Quake, Rattle and Goal - All Posts

San Jose Earthquakes song of the season: Crooners characterize the Quakes

2013-05-18T00:33:55Z

New this season, the San Jose Earthquakes have debuted a weekly Google Hangout featuring members of the club's broadcasting team. Live every Tuesday at noon, the expert panel includes TV, radio, and internet personalities giving their perspectives on the Quakes. This week, that included picking a song that personifies the 2013 season so far.

Marvin Chavez suspension cut in half, available to face Colorado Rapids

2013-05-15T21:47:43Z

After a weekend in Seattle to forget, the San Jose Earthquakes received some great news this morning. After hearing an appeal from Marvin Chavez on the two game suspension handed him by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for violent conduct in a May 8 game against Toronto FC, MLS Commissioner Don Garber reduced the length of the suspension to one game.

Chavez has already served that one game suspension - he sat out the Earthquakes 4-0 loss to the Sounders last Saturday - and will be eligible for San Jose's game this weekend against the Colorado Rapids.

The Honduran midfielder has one assist in four games for the Earthquakes so far in 2013 after missing the team's first seven games due to a sprained medial-collateral ligament. In those four appearances this season, three as a starter, the Quakes are unbeaten (1-0-3, 1.50 PPG); the team has struggled to find any consistency in the eight games in which he was unavailable (2-4-2, 1.00 PPG).

Chavez was a significant component of the Earthquakes offense a year ago, as his career high 13 assists paced their franchise record tally of 72 goals. That spark has been missing in the 2013 Quakes, as through 12 games, the team has tallied only 12 goals and 16 assists.

The return to eligibility of Chavez will be a big boost for the Earthquakes this Saturday, as the Rapids are one of the hottest teams in MLS over their last 6 matches (4-1-1) and sit just above San Jose in the Western Conference standings.

The Quakes received further good news this morning as the MLS DisCo announced that Rapids forward Edson Buddle, with 9 career goals against San Jose, was suspended one game for a reckless challenge that endangered the safety of his opponent, Columbus Crew midfielder Tony Tchani, in the 58^th minute of their May 11 game. Buddle will serve his suspension this Saturday when Colorado visit Buck Shaw Stadium to face San Jose.

San Jose Earthquakes versus Seattle Sounders: Quakes get crushed 4-0 by resurgent Sounders

2013-05-11T22:25:22Z

The San Jose Earthquakes were no match for a resurgent Seattle Sounders squad on a warm afternoon at CenturyLink Field as the rave green side dominated the visitors by a 4-0 margin.

A brace from forward Lamar Neagle sandwiched a superb free kick goal from Mauro Rosales and a stoppage time strike tacked on by designated player Obafemi Martins provided all the fireworks in the match, as Seattle earned their first home victory of the MLS season and stretched their unbeaten streak to 5 games.

Without midfield catalyst Marvin Chavez, serving the first of a two game suspension, San Jose was unable to find much rhythm in the attacking third and was unable to create much in the way of scoring opportunities. Even when the team did create chances, they were not sharp enough in front of goal to challenge Seattle goalkeeper Michael Gspurning, who earned his fourth clean sheet in his last 5 starts.

The Earthquakes, after playing 3 games in 8 days, get a week off before returning to action on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids at Buck Shaw Stadium.

As has been the case for most of the 2013 season, injuries and suspensions wrecked havoc on the Earthquakes first choice starting line-up. Defender Nana Attakora suffered a head injury in an aerial collision with Toronto FC's Donell Henry early in San Jose's 2-1 win Wednesday night and was held out with concussion symptoms. Chavez was suspended by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for two games for an incident in Wednesday's game and was replaced by veteran Ramiro Corrales.

The Earthquakes did see the return of forward Alan Gordon from suspension, and the team's second leading scorer of 2012 replaced rookie Adam Jahn as Chris Wondolowski's striking partner against the Sounders. Jahn was slowed from a deep thigh bruise suffered during a defensive effort late in the 2-1 victory over TFC and moved to the bench for Saturday's game.

Without Chavez and Shea Salinas in the line-up, the Earthquakes suffered from a lack of speed on the wings, and from the opening whistle Seattle controlled the tempo of the match. For the first 15 minutes, the Sounders enjoyed a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in possession as the Quakes midfield found it difficult to win the ball.

