After closing out the regular season with a 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Oct. 23, the San Jose Earthquakes turn their attention to Saturday, Oct. 30 when they play the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live nationally on Telefutura, and locally on 1220 KDOW (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish). The local television broadcast will be announced later this week.
The Quakes then travel to New Jersey to face the Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m. PT in the second leg. That game will air live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.
The Earthquakes and the Red Bulls split the regular season series. San Jose defeated New York 4-0 on May 8 at Buck Shaw Stadium with goals from forward Ryan Johnson, midfielder Joey Gjertsen, forward Chris Wondolowski and defender Bobby Burling. Midfielder Bobby Convey tallied three assists in that game as well. On Aug. 28, the Earthquakes fell 2-0 to New York at Red Bull Arena with goals from Dane Richards and Thierry Henry.
Playoff tickets are on sale now for the Quakes home game against international stars Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez and the New York Red Bulls on Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. PT. Fans can purchase tickets online or by calling 800-225-2277. For groups of 10 or more, tickets can be purchased through the Earthquakes front office by calling 408-556-7700. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive an Earthquakes playoff rally towel presented by Amway, Xfinity, DevCon and Jarritos.
Earthquakes vs. New York Red Bulls All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 15-9-6
Home: 11-2-2
Away: 4-7-4
Shootout (1996-99): 2-0
Overtime (2000-03): 0-0-4
Playoffs: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup Play-in Game: 0-1-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose – 48, New York – 43
Earthquakes Schedule for the Week of 10/25/10
Tuesday, October 26 – 10 a.m. – Training at Nutrilite Training Facility
Wednesday, October 27 – 10 a.m. – TBD
Thursday, October 28 – 10 a.m. – Training at Nutrilite Training Facility
Friday, October 29 – 10 a.m. – Training at Buck Shaw Stadium
Saturday, October 30 – Earthquakes vs. New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. PT at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, California live on Telefutura, 1220 KDOW (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish). Local television broadcast information will be announced later this week.
Injury Report/National Team Duty:
Out: Andre Luiz (L knee surgery); Joey Gjertsen (R knee surgery); Ike Opara (L foot fracture); Joe Cannon (L ankle fracture).
Last Game
Kansas City Wizards 4, Earthquakes 1; Oct. 23, 2010; CommunityAmerica Ballpark; Kansas City, Kansas
The San Jose Earthquakes fell 4-1 on Saturday night to the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and are now set for an Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup with the Eastern Conference champion New York Red Bulls. San Jose hosts the Red Bulls on Saturday, Oct. 30 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Major League Soccer MVP candidate and Danville native Chris Wondolowski scored his league-leading 18th goal of the season in a losing effort in the 71st minute off assists by Geovanni and Ryan Johnson. His tenth consecutive goal for the team sets a new MLS record, breaking the previous record held by former Los Angeles Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz in 2002, who had nine. Wondolowski currently leads the chase for the Budweiser Golden Boot, one goal ahead of Galaxy forward Edson Buddle who plays tomorrow against FC Dallas. Kansas City forward Birahim Diop scored a hat trick to help lead the Wizards, scoring in the 36th, 60th and 76th minute. A fourth Kansas City goal came in stoppage time of the second half when a cross deflected in off Quakes defender Jason Hernandez.
Last Game vs. New York Red Bulls
New York Red Bulls 2, Earthquakes 0; Aug. 28, 2010; Red Bull Arena; Harrison, New Jersey
The San Jose Earthquakes lost 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena. Dane Richards scored just before halftime and Thierry Henry netted his first goal for New York to give the Red Bulls the win. San Jose had few chances in the first 45 minutes. In the 25th minute, Cornell Glen was sent a ball that beat the New York back line and allowed him in alone on Bouna Coundoul in New York’s goal. But the striker pushed his effort wide right of goal. Another good opportunity came 10 minutes later from Glen, but his contested shot yards in front of goal went wide again. The strong start looked like it would amount to nothing for New York, but in first-half stoppage time, the Red Bulls took the lead. Taking a ball headed back to him by Joel Lindpere, midfielder Richards trapped it outside the penalty area and danced his way through two San Jose defenders before sidestepping Busch in goal and tapping the ball into an open net. It was the Jamaican international's first goal of the season. Henry finished things off in the 63rd minute, when he finished well off of a Richards cross.
