goal came at Chivas USA on April 24, 2010.
Cato Notches First Assist of 2013
Cordell Cato recorded his first career assist with the Earthquakes in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at FC Dallas. The speedy winger burst past his defender and sent a cross back to Alan Gordon at the top of the box for San Jose’s first goal. He has two assists during his two years in MLS.
Milestone Alert
The Earthquakes are two wins away from their 200th in club history … Midfielder Shea Salinas is two assists away from tying Ian Russell for No. 10 on the club’s career list.
Iron Man
The Earthquakes have one player that has played every minute of all 26 matches this season, Jon Busch. Sam Cronin is the only other player on the squad to start all 26 matches; he has logged 2,251 minutes in the process.
CONCACAF Champions League Schedule
The Earthquakes will play four CONCACAF Champions League matches in group play after qualifying for the tournament by virtue of their Supporters’ Shield win in 2012. The schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 7 – Earthquakes 0, Montreal Impact 1 at Saputo Stadium
Wednesday, Aug. 28 – 7 p.m. PT – San Jose Earthquakes at CD Heredia (Guatemala)
Tuesday, Sept. 17 – 7 p.m. PT – Montreal Impact at San Jose Earthquakes
Wednesday, Oct. 23 – 7 p.m. PT – CD Heredia at San Jose Earthquakes
Lenhart Chia Pet Night Slated for Sept. 8
The Earthquakes will host Steven Lenhart Chia Pet Night, presented by Cosmopolitan Catering, on Sunday, Sept. 8 when the club hosts the Philadelphia Union at 8 p.m. PT. The chia pet will be available to 2,500 fans at the gates on matchday. Last year, Cosmopolitan Catering teamed up with the Earthquakes for Lenhart Wig Night. The stadium was filled with blond-haired fans for what was one of the most dramatic games of the season. Lenhart came off the bench and scored the game-tying goal in the 98th minute. He then celebrated with teammate Shea Salinas by donning the wig.
New Stadium Update
Due to unforeseen conditions at the stadium site, the Earthquakes are pushing back the opening date of their new stadium to the second half of the 2014 season. With the change in opening date, the team will play eight games at Buck Shaw Stadium, one game at Stanford Stadium and nine games at the new stadium next season. Season ticket packages will now consist of 18 games, with 17 regular season games and one bonus game. For more information about season tickets for 2014, please contact the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700. During the demolition phase, the construction team uncovered numerous concrete vaults deep in the ground, used munitions from the FMC factory, steel beams and hundreds of concrete pilings. Due to the high water table at the site, the excavated vaults also had to be drained of water, causing more delays during the grading process. To drain one of the holes, over 600 tons of rock had to be used.
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 $7,000 so far this season thanks to 28 goals. The Earthquakes raised $18,000 in 2012 after scoring a club record 72 goals.