Seattle had a golden chance to take the lead in the 24^th minute as midfielder Brad Evans collected a ball along the left flank and whipped a cross through the Quakes area. Rosales met the ball inside the six-yard box, but the Sounders captain headed wide of the target as he attempted to direct the ball back across the goal mouth.

Four minutes later, the Sounders gained a much deserved goal through Neagle. With space on the right side, Eddie Johnson sent a cross into the area that Rosales chested down into the path of Neagle. The Sounders forward, barely beating defender Steven Beitashour to the loose ball, scored his first goal of the season to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

The Quakes had a great chance to equalize in the 37^th minute from a free kick restart. Sam Cronin floated a ball into the area for Corrales to head back across goal to an unmarked Gordon six yards from goal. Normally automatic from such range, Gordon instead headed the ball inches over the crossbar.

In the 42^nd minute, Wondolowski had a chance to get on the scoresheet, as he met a Rafael Baca cross in the middle of the area, but his weak shot was smothered by Gspurning. Gordon had another strong scoring opportunity two minutes later, but the forward's shot was right into the grasp of the Seattle goalkeeeper.

The Earthquakes inability to take their chances came back to haunt them just ahead of halftime as Rosales scored to put Seattle up 2-0. After Baca had given up a dangerous free kick near the top left corner of the area and earned a yellow card for the foul, Rosales belted the dead ball in off the near post to double the Sounders lead. It was the first direct free kick goal for Seattle in almost two years, and it left the Quakes shaking their heads heading into the visitor's locker room down a pair of goals.

Within a minute of the start of the second half, the Sounders nearly made it a 3-0 lead. A free kick delivery from Rosales was met by Neagle near the penalty spot, but his snap header on target was expertly touched over the crossbar by goalkeeper Jon Busch.

Neagle did not miss his next chance, as his hard work against Justin Morrow created enough space at the top of the area to lash a shot off the inside of the near post for the Sounders third goal of the afternoon. The play originated near the center line when the Quakes midfield was unable to win a long goal kick from Gspurning.

Down 3-0, the Earthquakes looked for a spark on offense with the introduction of Salinas for Corrales in the 64^th minute and Marcus Tracy for Alan Gordon in the 65^th minute. With his 64 minutes played, the 36 year old Corrales, who made his MLS debut during the league's inaugural season of 1996, surpassed 20,000 career minutes played in his time with San Jose.

San Jose did little to get back into the game, as Seattle seemed content to play defensively with a 3 goal lead. Only a kerfuffle between Wondolowski and Johnson in the 88^th minute, in which both players earned yellow cards from referee Jair Marrufo, provided much action over the last quarter hour of the match.

Seattle sealed the victory in stoppage time as a defensive miscue from center backs Morrow and Bernardez allowed Martins to tap in a fourth goal for the home side. The 4-0 loss to the Sounders kept the Earthquakes at fifth place in the Western Conference with 14 points from 12 matches played, but Seattle stands only 2 points back with 3 games in hand.

San Jose Earthquakes 2013 player salaries as released by MLS Players Union

2013-05-06T21:09:16Z

The 2013 season MLS players' salary information was released this week by the MLSPU, including that for all members of the San Jose Earthquakes. Topping the list is Designated Player Chris Wondolowski, who stands to earn $600,000 in guaranteed compensation this season. Wondolowski signed his new contract earlier this season and is slated to make that figure over at least the next three seasons.

The overall budget for the 2013 Earthquakes 30-man roster is $3,177,362.50 in base salary and $3,371,907.78 (up from $3,174,895.53 in 2012) in guaranteed compensation. The mean figures are $105,912.08 in base salary and $112,396.93 (up from $105,829.85 in 2012) in guaranteed compensation per player, while the median amount is $89,000 for both numbers. Eight players on the 30-man Earthquakes roster are earning at least $150,000 in 2013. The minimum salary on the roster is $35,125, up from $33,756 in 2012.

