2015

Weekly Update: October 19, 2015

StartingXI_SJvSKC

The San Jose Earthquakes earned three critical points to keep themselves in contention for a coveted spot in the MLS playoffs following their 1-0 win over Sporting Kansas City at Avaya Stadium on Friday night. Midfielder Anibal Godoy tallied the game’s lone goal, his second of the season, and was assisted by forward Chris Wondolowski and midfielder Shea Salinas. 


The Quakes will play their final match of the regular season against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Sunday, October 25. The match kicks of at 4:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on CSNCA, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.


Last MLS Match
Earthquakes 1, Sporting Kansas City 0; Oct. 16, 2015; Avaya Stadium, San Jose, CA

The San Jose Earthquakes earned the crucial three points needed to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City in front of a capacity crowd at Avaya Stadium. Including tonight, the Earthquakes sold out all 15 regular season matches at Avaya Stadium during its inaugural season. The Quakes were forced to shuffle the back line with defender Victor Bernardez absent due to yellow card accumulation. Defender Marvell Wynne stepped in to help lead the club to a shutout victory. Wynne is the seventh different player to start at center back for San Jose this season. In the 8th minute, Cordell Cato sent a cross from the right side of the field to midfielder Shea Salinas, who was able to get his head to the ball at the far post. However, Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia was able to make a comfortable save. Twelve minutes later, Matias Perez Garcia laid the ball off to Quincy Amarikwa, who was waiting to attack in the middle of the pitch. Quincy dribbled past one defender at the top of the box, putting himself in a one-on-one matchup with the keeper. Amarikwa took a hard shot towards goal, but the attempt sailed just high. The Quakes got on the board two minutes into the second half, when Salinas sent a high cross to the back post for forward Chris Wondolowski. Wondolowski one-timed a cross through the box for Anibal Godoy, who calmly slotted the ball into the back of the net. It marked Anibal Godoy’s second goal of the season, with both coming against Sporting Kansas City. It also marked Salinas’ fifth assist and Wondolowski’s first assist of the year. Wondolowski has now tallied a goal or an assist in seven of the last 10 matches dating back to August 19. With the score, San Jose has not been shut out at Avaya Stadium since August 2, a span of eight consecutive matches. The two clubs continued their physical style of play for the duration of the second half, with both teams creating several scoring chances. However, neither side was able to alter the score line before the final whistle sounded. Quakes keeper David Bingham tallied his 12th shutout of the year, tying Pat Onstad’s club record set in 2005, and will have one opportunity to break it before the season comes to an end. 

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MLS Regular Season
San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 Sporting Kansas City

October 16, 2015 – Avaya Stadium
Attendance: 18,000

Scoring Summary: SJ – Anibal Godoy (Chris Wondolowksi, Shea Salinas) 47.


Misconduct Summary: SJ – Anibal Godoy (caution) 67; SKC – Amobi Okugo (caution) 69; SKC – Dom Dwyer (caution) 83. 

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES:
David Bingham, Cordell Cato, Marvell Wynne, Clarence Goodson, Shaun Francis, Matias Perez Garcia (Sanna Nyassi 76), Anibal Godoy, Fatai Alashe, Shea Salinas, Chris Wondolowski, Quincy Amarikwa (Adam Jahn 90).


SHOTS: 13; SHOTS ON GOAL: 8; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 17; CORNER KICKS: 4; OFFSIDES: 4.


SPORTING KANSAS CITY: Tim Melia, Seth Sinovic (Saad Abdul-Salaam 64), Matt Besler (Amobi Okugo 60), Erik Palmer-Brown, Chance Meyers, Paulo Nagamura, Benny Feilhaber, Mikey Lopez, Graham Zusi, Bernardo Anor (Krisztian Nemeth 59), Dom Dwyer. 


SHOTS: 8; SHOTS ON GOAL: 3; SAVES: 7; FOULS: 15; CORNER KICKS: 4; OFFSIDES: 0.



OPPONENT INFORMATION


Earthquakes vs. FC Dallas All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 25-18-12
Home: 15-7-6 (49 GF, 31 GA)
Away: 10-11-6 (37 GF, 34 GA)
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 86, Kansas City – 65


Last Game vs. FC Dallas
Earthquakes 0, FC Dallas 0; June 7, 2015; Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif. 