Misc. Notes
Playoff Format
Conference Semifinal series are conducted in a home-and-home, aggregate-goal format. The lower seeded team in the Conference Semifinal hosts the first game. The winner of the series advances to a single-game Conference Championship. The team that scores the most goals in the home-and-home series advances to the single elimination Conference Championship. If the teams are tied after 180 minutes in the Conference Semifinal series, a 30-minute extra time period (divided into two 15-minute periods) will be played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary. The team with the higher seed between the two Conference finalists will host the Conference Championship game. In the case of ties after 90 minutes of regulation in the Conference Championship game and MLS Cup, 30 minutes of extra time (divided into two 15-minute periods) is played followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if necessary, to determine the winners.
Wondolowski Wins 2010 Budweiser Golden Boot
San Jose Earthquakes forward and Major League Soccer MVP candidate Chris Wondolowski claimed the 2010 Budweiser Golden Boot, awarded to the top goal scorer at the end of the MLS regular season. Wondolowski’s career-high 18 goals through 28 games played this season helped the Earthquakes to their first playoff appearance since the team rejoined MLS in 2008. Wondolowski trailed Los Angeles Galaxy forward Edson Buddle by six goals (14-8) with eight games to play (through games on September 11). By winning the Budweiser Golden Boot, he becomes the first player to win an MLS goal-scoring title, either jointly or outright, by erasing a deficit of five or more goals in his last 10 games. Wondolowski also becomes the first player in San Jose franchise history to win the Golden Boot. In 2004, Brian Ching scored 12 goals, which was tied with FC Dallas forward Eddie Johnson for the league lead in goals. However, in 2004, MLS did not award the Golden Boot, but recognized the MLS Scoring Champion, given to the player with the most points in the season.
Wondolowski Sets Club Single Season Goals Record, Moves Up All-Time List
Forward Chris Wondolowski had a tremendous season for the San Jose Earthquakes in 2010, scoring a club record 18 goals in one season. Wondolowski surpassed Ronald Cerritos’ record of 15 goals achieved in 1999 in the Earthquakes’ 3-0 victory over Chivas USA on Oct. 20 at Buck Shaw Stadium. In that game Wondolowski notched his second hat trick of the season, tying Cerritos’ record on the first goal and surpassing it on the second goal. With 21 goals in his career in San Jose, Wondolowski is tied with Eric Wynalda for fifth place on the club’s all-time goals scored list. Finally, Wondolowski is first all-time in team history in goals per game with 21 in 44 games played for an average of 0.48.
More History for Wondo
From Sept. 15 to Oct. 23, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski scored all 10 of the Earthquakes goals, setting the all-time MLS record for the most consecutive goals scored by one player. Wondolowksi passed former Los Angeles Galaxy forward Carlos Ruiz, who scored nine straight for the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2002-2003. Also, Wondolowski accounted for 52.9 percent (18 of 34) of the Earthquakes’ goals in the 2010 season, which is the second highest such percentage all-time in MLS history. Only Ruiz has a higher percentage when he scored 24 of his team’s 44 goals (54.5%) in 2002, the year which he won MVP for the Galaxy. Finally, Wondolowski owns the third-highest scoring percentage in MLS history, scoring 25 goals on 111 shots (22.5%). Former San Jose forward Giovanni Savarese has the highest scoring percentage, scoring 51 goals on 218 shots (23.4%), followed by Adolfo Valencia of New York (21 goals on 93 shots, 22.6%).
Wondolowski Finishes First in Game-Winning Goals
San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski finished the regular season with a Major League Soccer best nine game-winning goals, which surpassed the previous club record of six game-winning goals in a single season. Wondolowski’s nine game-winning goals in a single season are tied for the most in MLS history with Carlos Ruiz, who achieved the feat for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002, the year in which he won the MLS MVP award. Additionally, with ten career game-winning goals in his career with the Earthquakes Wondolowksi is tied with Landon Donovan for second place on the all-time game-winning goals list.