For the entire MLS player pool, the total guaranteed compensation awarded is $89,035,856.73, which makes the average club salary $4,686,097.72. The average and mean player salaries this season are $159,848.93 and $89,218.83 respectively. The Earthquakes total compensation and average and mean player salary are below all three league-wide figures.

Complete 2013 San Jose Earthquakes Players' Salary Information

Player	Position	Base Salary	Guaranteed Salary
Attakora, Nana	D	$61,665.00	$61,665.00
Baca, Rafael	M	$49,500.00	$49,500.00
Ballouchy, Mehdi	M	$152,006.00	$152,006.00
Beitashour, Steven	D	$49,612.50	$49,612.50
Bernardez, Victor	D	$100,000.00	$100,000.00
Bingham, Daivd	GK	$78,100.00	$122,475.00
Busch, Jon	GK	$165,000.00	$176,333.33
Cato, Cordell	F	$48,000.00	$48,000.00
Chavez, Marvin	M	$175,000.00	$175,000.00
Corrales, Ramiro	M	$60,000.00	$60,000.00
Cronin, Sam	M	$175,000.00	$177,500.00
Fucito, Michael	MF	$55,000.00	$57,889.79
Gargan, Daniel	M	$88,000.00	$88,000.00
Garza, Sam	M	$71,500.00	$98,000.00
Gordon, Alan	F	$175,000.00	$196,666.67
Harden, Ty	D	$65,000.00	$68,415.21
Hernandez, Jason	D	$205,000.00	$208,333.33
Jahn, Adam	F	$35,125.00	$35,125.00
Lenhart, Steven	F	$210,000.00	$217,500.00
Martinez, Walter	M-F	$90,000.00	$90,000.00
McGlynn, Peter	D	$35,125.00	$35,125.00
Mitchell, Colin	D	$35,125.00	$35,125.00
Morrow, Justin	D	$130,000.00	$139,562.50
Muller, Tommy	D	$35,125.00	$35,125.00
Newton, Evan	GK	$46,500.00	$46,500.00
Ring, Bard	M	$46,500.00	$46,500.00
Salinas, Shea	M	$93,975.00	$100,219.15
Tommy, Abu	M	$50,004.00	$55,229.30
Tracy, Marcus	F	$46,500.00	$46,500.00
Wondolowski, Chris	M	$550,000.00	$600,000.00

San Jose Earthquakes versus Montreal Impact: Quakes comeback earns another point

2013-05-06T20:24:16Z

This match report originally appeared at CSNBayArea.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Earthquakes did it again, securing a point when it seemed a loss was inevitable, as a stoppage time goal from Sam Cronin was enough to lift San Jose to a 2-2 draw against the Montreal Impact.

After falling behind in the match via two goals from Impact midfielder Justin Mapp, the Quakes stormed back late to pull one back through Adam Jahn, setting up Cronin's heroics. The midfielder picked the perfect time to net his first goal of the MLS season.

"Their defenders were playing off the ball, trying to protect the net," said Cronin. "There was hardly any pressure on me. After my touch, I had a second to compose myself and I went far post for the score."

The Earthquakes dominated throughout the match, and had numerous opportunities to take a lead in the first half, but Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins saved the visitors time and time again.

"Troy played a wonderful game and had a couple of great saves," said Chris Wondolowski, "but it is our character not to give up and try to fight until the end. It was bittersweet to get a point, but we can't keep putting ourselves into a hole."

Trailing by two goals just minutes into the second half, the Earthquakes again had to fight to secure a draw at home. San Jose has now gone six games without a win, and the dramatic late game heroics are not enough of a reward for a team that is playing some of their best soccer of the season.

"We're battling and doing a lot of good things, but we need to start picking up points," said goalkeeper Jon Busch. "We did enough to win today, and we need to start turning these ones into threes."

San Jose started the game brilliantly, so it was unfortunate they found themselves facing a two goal deficit. But with the game nearing an end, it was the Quakes relentless pressure that allowed them to earn a point on the afternoon.

"Overall, I thought we had a good performance," said head coach Frank Yallop. "We just can't seem to punish teams early in the game when we have chances. But as you saw, we did not give up and we got something out of the game."

San Jose made one change to a starting line-up that drew at Chivas USA last weekend, as a two match suspension to Steven Lenhart opened the door for Jahn to earn his fourth start of the season.

