San Jose hopes to take momentum from first home win

By Gabe Diamond
Nine days after the San Jose Earthquakes claimed their first home win, the team travels to Real Salt Lake Saturday to play a team unbeaten at home.

Last Thursday against the Dynamo, San Jose was temporarily relieved of its offensive struggles, resulting in their third two-goal game of the season. Unfortunately, the Quakes have not scored in any other game. The Quakes’ measly six goals are by far the least of any team. No other side has netted less than ten. This has pushed the Quakes into a last place spot in the Western Conference. Many predicted the expansion Earthquakes would have paltry offensive production.

General Manager John Doyle and Head Coach Frank Yallop have attempted to solve their scoring woes. Yallop favors young forward Kei Kamara, who has started every game. Kamara leads the team with two goals. Gavin Clinton has been Kamara’s most consistent counterpart at the other forward position. However, these two players have had consistent trouble keeping possession of the ball at an advanced position on the field. The addition of Peguero Jean Philippe to the team did not help much either.

Last Thursday versus the Dynamo, Yallop was forced to shuffle the lineup a bit because of injuries to Glinton and Jean Philippe. He started Ryan Johnson, a midfielder/forward who made an impact as a substitute with a goal in the match against the Columbus Crew. Johnson’s impact against the Dynamo was also noticeable working quite well with outside midfielders Ronnie O’Brien and Ivan Guerrero. In fact, most of the San Jose offense ran through Johnson who was able to receive and control long balls played to him. He provided exactly what the Quakes were lacking on offense.

Yallop must make some lineup changes again for Saturday. Both goal scorers from the previous game will be absent due to international obligations. Kamara has been called to the Sierra Leone national squad for World Cup qualifiers and Guerrero the same for Honduras. This should mean that Johnson will have a spot in the starting lineup again. Guerrero’s absence may give the start to Shea Salinas, an energetic young winger who has shown promise as a substitute. Newly acquired veteran Jovan Kirovski could also get his first nod as an Earthquake in a forward position. San Jose hopes that Johnson can continue his quality play and create chemistry with Kirovski.

Salt Lake comes into the game with considerably less momentum than San Jose. Last Saturday Real finished a three game road trip that yielded three losses. The final game was particularly backbreaking. Real traveled to Frisco, Texas to play FC Dallas. Each team had a man sent off in the first half. Salt Lake took a second half lead against the run of play. RSL substitute Fabian Espindola scored on an impressive running goal on a one two play with midfielder Javier Morales. That was Real’s first shot of the second half, and the team would only register one more in the game. However, Salt Lake still looked poised for victory until Dallas substitute Dominic Oduro netted two goals in the final ten minutes to give the Hoops the victory.

This ensured that Real remained winless (and tieless) on the road. Their 0-5-0 away record is the worst in the Western Conference. Real has consistently struggled offensively away from home, netting just three goals in five matches. But for all of their road struggles, their home performances have kept them afloat.

Though winless on the road, Salt Lake has remained unbeaten at home. Their 2-0-2 home record has accounted for all of their league points. In just four games at home, they have amassed nine goals. They’ll need every bit of offensive firepower to overcome a strong Earthquakes defense led by captain Nick Garcia. Real has oft relied on midfield assistance in the attack with central midfielder Kyle Beckerman tied for leading scorer on the team, and Andy Williams and Morales also contributing many shots from their midfield positions. Espindola’s play is also crucial; his speed and finishing ability could provide problems for the Quakes’ defense.

Given Real’s previous match results, they will be looking to push the pace of the game in order to gain some momentum. With a game in hand on the Earthquakes, Salt Lake is only one point ahead of last place San Jose. The outcome of this game could decide much of these teams’ remaining seasons. Real could forget its road woes with a victory on Saturday and vault itself back into the tight Western Standings. However, should they lose, it would be an extremely discouraging result after the winless road trip. If the Quakes win and continue their momentum, their confidence would skyrocket. A win at Salt Lake would be their second straight, and a perfect platform to begin a league run and climb out of expansion obscurity.