Third MLS Player of the Week Award for Wondo
On Oct. 25, San Jose forward Chris Wondolowski won his third MLS Player of the Week Award. Wondolowski scored four goals during the week, three of which came on Oct. 20 against Chivas USA in a 3-0 win at Buck Shaw Stadium. The fourth goal came in the Earthquakes’ final game of the regular season, a 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Oct. 23. Wondolowski’s first MLS Player of the Week award came on Sept. 27 for his hat trick performance in the Earthquakes’ 3-2 win over Toronto FC on Sept. 25. The Danville native’s second MLS Player of the Week award came on Oct. 11 after he scored two goals in San Jose’s 2-0 victory over D.C. United at RFK Stadium on Oct. 9 which helped the club earn its first playoff berth since returning to MLS in 2008. The third and final award came on Oct. 25 following Wondolowski’s hat trick against Chivas USA on Oct. 20 and his goal in the Earthquakes’ 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards on Oct. 23. Additionally, Wondolowski is one of eight players to earn the award more than once in the season, along with Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Alvaro Saborio (Real Salt Lake), Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls) and Steve Zakuani (Seattle Sounders FC). The Earthquakes finished the regular season 10-2-1 when Wondolowski scores a goal this season.
Quakes Record Third Highest Point Total in Franchise History
The Quakes finished 13-10-7 with 46 points, which ranks third all-time in franchise history. The Quakes high-water mark came with a Supporter’s Shield in 2005 when the team earned 64 points. San Jose had 51 points in 2003, the year they won their second MLS Cup Championship in franchise history.
San Jose Sets Single Season Shutout Record
The San Jose Earthquakes set the franchise record for shutouts in a season with 13 clean sheets in 2010. Number 13 came on Oct. 20 in a 3-0 win over Chivas USA at Buck Shaw Stadium. The previous record of 12 shutouts was set in 2005 when the Earthquakes won the lone Supporter’s Shield in club history.
Earthquakes in Playoffs for the First Time Since Return
The San Jose Earthquakes are in the playoffs for the first time since the team returned in MLS in 2008. The Earthquakes will take on the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The last time the Earthquakes were in the playoffs was in 2005, the year in which club won the Supporter’s Shield for the only time in franchise history with 64 points. That year, the Earthquakes faced the Los Angeles Galaxy and lost 4-2 on aggregate goals. The Galaxy defeated the Earthquakes 3-1 in Game 1 on Oct. 23 at The Home Depot Center, and the two clubs tied 1-1 on Oct. 29 at Spartan Stadium. Overall, this is the seventh time the Earthquakes have appeared in the playoffs in their 13-year history and have a record of 10-8-1 in postseason play. Additionally, the Earthquakes have won the MLS Cup Championship two times (2001, 2003).
San Jose Facing New York in Playoffs for the First Time
This series marks the first time San Jose and New York have faced each other in the postseason. Overall, the Earthquakes are 15-9-6 against New York, including a stellar 11-2-2 record at home. This season the Earthquakes defeated the Red Bulls 4-0 on May 8 at Buck Shaw Stadium, and lost 2-0 on Aug. 28 at Red Bull Arena.
Johnson Extends Career-High in Assists in a Season
San Jose forward Ryan Johnson extended his career-high for assists in a season to eight on Oct. 23 in the Earthquakes’ 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Johnson tallied an assist on Chris Wondolowski’s goal in the 70th minute of the game. Johnson’s previous career-high in assists in a single season was two, achieved in 2009
Convey Finishes Fifth in Assists, Tied for First in Game-Winning Assists
Earthquakes midfielder Bobby Convey finished the regular season fifth in MLS in assists with 10. Landon Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy led the league with 16 assists, followed by David Ferreira of FC Dallas (13), Brad Davis of the Houston Dynamo (12) and Sebastien Le Toux of the Philadelphia Union (11). Convey’s 10 assists were the most by an Earthquakes player since 2005 when Dwayne De Rosario notched 13 assists, and are a career-high in a single season for the Philadelphia native. Additionally, Convey finished the regular season tied for the league lead in game-winning assists with five, along with Ferreira and Donovan. The five game-winning assists are tied for the most in a single season in club history with Eddie Lewis (1999) and De Rosario (2005).
