SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs FC DALLAS
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
Aug. 16, 2014 (WEEK 23, MLS Game #218)
9:30 p.m. CT (CSN-BA; TWCS-TX)
The San Jose Earthquakes and FC Dallas meet for a third match this season when the Western Conference foes face off at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday evening. The Quakes find themselves eight points behind the final playoff placing, their undefeated run now at four games following a 2-2 draw at the LA Galaxy last weekend. FC Dallas are on an eight-game undefeated streak of their own, sitting in third place in the division following a 3-1 home win against the Colorado Rapids. The Quakes have won both meetings this season by 2-1 score lines, once at each ground.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Peter Balciunas; AR2 (opposite): Chris Strickland; 4th: Daniel Radford
MLS Career: 169 games; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 2.9; R: 33; pens: 49
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Sam Cronin, Steven Lenhart, Jordan Stewart … DAL: Matt Hedges, Fabian Castillo, Michel
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Victor Bernardez, Shaun Francis … DAL: Blas Perez, Je-Vaughn Watson, Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat
DISABLED LIST: SJ: Tommy Muller … DAL: Hendry Thomas (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (52 meetings): Earthquakes 25 wins (4 shootout), 86 goals … FC Dallas 16 wins (3 shootout), 59 goals … Ties 11
AT SAN JOSE (26 meetings): Earthquakes 15 wins (4 shootout), 49 goals … FC Dallas 6 wins (2 shootout), 26 goals … Ties 5
2014 (MLS)
5/10: SJ 2, DAL 1 (Cato 23; own goal 73 – Michel 76)
5/31: DAL 1, SJ 2 (Perez 16 – Harris 27; Pierazzi 45)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Atiba Harris and Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi scored first-half goals to pace the Quakes to a 2-1 victory May 31 at Toyota Stadium. The Earthquakes also won 2-1 on May 10 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
- FC Dallas haven’t won in Santa Clara since 2009. The Quakes have won four of the six home meetings since, with two draws. FCD has won once in the last 11 meetings overall between the clubs, that last May 25 in a 1-0 win in Frisco.
- Coaches record: Mark Watson v DAL: P4 W3 L0 D1 … Oscar Pareja vs. SJ: P8 W0 L7 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- FC Dallas opened the scoring in the 16th minute. After a cross sailed through the area, Fabian Castillo sent a cross back in from the right flank, and Blas Perez hammered home a spectacular volley from the heart of the area.
- But the Earthquakes drew level in the 27th minute through a bit of controversy. A corner kick sailed into the box and Steven Lenhart appeared to knock it down with his arm, but the ball fell for Atiba Harris to drive into the goal and it stood for the equalizer.
- FC Dallas went a man down in the 33rd minute when Adam Moffat received his second yellow card in the space of eight minutes, getting his marching orders from Jose Carlos Rivero.
- The Quakes then hit for the game-winner in the 45th minute when midfielder Jean Baptiste Pierazzi took advantage of space in the midfield to hit a wonder-strike from 35 yards out, a powerful shot sailed past Dallas goalkeeper Chris Seitz into the top of the goal.
- FC Dallas had a great chance to level in first-half stoppage time when Jordan Stewart was called for a foul in the area, leading to a penalty kick for Fabian Castillo. San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch read the attempt and made the save to preserve the lead.
- FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Chris Seitz - Zach Loyd, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Moises Hernandez (Jair Benitez 46) - Je-Vaughn Watson (Ryan Hollingshead 72), Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat (ejected 37), Fabian Castillo - Blas Perez (Peter Luccin 46), Tesho Akindele.
- SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Shaun Francis (Brandon Barklage 72), Ty Harden, Clarence Goodson, Jordan Stewart - Atiba Harris, Khari Stephenson (Sam Cronin 70), Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato 67) - Yannick Djalo, Steven Lenhart.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes stretched their undefeated run to four matches, gaining a 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy on Friday evening at StubHub Center. The Quakes are in eighth place in the Western Conference with 24 points from 20 games.
LAST MATCH
- The Quakes took the lead after 18 minutes. On the counter, Sam Cronin picked up a turnover and found Shea Salinas in Galaxy territory. Chris Wondolowski made a run behind the defense and received a pass from Salinas on the left, rounding a defender before ripping a low shot inside the far post.
- But the Galaxy were level just 11 minutes later. Robbie Keane's shot from the left side of the area bounded off Quakes midfielder Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and dropped right to Gyasi Zardes, who slotted it between two defenders and past goalkeeper Jon Busch.
- San Jose went ahead again within two minutes. Atiba Harris sent a ball toward the top of the Galaxy box that Wondolowski redirected it with the back of his heel, and Matias Perez Garcia cracked it first-time with his left foot, a rocket that went off LA goalkeeper Jaime Penedo and into the ceiling of the net.
- But the Galaxy again found the equalizer, this time four minutes into the second half. Center back Omar Gonzalez lost his marker on a run above the 6-yard box and headed down Stefan Ishizaki’s corner kick, bouncing it off the line and to the back of the net.
- Quakes head coach Mark Watson made one change to the team that defeated Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 at Levi’s Stadium. Matias Perez Garcia came into the side in place of Yannick Djalo.
- SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Shaun Francis, Jason Hernandez, Victor Bernardez (Ty Harden 70), Jordan Stewart - Atiba Harris, Sam Cronin, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Shea Salinas (Cordell Cato 89) - Matias Perez Garcia (JJ Koval 83) - Chris Wondolowski.
TEAM NEWS
- The Quakes did extend their undefeated run to four games (2-0-2) after a four-game losing slide from June 7-July 11. They also took points from a second consecutive road game.