The addition of Jahn for Lenhart did little to change the strategy of the Quakes, as the recipe of crosses into the penalty area continued unabated. In the 14th minute, with a long pass from Justin Morrow causing confusion for the Impact defense, Jahn swung a volleyed shot that caromed off the crossbar. Wondolowski was there to head in the rebound, but Perkins made a spectacular save to parry the attempt from danger.

Montreal, despite behind under siege from the opening whistle, took a 1-0 lead on a counterattack in the 24th minute. After a giveaway from Morrow in the Impact half, Mapp collected the ball and, after eluding a Shea Salinas tackle, unleashed a knuckling 40 yard shot that deflected in off the post for the game's opening goal.

The Earthquakes, somewhat taken aback by the goal, were able to quickly regroup and nearly found the equalizer in the 28th minute. A floating cross into the area from Steven Beitashour was chested down by Wondolowski into the path of Rafael Baca at the top of the six-yard box. His shot attempt was expertly palmed over the crossbar by Perkins to keep the score in favor of the visitors.

Referee Drew Fischer was kept busy throughout the first half as he reached to his pocket four times in awarding yellow cards to Morrow and Cronin for the Earthquakes and Jeb Brovsky and Collen Warner for the Impact.

Just over a minute into the second half, Montreal doubled their lead as Mapp again found the back of the net. After Victor Bernardez stopped a low cross from Andres Romero into the area, Andrew Wenger pounced on the loose ball and sent a hard cross through the six-yard box. With Morrow trailing the play, Mapp was able to tap the ball in at the far post to give the Impact a 2-0 lead.

San Jose pulled one back in the 59th minute through Jahn, his third goal to start off his rookie season. A pass to the top of the area was collected by Wondolowski and touched to Cronin entering the area. He was able to slip the ball to Jahn, and the forward slotted a left-footer inside the far post to narrow the Impact lead to 2-1.

Head coach Frank Yallop sent in reinforcements into the match with Cordell Cato and Walter Martinez entering for Salinas and Baca. The two nearly helped the Quakes back into the game in the 67th minute as they combined to get the ball on the far right wing with space to run. Cato drilled a cross into the area, but Jahn could only poke the ball over the target.

Somewhat vulnerable in the back after throwing in so many numbers forward, the Earthquakes were saved by goalkeeper Jon Busch in the 71st minute. After beating Bernardez to a ball near the center line, Wenger drove in on the ‘keeper with visions of putting the game away. Instead, his weak shot was smothered by Busch and the home side stayed hopeful.

The Earthquakes made their final substitution in the 76th minute as Yallop gave Marcus Tracy his MLS debut. Tracy came close to making an immediate impact on the game as he narrowly missed equalizing on a loose ball in the area.

Montreal remained resolute as the clock ticked down and the game entered five minutes of stoppage, but the Earthquakes came to life just in time to find another Goonies style goal. A long ball from Martinez in the 91st minute was headed back to Cronin at the top of the area and he slammed a shot inside the far post to bring the score level.

Resurgent, the San Jose offense pressed for a winner but had to settle for another home draw. The Earthquakes next host Toronto FC at Buck Shaw Stadium on Wednesday evening.

San Jose Earthquakes forward Steven Lenhart suspended by MLS for unprofessional conduct

2013-05-01T22:46:15Z

Unless you hail from the Bay Area, you probably do not care about San Jose's soccer club. If you are a supporter of another MLS team, you might even detest those that don Blue and Black. Put simply, in professional sports in North America, there may not be a team that fans love to hate more than the San Jose Earthquakes.

And the face that everyone assigns to the perceived villainy? It belongs to none other than Steven Lenhart, the bruising blonde-haired forward with a penchant for in-your-face physical play.

On Wednesday, the MLS Disciplinary Committee weighed in on Lenhart's behavior in recent games and handed the striker a two game suspension for conduct detrimental to the game. The suspension stems from a collective of isolated incidents in matches against the Portland Timbers and Chivas USA, and was specifically attributed to violent conduct that endangered the safety of his opponent, Chivas USA's Mario de Luna, in the 68th minute of their game on April 27

The scything sixth year forward has seen his share of controversy for his direct style of play, and he certainly dishes out his fair share of fouls, but the intensity at which he endeavors can be very effective in helping his team do well. Since joining the Earthquakes to start the 2011 season, the club has produced an incredible number of record book marks and memorable moments. Lenhart, after all, is the originator of the team motto "Goonies never say die," and his tireless effort is often credited with the team excelling as much as it does.