Wondolowski, Busch and Hernandez Win End-of-Season Awards
Forward Chris Wondolowski, goalkeeper Jon Busch and defender Jason Hernandez were the 2010 recipients of the San Jose Earthquakes’ end-of-season awards. Wondolowski took home the team’s Most Valuable Player award, Busch was named Defensive Player of the Year and Hernandez was recognized as the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year.
Busch Among MLS Leaders in Multiple Categories
San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch finished the regular season fifth in Major League Soccer in goals against average (1.06), tied for ninth in shutouts (7), sixth in saves (81), fourth in saves percentage (77.9) and tenth in wins (7).
Busch Among MLS All-Time Leaders
San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch is among the all-time league leaders in a number of categories. Busch ranks first all-time in saves percentage (76.1%), seventh in goals against average (1.19), ninth in games played in goal (165), ninth in games started in goal (164), ninth in minutes played in goal (14,810), ninth in wins (67), ninth in saves (688) and eighth in shutouts (53).
Cronin Makes 50th Career Appearance
San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin made the 50th appearance of his career in the Earthquakes’ 4-1 loss to the Kansas City Wizards on Oct. 23 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Cronin started the game before being substituted in the 83rd minute for Eduardo. Cronin, selected with the number two overall pick by Toronto FC in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft out of Wake Forest, appeared in 27 games with Toronto in 2009, and six in 2010 before being acquired by San Jose on Jun. 21. Since joining the Earthquakes, Cronin has appeared in 17 games, starting in 16 of them.
SJEarthquakes.com Launch Playoff Hub
The San Jose Earthquakes have launched their playoff hub on their website, and it can be found at //www.sjearthquakes.com/playoffs. Follow all of your Quakes playoff news here as San Jose march towards MLS Cup.
Quakes Launch “Wondoland”
The San Jose Earthquakes have launched “Wondoland” on their website, and it can be found at sjearthquakes.com/wondoland. Follow all of your Chris Wondolowski news here as San Jose march towards MLS Cup.
Bloggin’ With Buschy
The San Jose Earthquakes have launched a blog written by goalkeeper Jon Busch. The colorful ‘keeper shares his unique thoughts as the Quakes make their playoff run.
Quakes Solid in One-Goal Games
This season, the Earthquakes were 9-4-0 with a .692 winning percentage in one-goal games, good enough for fourth in Major League Soccer. The Columbus Crew owned the best record in one-goal games with a winning percentage of .778, followed by the Los Angeles Galaxy (.769) and Real Salt Lake (.700). Additionally, the Earthquakes’ nine wins in one-goal games were the third most in MLS behind Seattle Sounders FC and the Los Angeles Galaxy, who each had 10.
Road Warriors
With a road record this season of 6-5-4, the Earthquakes had more wins on the road than the team had in 2008 and 2009 combined. In 2008, the Earthquakes went 2-8-5 on the road in their first season back. In 2009, the Earthquakes went 1-10-5 with the lone win coming against D.C. United on September 27, 2009 at RFK Stadium. With 22 points on the road, the Earthquakes have doubled the 11 points the team had in 2008 for the most points earned on the road since the team returned. The franchise record for points on the road in a single season is 30 points, achieved in 2005. This season, the Earthquakes had the second highest winning percentage on the road in the MLS with a .533 clip, along with FC Dallas. The Los Angeles Galaxy had the highest (.700). Finally, the six wins the Earthquakes had on the road were tied for the second most road wins along with the Seattle Sounders FC. The Los Angeles Galaxy had the most road wins in MLS with nine.
Quakes Finish the Regular Season in Top 10 in Various Statistical Categories
The San Jose Earthquakes finished the 2010 Major League Soccer regular season in the top 10 of a variety of statistical categories. The Earthquakes recorded the fourth best record when scoring the first goal, going an impressive 12-0-2 for a 0.929 winning percentage. The New York Red Bulls – the Earthquakes’ opponent in the Eastern Conference Semifinals – finished with the best record when scoring first, going 14-0-1 (0.967). Additionally, the Earthquakes finished sixth in goals against (33), sixth in shots on goal (140) and seventh in assists (35). Finally, the Earthquakes tallied the eighth best record in MLS when leading at half, going 7-0-2 for a winning percentage of 0.889.