- “I thought we got a great point against a very, very good team. Obviously they were dominant tonight. We defended a lot. But sometimes it’s like that,” Quakes coach Mark Watson said. “I thought we showed a great mentality to see the game under a lot of pressure. A good point for us.”
- “It was part of the game plan, which was to get on the counter. They are very good with the ball, and they will have possession, so we need to get out quickly and create chances, so we did that with the goals,” said new signing Matias Perez Garcia. “We did have couple of other chances to score goals, but we didn’t take advantage over them. We got out of here with a point and a great result.”
- Perez Garcia made his Earthquakes and MLS debut one to remember, scoring in the first half in the draw at LA. Perez Garcia played 83 minutes in an underneath role.
- “The goal is very important for my confidence,” Perez Garcia said. “That gets me more comfortable right away. After that, the confidence rises. I’m looking forward to the next game.”
- Said Watson: “I think you saw tonight that he’s a good player. He’s great on the ball; he gets out of pressure. His passing’s good and he scored a great goal. I thought it was a good start for him and he’s going to be a big part of what we do moving forward.”
- Chris Wondolowski netted his eighth goal of the season, his third goal in five games since his return from the US national team and the FIFA World Cup.
- Wondolowski also contributed his third assist of the season, playing a part in the Perez Garcia goal, all coming in the last three matches.
- “That’s one of the greatest things about soccer is that it’s evolving, and you have to continue to adapt. Depending on what team they give you, when you have a great player like that who understands the game well, it’s a bit easier, but we can still work on it a lot, and get to know each other a lot better. We will continue to work on that,” Wondolowski said.
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas extended their undefeated run to eight matches, knocking off the Colorado Rapids 3-1 on Saturday evening at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas sit in third place in the Western Conference with 36 points from 23 games.
LAST MATCH
- FC Dallas took the lead with two goals in the first 11 minutes. The opener came in the ninth minute, when a corner was cleared but FCD maintained possession. Michel put in a cross from the right that Walker Zimmerman nodded goalward. The ball bounced off the hands of Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin and center back Matt Hedges pounced to put away the rebound.
- A minute later, Colorado defender Marvell Wynne was adjudged to have fouled Dallas forward Tesho Akindele in the corner of the Rapids penalty area by referee Jose Carlos Rivero, and Michel duly converted the resulting spot kick to make it 2-0.
- FC Dallas put the game away in the 56th minute as Michel again played provider, putting in a cross near the Colorado penalty spot. The ball slipped through to an onrushing Fabian Castillo from the right wing, and he finished crisply for the third FCD goal.
- The Rapids pulled a goal back after FCD's Je-Vaughn Watson made contact with Gabriel Torres as he was going towards goal near the endline, and Rivero again pointed to the spot. Torres converted the penalty in the 86th minute to complete the scoring.
- FCD head coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to the team that defeated Chivas USA 1-0 at StubHub Center. Walker Zimmerman, Michel and Mauro Diaz came into the side, in place of Moises Hernandez, Adam Moffat and Blas Perez.
- FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Raul Fernandez - Je-Vaughn Watson, Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd - Victor Ulloa, Michel - Andres Escobar, Mauro Diaz (Blas Perez 54), Fabian Castillo (Adam Moffat 60) - Tesho Akindele (David Texeira 75).
TEAM NEWS
- FC Dallas won their second game on the trot and extended their undefeated streak to eight matches with the win against Colorado. It’s the club’s longest undefeated run since going nine games without a loss March 17-May 11 of last season.
- “We knew that tonight was a six-point game. It really wasn't a cliché; it was a six-pointer against a team that is fighting for the position,” said FCD head coach Oscar Pareja. “… This was one of those games where we gave the ball away way too much and I didn't like that. At the same time I saw a team that is growing immensely. Now they know how to win the games that they need to win and they're getting that job done. It's exciting.”
- Michel scored his seventh goal of the season – all from dead-ball situations. He’s converted five penalty kicks; he has also scored two goals directly from free kicks.
- “This is the most goals I have ever scored in one season. … The most I had ever scored before this was six,” Michel said. “I am glad. I’ll continue to work hard and try to do well for this team. I love this team. I feel so comfortable here.”
- Mauro Diaz started a game for the first time since April 26, playing 54 minutes in the center of midfield. Diaz had come off the bench in the last four matches after missing 10 games with a knee injury.
- “Today was a big hurdle for him,” Pareja said. “I was bringing him from the bench and he is doing it progressively well. Today he needed to start and give me at least 60 minutes from the start, finding the game from the beginning, trying to find the rhythm, and I felt the mission was accomplished with him.”
- Added center back Matt Hedges: “Mauro is a key player for us in the middle. He helps us keep the ball and our attack close. To get him back fit and be able to start games is going to be a big thing for us going forward.”
- Zach Loyd moved to left back as Walker Zimmerman came into central defense alongside Matt Hedges. It was his third different position on the back line in the last three matches.
- “Zach's natural position is right back. He shows us that he can do a tremendous job in the center and he is a good candidate to be a starter for any team in the league for his physicality, his vertical jump, his anticipation. He has all the things to do it in the center position,” Pareja said. “Zach has found the game already and he is a tremendous team player for us. We can say tonight that we have a tremendous defender.”
- On Tuesday, FC Dallas had their dreams of a second U.S. Open Cup title dashed when they lost to Philadelphia Union in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes in their U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Toyota Stadium. Amobi Okugo put Union ahead early in the second half, but Fabian Castillo leveled terms nine minutes from the end. Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath saved two penalties during the post-match decider.
- Here’s the FC Dallas team: Raul Fernandez, Michel, Walker Zimmerman (Je-Vaughn Watson 37), Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Victor Ulloa, Adam Moffat (Stephen Keel 46), Fabian Castillo, Mauro Diaz (Ryan Hollingshead 46), Tesho Akindele, Blas Perez.
