Match Preview: San Jose Earthquakes

FC DALLAS vs SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

FC DALLAS STADIUM, Frisco, Texas

May 25, 2013 (WEEK 13, MLS Game #116)
7:30 p.m. CT (TXA21)

Their long undefeated run put to an end, FC Dallas return home to face last year’s Supporters’ Shield winners, the San Jose Earthquakes, in a key Western Conference matchup Saturday evening in Frisco. Still Western Conference leader, FCD went down to defeat for the first time in 10 games last weekend, dropping a 4-2 decision at Seattle Sounders FC. The Quakes have won just once in their last nine games, following a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium last weekend.

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REFEREE: Hilario Grajeda. AR1 (bench): Paul Scott; AR2 (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Ted Unkel
MLS Career: 83 games; FC/gm: 24.3; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 15; pens: 11

DISABLED LIST: SJ: Brad Ring
SUSPENDED: DAL: Blas Perez (through May 26)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Victor Bernardez
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Rafael Baca, Steven Lenhart
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DAL: Kellyn Acosta (U.S. U-20)

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (47 meetings): FC Dallas 15 wins (3 shootout), 53 goals … Earthquakes 22 wins (4 shootout), 78 goals … Ties 10
AT SAN JOSE (23 meetings): FC Dallas 9 wins (1 shootout), 29 goals … Earthquakes 9 wins (0 shootout), 33 goals … Ties 5
RETURN MATCHES: 8/24: FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8 p.m. CT; 10/26: San Jose Earthquakes vs. FC Dallas, 2:30 p.m. PT (NBCSN)

LAST YEAR (MLS):
7/7: DAL 0, SJ 0
7/18: SJ 2, DAL 1 (Chavez 12; Gordon 45 – Pertuz 89)
9/29: SJ 3, DAL 3 (Gordon 24; Lenhart 82, 95+ -- Perez 37, 72; Hedges 88)

• FC Dallas last defeated the Earthquakes on June 5, 2010, a 2-0 victory in Frisco. The Quakes have won three of the six meetings since, with three draws.
• FC Dallas hasn’t won in Santa Clara since 2009. The Quakes have won two of the four home meetings since, with two draws.
• Coaches record: Frank Yallop vs. DAL: P27 W14 L7 T6 … Schellas Hyndman vs. SJ: P10 W2 L3 T5

FC DALLAS
FC Dallas saw their undefeated streak come to an end after nine games, falling 4-2 to Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening at CenturyLink Field. FCD sit atop the Western Conference with 24 points from 12 matches.

LAST MATCH

• Sounders FC opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso won a header at midfield that sailed back over the Dallas defense and sent it forward where Eddie Johnson outmuscled a defender before hitting a half-volley past FCD 'keeper Raul Fernandez.
• It was 2-0 in the 30th minute. This time Brad Evans played set-up man with a through ball to Lamar Neagle, who timed his run perfectly. He ran in free on goal, rounded Fernandez and slid the ball into an empty net.
• Behind some brilliant set-piece work from Michel, FC Dallas pulled level. In the 54th minute, he served a perfectly placed freekick from the right side that an unmarked Kenny Cooper easily headed home from the heart of the area.
• Seven minutes later, Michel pulled off one of the rarest feats in the game, an "olimpico," whipping a corner kick up and over the outstretched arms of Gspurning and into the far side netting.
• But less than a minute later, Sounders FC re-took the lead. Neagle cut across the top of the Dallas area and slid a clever pass through to Johnson, and he calmly dribbled around Fernandez and struck home for his second goal of the night.
• FC Dallas went a man down when Blas Perez was shown a red card by referee Mark Geiger for a stray elbow in the 72nd minute that opened a gash in defender Leo Gonzalez's face.
• Obafemi Martins then put the game away with a goal in the 83rd minute, tucking home from close range after Fernandez had saved a point-blank header from Johnson.
• FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman made two changes to the team that defeated D.C. United 2-1 in Frisco. Raul Fernandez came back in between the posts for Chris Seitz, and Kenny Cooper came into the side in place of Fabian Castillo.
• FC DALLAS (4-2-3-1): Raul Fernandez - Zach Loyd, London Woodberry (Walker Zimmerman 85), Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez - Michel, Je-Vaughn Watson - Jackson, Blas Perez (sent off 73), Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 64) - Eric Hassli