History of the Quakes – New York Red Bulls Rivalry
The Earthquakes had a 10-game unbeaten streak against New York from Aug. 9, 1998-July 2, 2003, posting a 6-0-4 record during that stretch … New York and San Jose had two classic shootouts in 2003 and 2004. On July 2, 2003, the Quakes and then MetroStars tied 4-4 at Giants Stadium with Landon Donovan tying the game in stoppage time. The following year, the two teams combined for 10 goals in a 5-5 tie at Spartan Stadium on May 8. Cornell Glen tied the game for New York in the final minutes … Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry scored the first goal of his MLS career against San Jose on Aug. 28.
Earthquakes – New York Red Bulls Connections
Earthquakes defender Chris Leitch had two stints in New York, one from 2003-2004, and another from 2007-2008 … Earthquakes defender Tim Ward was selected by New York with the 12th overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft and played one season with the club (2005), appearing in 13 games and notching three assists ... New York defender Mike Petke played for one season in 2003 with D.C. United, where he played alongside current Quakes midfielder Bobby Convey ... Petke also played in 2005 with the Colorado Rapids with Quakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon ... New York midfielder Dane Richards, Quakes forward Ryan Johnson and Khari Stephenson have all played for the Jamaican national team ... New York assistant head coach Richie Williams played at D.C. United in 2000 with Bobby Convey ... Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul played with Joe Cannon in Colorado in 2005-2006 and Cornell Glen in 2006 ... Glen also played with New York in 2004 in his first MLS season … Quakes midfielder/defender Brandon McDonald played with Red Bulls rookie forward Conor Chinn in 2006 and 2007 at the University of San Francisco ... Quakes defender Ike Opara and midfielder Sam Cronin were teammates with Red Bulls midfielder Austin Da Luz at Wake Forest, where they won a national championship in 2008 … Red Bulls midfielder Luke Sassano has ties to the Bay Area, having played his college soccer at Cal, and he is from Orinda, Calif. … Quakes head coach Frank Yallop coached Red Bulls goalkeeper Greg Sutton with the Canadian national team from 2004-06 … New York defender Chris Albright played with San Jose defender Bobby Convey with D.C. United from 2000-2001 … Convey and Albright were both born in Philadelphia, PA … Albright also played under current San Jose coach Frank Yallop with the Los Angeles Galaxy from 2006-2007, during which time he played with San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon (2007) and forward Cornell Glen (2006) … New York midfielder Carl Robinson and goalkeeper Greg Sutton played with San Jose midfielder Sam Cronin with Toronto FC in 2009 … San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch was born in Queens, New York and San Jose defender Jason Hernandez was born in New York City … New York midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy went to high school in Palo Alto and played at Santa Clara University from 2004-2005 … New York defender Tim Ream and Earthquakes defender Tim Ward both attended St. Louis University … New York defender Carey Talley and San Jose defender Chris Leitch both attended the University of North Carolina … Talley also played with San Jose midfielder Bobby Convey with D.C. United (2000-2001), forward Arturo Alvarez with FC Dallas (2005), forward Ryan Johnson with Real Salt Lake (2006) and defender Bobby Burling with Chivas USA (2008-2009).
Earthquakes All-Time Leaders vs. New York Red Bulls
Defender Bobby Convey has one goal and six assists in 14 career appearances … Forward Ryan Johnson has three goals and two assists in seven career appearances … Forward Scott Sealy has two goals in 14 career appearances … Forward Chris Wondolowski has two goals in six career appearances … Goalkeeper Jon Busch has eight wins and four shutouts in 14 career appearances.
New York Red Bulls All-Time Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Defender Chris Albright has four assists in 20 career appearances … Forward Juan Pablo Angel has one goal in five career appearances … Forward/midfielder Dane Richards has one goal and one assist four career appearances … Goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul has one win and one shutout in five career appearances.