The San Jose Earthquakes kept a clean sheet and earned a point against FC Dallas in front of a sellout crowd of 18,000 at Avaya Stadium, despite finishing the match with nine men. The match was the fifth consecutive sellout at Avaya Stadium. The Quakes were aided by the return of midfielders Matias Perez Garcia and Fatai Alashe to the starting XI, and forward Mark Sherrod made his first start of the season. FC Dallas nearly got on the board in the 10th minute when midfielder Mauro Diaz stepped up to take a free kick. Diaz’s right-footed strike curled over the wall, but missed wide left. Eight minutes later, the Quakes created a tremendous opportunity of their own. Midfielder Cordell Cato received the ball on the right side of the penalty area and slotted a low pass across the front of goal, narrowly missing several oncoming attackers. In the 20th minute, FC Dallas midfielder Michael Barrios dribbled at the Quakes goal with pace, cut back onto his right foot and blasted a short-range strike on target. However, Earthquakes keeper David Bingham lunged to his left, punching the ball away and out of danger. Ten minutes later, Cato created more problems for FC Dallas’ backline. Possessing the ball on the right flank, he whipped in a deep cross that skipped in front of keeper Dan Kennedy and found its way to the back post untouched. Defender Clarence Goodson and forward Mark Sherrod were both in the vicinity, but couldn’t quite get a touch on it. Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski, in search of his fifth consecutive match with a goal, nearly gave the home side a 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute. After a nifty pass by midfielder Matias Perez Garcia into the box, Wondolowski had a one-on-one with the keeper, but his shot attempt was blocked by Kennedy, who came out to meet him. The final chance of the first half came in the 44th minute on the head of Quakes defender Victor Bernardez. Finding space on a corner kick by Perez Garcia, Bernardez made firm contact, but his header bounced up and over the net for a goal kick. San Jose went down to 10 men in the 53rd minute, when forward Mark Sherrod was sent off for making contact with Kennedy. FC Dallas later went down to 10 men as well, as defender Je-Vaughn Watson was sent off with a straight red after a mistimed tackle on Cato in the 75th minute. With both teams in search of a late winner, Quakes second-half sub JJ Koval received the game’s third red card, dropping the team to nine men in the 87th minute.


History of the Quakes – FC Dallas Rivalry
The Earthquakes were 9-1-4 in the final 14 games against Dallas prior to San Jose’s relocation to Houston … The Quakes posted a seven-game winning streak during that stretch from July 20, 2002-Apr. 15, 2004 … San Jose and Dallas met in an important match on Oct. 16, 2004, as San Jose needed a win or a tie to advance to the playoffs, while Dallas needed a win to clinch the final berth in the playoffs. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie at the Cotton Bowl, giving San Jose a spot in the playoffs, while Dallas did not qualify. Ramiro Corrales scored the Quakes second goal in that game … On Sept. 27, 2003, San Jose’s Dwayne De Rosario scored the fastest goal from the start of the game in MLS history, netting a goal 11 seconds into the match at Spartan Stadium against Dallas. De Rosario would go on to net a hat trick in the game, the second hat trick in Quakes team history … The Earthquakes won both matches against FC Dallas last season … The Earthquakes defeated FC Dallas in a 2-0 road win in the first meeting of this season on Mar. 26, and closed out the 2011 season with a 4-2 win at Buck Shaw Stadium on Oct. 22 … In their first meeting this season, the two teams battled to a scoreless draw on July 7 at FC Dallas Stadium … The Earthquakes followed up with a 2-1 win on July 18 at Buck Shaw Stadium … The Quakes’ plus-25 goal differential against FC Dallas is the highest against any team in the league … San Jose is riding a six-game unbeaten streak against FC Dallas … The Earthquakes were 1-1-1 against FC Dallas in 2013 … FC Dallas won their first meeting of 2012 1-0 at FC Dallas Stadium thanks to a strike from Fabian Castillo … The Quakes and FC Dallas tied 2-2 on August 24 after three red cards were issued … The Quakes capped off the 2013 campaign with a 2-1 win at Buck Shaw Stadium in Ramiro Corrales last game of his career … San Jose won their first two meetings against FC Dallas in 2014, each with a score of 2-1, before dropping the third game 5-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium on August 16 … On March 7, 2015 the Quakes dropped the season opener at FC Dallas with a stoppage time goal, 1–0 … In the second matchup of the 2015 season, San Jose kept a scoreless draw at Avaya Stadium on June 7 despite finishing the game with only nine men. 