TEAM NEWS

• FC Dallas saw their nine-game undefeated streak come to an end in the loss in Seattle, their first defeat since March 10.
• “We had too many players that didn't have a real good game and that didn't help us. I think we let Seattle dictate the game. It was very fast-paced, and that's something we shouldn't be doing,” said FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman. “But as I said to the players, we're a good team. What we've got to do is get over this one and find our winning ways again.”
• FC Dallas midfielder Michel scored one of the rarest of all goals – a “gol olimpico”, directly from a corner kick. It was the fourth olimpico scored in the last three seasons in league play: New York’s Thierry Henry did it last Sept. 15 vs. Columbus and Chicago’s Marco Pappa also scored one – against Sounders FC – last April 28. Beckham did it for the LA Galaxy on July 9, 2011; he also scored one in a CONCACAF Champions League game last Aug. 23 vs. El Salvador’s Isidro Metapán.
• “His service is incredible, I think he is one of the best in the league. We are very fortunate to have him,” said Kenny Cooper. “On plays and set pieces he has very, very good delivery, and has done a great job for us the whole season. He is a real difference maker, I think everyone can see that.”
• Eric Hässli started for a second consecutive game in attack, with Blas Perez filling more of an underneath role, before he was sent off with 17 minutes remaining.
• “We did not play with three forwards; we played in a 4-4-2 that we have been playing since David Ferreira has been injured, so I don't know if the tactics mattered,” said Hyndman. “I think probably the bigger thing that mattered was that I think our guys lost their composure and emotions with what they considered some of the calls that weren't being made, and then you're just disappointed.”
• FCD was without center back George John for a third consecutive match, with rookie London Woodberry starting his third game in central defense.
• “I think the interesting thing was that they went at London the whole game, putting players on him," Hyndman said. "I don’t know if George would have much difficulty with them. But it wasn’t just London. I don’t think our defense was exceptional, and it had to be exceptional [vs. Seattle]."
• FC Dallas were also missing Andrew Jacobson for a third consecutive match, and David Ferreira was out for a second game in a row.
• “I've got David Ferreira out, he's our captain and I consider him the best player on the field. And we've got Andrew Jacobson out,” said Hyndman. “So I think before we get too hard on ourselves and what we got to do, we've just got to get over this one.”

READ: FC Dallas' Michel says olimpico was "fortunate" but "we practice that play"

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes extended their home undefeated streak to seven games, coming back for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes sit in a tie for sixth place in the Western Conference with 15 points from 13 matches.

LAST MATCH

• Colorado took the lead in the in the 26th minute when Nathan Sturgis neatly turned home a Martin Rivero corner kick at the near post, squirting the ball between a defender and goalkeeper Jon Busch.
• But the Earthquakes found the leveler in the 78th minute. Marvin Chavez, in the lineup after having an appeal of a suspension upheld, drilled a knuckling free kick from 30 yards out that beat Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin.
• Colorado played a man down from the 90th minute after defender Shane O’Neill brought Chris Wondolowski down just outside the penalty area, but San Jose could not take advantage.
• Quakes head coach Frank Yallop made two changes to the team that fell 4-0 to Seattle Sounders FC at CenturyLink Field. Jason Hernandez came into the back four for Dan Gargan, and Marvin Chavez re-entered the side in place of Ramiro Corrales.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Jason Hernandez, Victor Bernardez, Justin Morrow - Marvin Chavez, Sam Cronin (Steven Lenhart 56), Rafael Baca (Adam Jahn 42), Walter Martinez - Chris Wondolowski, Alan Gordon.

READ: San Jose's Mehdi Ballouchy: Injury layoff has been "one of the hardest things in my life"
TEAM NEWS

• While the Earthquakes have not lost at Buck Shaw Stadium since opening the season with a 2-0 defeat by Real Salt Lake, they have won once in their last nine games.
• “We need to win home games. Have we played well enough to win more than we have? Yes, but again it’s about getting points,” said Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop. “It’s not from a lack of effort, which would be a problem if it were, but it isn’t. I like our effort right now, our drive. We have to play with a little more confidence and a little more guile around the goal.”
• Said defender Jason Hernandez: “On one hand, we can say, ‘OK, we’re not getting beat.’ That’s a positive. But we like to think we should be winning these matches. It’s good not to be losing matches, but at the same time, we expect a lot from ourselves. And we expect to win games. That’s the attitude we’re always going to have.”
• Marvín Chávez scored his first goal of the season, a stunning free kick strike, to bring San Jose back for the draw with Colorado. Chávez has appeared in five of San Jose’s last six matches; when he’s appeared, they are 1-0-4.
• “Marvin is quite the X factor for us,” Hernandez said. “When he’s playing well, he brings a unique dimension to our team. Obviously, you saw [against Colorado] how active he was and how dangerous he was. ... Moving forward, he’s going to be big for us.”
• The Quakes were forced into a change before halftime when Rafael Baca had to come off, and supersub striker Adam Jahn came into his midfield spot.
• “We were one down anyway and [Baca] had a bit of a tight hamstring, so it was kind of an easy decision to make. We put Adam [Jahn] on, who can play in the midfield no problem,” said Yallop. “He proved that, and actually nearly scored before halftime with the header. When you’re down 1-0, you’re trying to make changes to get back in the match.”
• Steven Lenhart was also able to make his first appearance since April 27, missing two matches to suspension in that span. It marked the first time since April 14 that Yallop was able to deploy Lenhart along with strikers Chris Wondolowski and Alan Gordon at the same time.
• “They’re still not 100 percent. Lenhart has been on-and-off and injured a little bit for the last few months and he hasn’t hit his stride yet. I think we’re pretty close to full strength and now it’s time to play more together and play well,” said Yallop. “We’re good when we have confidence and I think that it’s pretty close but it’s just not quite there.”
• The match in Dallas is the first of four consecutive matches – and six of the next seven in league play – away from Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes are 0-3-2 on the road this season, one of five teams in MLS still looking for a first road win.
• “We were really good on the road last season. This team knows how to win on the road so not much will change in our form to get our first road win of the season,” said Alan Gordon. “We put ourselves in a position that we need to return home with some points and I am positive we will do so.”