Earthquakes - FC Dallas Connections
Earthquakes defender Clarence Goodson began his career as a member of the Dallas Burn in 2004 (they re-named the club FC Dallas one year later) … Goodson was a No. 7 overall pick for Dallas in the 2004 SuperDraft and went on to record three goals and two assists in 74 appearances during his four seasons in Texas … Goodson (2000-03) and FC Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz (2005-06) played college soccer at Maryland … FC Dallas defender Zach Loyd and Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski have played together numerous times with the U.S. Men’s National Team … Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas grew up in the Dallas area and played USL soccer in the summer for Dallas-Fort Worth Tornados in 2005 and 2006 … Earthquakes defender Marvell Wynne (2004-05) and FC Dallas midfielder Ryan Hollingshead (2009-12) both attended UCLA … FC Dallas midfielder Atiba Harris played on the Earthquakes in 2014 … FC Dallas midfielder Ryan Hollingshead and Earthquakes forward Adam Jahn and midfielder/forward Tommy Thompson are all from Sacramento, Calif … Earthquakes midfielder Shea Salinas (2004-07) and FC Dallas defender Walker Zimmerman (2011-12) both attended Furman University … FC Dallas midfielder Rolando Escobar, forward and Blas Perez and Quakes midfielder Anibal Godoy have all represented the Panamanian Men’s National Team in international competition … Quakes midfielders Matias Perez Garcia and Leandro Barrera, as well as FC Dallas midfielders Mauro Diaz and Ezequiel Cirigliano, were all born in Argentina … Quakes defender Shaun Francis and FC Dallas midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson are both from Jamaica. 



EARTHQUAKES IN THE COMMUNITY

Player Appearance
Who: Earthquakes defender Marvell Wynne 
What: Signing autographs and taking photos with fans 
Where: Mineta San Jose International Airport – 1701 Airport Blvd, San Jose, CA 
When: Thursday, October 22 at 4:30 p.m.


Light the Night Walk
Who: Earthquakes Organization 
What: Participating in the Light the Night walk to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Where: Discovery Meadow in downtown San Jose 
When: Saturday, October 24 at 5 p.m. 



MISCELLANEOUS NOTES


Within Striking Distance
After picking up three points against Sporting KC on Friday night, the Earthquakes find themselves one point out of the playoffs with one game remaining. The possible scenarios in which they make the postseason are: 


The Quakes draw at FC Dallas AND

1. Sporting Kansas City loses both remaining matches (10/21 vs. COL; 10/25 vs. LA).
•    San Jose and Sporting would finish level on points (48), but SJ would hold goal differential tiebreaker.
The Quakes win at FC Dallas AND

1. Sporting Kansas City loses both remaining matches (10/21 vs. COL; 10/25 vs. LA).
•    San Jose would finish with 50 points to Sporting’s 48.
OR

2. Sporting Kansas City loses one and draws one of their remaining matches (10/21 vs. COL; 10/25 vs. LA).
•    San Jose would finish with 50 points to Sporting’s 49.
OR

3. Sporting Kansas City draws both remaining matches (10/21 vs. COL; 10/25 vs. LA).
•    San Jose and Sporting would finish level on points, but SJ would hold the wins tiebreaker (14-13).
OR

4. Portland Timbers lose their final match (10/25 vs. COL).
•    San Jose and Portland would finish level on points (50), but SJ would hold the goal differential tiebreaker.
OR

5. Seattle Sounders FC loses their final match (10/25 vs. RSL).
•    San Jose would finish with 50 points to Seattle’s 48.
OR

6. Seattle Sounders FC draws their final match (10/25 vs. RSL).
•    San Jose would finish with 50 points to Seattle’s 49.


Bingham Ties the Record
Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham notched his 12th shutout of the season against Sporting KC on Friday, tying the club record for shutouts in a single season set by Pat Onstad in 2005. He will have the opportunity to break the record on Sunday at FC Dallas.


Godoy Tallies First Game-Winning Goal
Midfielder Anibal Godoy tallied his second goal of the season on Friday, with both goals coming against Sporting KC. His strike in the 47th minute marked his first career game-winning goal.


Wondolowski Records Assist
Quakes forward Chris Wondolowski recorded his first assist of the season and his first since Aug. 30, 2014. It marked the second game-winning assist of his career (8/2/14 vs. SEA). Wondolowski has now tallied a goal or an assist in seven of the last 10 matches.


Reaching One Milestone and Approaching Another
Midfielder Shea Salinas made his 200th MLS appearance on Friday night against Sporting Kansas City. If he plays more than 41 minutes against FC Dallas, he will surpass 10,000 minutes with the Quakes.


Salinas Back on the Board
Salinas tallied his fifth assist of the season, and second game-winning assist, on Friday night. It marked his 33rd assist with the Quakes, moving him past Ramiro Corrales and into sole possession of fourth place on the club’s all-time leaderboard.


Wynne Steps Up
Defender Marvell Wynne started and played 90 minutes at center back for the first time this season in Victor Bernardez’s absence, helping lead the club to a shutout victory. Wynne is the seventh different player to start at CB for San Jose this season.


Can’t Keep Them Off the Scoreboard
The Earthquakes haven’t been shut out in any of their previous 12 matches, the longest active streak in the Western Conference. 


Mr. October
Wondolowski is the only player in MLS history to tally 20 career goals in the month of October. In fact, his success during the month is so unusual that no other player in MLS history has even scored more than 12. In addition to being the leading scorer during the final month of the regular season, Wondolowski is also the league’s all-time leading scorer in the first month (March) with 14, six more than anyone else.


Quakes Among MLS Leaders
Currently, several Earthquakes rank near or at the top of numerous statistical categories. Among them are: 
•    Matias Perez Garcia – 4 game-winning assists (t-2nd in MLS)
•    Matias Perez Garcia – 82 fouls suffered (2nd in MLS)
•    Matias Perez Garcia – 122 corner kicks (2nd in MLS)
•    Quincy Amarikwa – 78 fouls suffered (t-4th in MLS)
•    David Bingham – 104 saves (4th in MLS) 
•    David Bingham – 12 shutouts (t-2nd in MLS)
•    David Bingham – 13 wins (t-6th in MLS)
•    David Bingham – 72.2 save pct. (6th in MLS)
•    Chris Wondolowski – 16 goals (t-6th in MLS)


Greatest Six-Year Span in MLS History
Including 16 goals so far this year, Chris Wondolowski has tallied 102 goals since the start of the 2010 season, the most by any player over a six-year span in MLS history. Wondolowski still has the remainder of this season to add to his league record. Only three other players ever registered more than 80 goals in a six-year span – Taylor Twellman (91 from 2002-07), Roy Lassiter (88 from 1996-01) and Carlos Ruiz (81 from 2002-07).


MLS Goals Since 2010
Chris Wondolowski has been by far the league’s most efficient striker since 2010, leading the league in goals during that time span:


1. Chris Wondolowski - 102 goals
2. Robbie Keane – 72
3. Alvaro Saborio – 67
4. Kei Kamara – 59
T5. Thierry Henry – 51
T5. Sebastien Le Toux – 52
7. Fabian Espindola – 50
8. Landon Donovan – 48
9. Dominic Oduro – 46
10. Dwayne De Rosario – 42


Halftime Success
Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Quakes are 111-4-23 when leading at the half, including a 7-1-2 mark so far in 2015. They were 6-0-2 in 2014, 6-0-3 in 2013 and an impressive 12-0-1 in 2012, with the only draw coming against Portland on Oct. 27 at JELD-WEN Field. In 2011, the club was 4-2-2, 7-0-2 in 2010, 4-0-3 in 2009, 6-1-0 in 2008, 7-0-3 in 2005, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 8-0-1 in 2003. Despite holding a 1-0 halftime lead on May 10, 2008, vs. Columbus, the Quakes were edged by the final score of 3-2. That game marked the team’s first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime advantage.


Making the First One Count
The Earthquakes are 112-14-33 since 2001 when scoring the first goal. The club is 11-2-3 so far in 2015, after going 5-1-4 in 2014. They were 11-1-3 when scoring first in 2013. In 2012, San Jose was 14-2-2, their two losses coming at Vancouver (2-1) on May 5 and at Montreal (3-1) on Aug. 18. The club was 7-4-5 in 2011, 12-0-2 in 2010, 6-1-5 in 2009 and 8-1-3 in 2008. Prior to 2010, San Jose also went undefeated in 2001 (13-0-2), 2003 (11-0-1) and 2005 (14-0-5) when scoring first. The Earthquakes were 12-2-0 in 2002 when finding the back of the net first, only giving up leads two times in losing 2-1 at the LA Galaxy on July 4, and falling at Kansas City by the same score on July 27. In 2004, the Quakes went 8-1-1 when scoring first, the best mark in MLS. The Quakes surrendered a 1-0 advantage and dropped a 2-1 decision at the LA Galaxy on July 4, 2004, losing for just the first time since July 27, 2002, when striking first. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting an 8-0-1 record all-time.


San Jose Earthquakes to Add 1,000 Season Tickets for 2016
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the club has sold out the allottment of 12,000 season tickets through renewals and the existing waiting list and will be making an additional 1,000 season tickets available for purchase for the 2016 season due to high demand. The newly-available season tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, October 20 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased by calling the Earthquakes Front Office at 408-556-7700.


Earthquakes Announce 2015 Club Award Winners
The San Jose Earthquakes announced their 2015 club award winners, which includes forward Chris Wondolowski for Most Valuable Player, defender Clarence Goodson for Defensive Player of the Year and midfielder Shea Salinas for the Andrew Bedard Spirit of the Game Award/Humanitarian of the Year. The Andrew Bedard Spirit of the Game Award was created in 2008 and has been overseen and distributed by the Soccer Silicon Valley Community Foundation for the past seven years. Beginning in 2015, through an agreement with SSVCF, Andrew’s family and the Quakes, the award will be administered by the Earthquakes Community Fund.


Earthquakes Announce Devotion Scarf Recipients
The San Jose Earthquakes announced the 21 recipients of the first annual Devotion Scarves, as the most devoted Earthquakes fans, staff, alumni or member of the Earthquakes family. The recipients of the Devotion Scarves will be honored at halftime of tonight’s match against Sporting Kansas City at Avaya Stadium. All recipients were nominated through sjearthquakes.com. The 21 recipients of an inaugural Devotion Scarf are Mark and Patty Biagini, Marlee and Glenn Castleman, Shaun Del Grande, Julie Di Maria, Dr. Michael Furlong, Jose Fuentes, Don Gagliardi, Jeff Kordes, Dan Margarit, Dave McAllister and Carol Haner, Shelley McCune, Jesse Mendes, Dave Obenour, Anthony Perry, Carlos Cesar Rivera, Brenda Scott, Alan Wolfe, Ken Yeager


Clásico Tapatío comes to Avaya Stadium on November 14
Tickets are on sale now at the Avaya Stadium box office for the November 14 friendly match between Club Chivas de Guadalajara and Club Atlas, also based in Guadalajara, for the rivalry known as el 'Clásico Tapatío'.  Ticket prices start at $35.



ACADEMY NOTES


The Quakes U-18 and U-16 Academy squads each defeated the rival De Anza Force at De Anza College over the weekend.


U-18’s  
SJEA 3 – De Anza 1
46’  George Korpontinos (Jamal Bernardez)
58’  Rudy Castro (Diego Alonso-Rodriguez)
73’  Rory Birse (unassisted)


After going down a goal early from a missed clearance, Quakes U-18s regrouped and began to control the game in search of the equalizer. The team’s collective possession to advance improved, and after about 20 minutes, several good chances were created, including hitting the post twice.   


“We knew that if we remained composed and played our game, the goal would come,” said head coach Paul Holocher. “The goal was well constructed and involved multiple players.  The big take-away from the first half was that every play and every minute is important. Giving up the goal early was a matter of being better in two areas: being more assertive and more communication.  After going down, the team showed good resilience and emotional control in how got themselves back into it to earn the victory."


The second half was dominated by San Jose, with multiple scoring opportunities and two goals that sealed the victory.  Rudy Castro scored a wonderful quick release shot that stunned the De Anza keeper after an excellent pass from Diego Alonso-Rodriguez into the 18-yard box.


“We developed some better positional play in the second half and took an even more attacking posture. We wanted to score more goals and this came through better quality of possessions and ball circulation and to move De Anza around, as they were organized.  It is important for our groups to understand that scoring goals and attacking is a process. Our objective is to dominate or control the game with the ball as much as possible. It is not always easy, but it is worthwhile for the players to learn."



U-16’s
SJEA 1 – De Anza 0
25’   Ivan Valencia (Kaya Fabbretti) 


"Overall our 16’s played well on the road in the local derby match,” said head coach Paul Holocher. “It was 1-0, but we could have scored a few more.  We created multiple scoring chances, including hitting the post in each half, and also being denied a clear penalty kick.  When a team scores a second or third goal in these situations it makes the game much easier from a tactical point of view.  Defensively, the team limited the chances of De Anza and earned a deserved shutout, which is always nice to see. We will look at the film and learn more on how we can improve in how we want to play."