However, sometimes the histrionics do seem a bit too much, and that proved to be the case for MLS. Following a number of off-the-ball incidents against the Timbers during a 1-1 draw on April 21, notably directed at Portland midfielder Will Johnson, and a seemingly avoidable collision with Chivas USA defender Mario de Luna a week later, the Disciplinary Committee deemed Lenhart's actions to be worthy of punishment.

At the time of both matches, Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop did not let Lenhart's histrionics go unnoticed, as he substituted the forward out of both games before Lenhart could do something that would hurt his team. Yallop has repeatedly backed Lenhart as a player that has the skills to be effective, but the coach also knows when the forward gets too close to earning a sending off.

To be sure, Lenhart can be a nuisance, but he also takes an enormous amount of physical abuse during matches. Obviously this stems from his style of play, but that does not excuse some of the hits opposing defenders are able to administer without retribution from the in-game referees. Decisions like MLS made today need to be taken into account when looking at the big picture of how Lenhart's actions play out on both sides.

The two match suspension will mean that Lenhart will miss home matches this week against the Montreal Impact and Toronto FC. He will join his striking partner Alan Gordon on the suspended list, currently serving four games for inappropriate language used in a match earlier in April, and will be able to rejoin the team for the Quakes visit to Seattle on May 11. Gordon will also be available for that match against the Sounders

In Lenhart's stead, Yallop is likely to use either Mike Fucito or Adam Jahn paired up top with reigning MLS MVP Chris Wondolowski. The Earthquakes opened the season without Lenhart and Gordon in the line-up; the team will need to survive the next two matches under similar circumstances.

Every narrative needs a bad guy, and in MLS these days, that role seems to be played by the Quakes. And Lenhart does personify the villain character with aplomb, but the positives he brings to the team's success outweigh that perception. The Supporters' Shield earned last year adorning the Earthquakes trophy case is testament to that claim. Even a slow start to 2013 has done little to dampen the enthusiasm around the club, and the mere sight of Lenhart back in the starting line-up has lifted spirits team wide.

Lenhart doesn't need to change his behavior; rather, he just needs to know when to dial down the antics. Without a doubt, he is much more effective on the field than off, and the Earthquakes will need a focused Lenhart to continue their recent successful run of form.

San Jose Earthquakes versus Chivas USA: Full match highlights from 2-2 draw at Home Depot Center

2013-04-28T06:48:21Z

The San Jose Earthquakes dominated the game in every offensive category except one: Goals scored. As such, they had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center.

San Jose Earthquakes stymied by Chivas USA in 2-2 draw

2013-04-28T06:29:53Z

Sometimes a draw feels like a win and sometimes a draw feels like a loss. For the San Jose Earthquakes, last week's uplifting 1-1 result against the Portland Timbers and Saturday night's frustrating 2-2 effort at Chivas USA have seen the team experience both ends of the emotional spectrum.

Goals from Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato sandwiched Chivas efforts from Mario de Luna and Tristan Bowen in a match that featured 90+ minutes of end to end play. San Jose dominated possession throughout, except for a costly 10 minute stretch to open the second half when the Goats tallied their two goals.

The Earthquakes outshot Chivas by a 3-to-1 margin, and if not for a heroic effort from Goats goalkeeper Dan Kennedy and his defensive line, the visitors would have walked off the Home Depot Center pitch with their first road victory of the season. That San Jose instead returns to Northern California with a lone point was especially annoying to man-of-the-match Shea Salinas.

"We came here to get three points," said Salinas to the CSN Bay Area broadcasting team after the final whistle. "We know we needed three points to move up in the table, so we are a little disappointed to leave with only one."

Salinas provided assists on both of the Quakes goals and throughout the night was the most dangerous player on the pitch. Given the propensity of Chivas USA to play more centrally and leave vacant the wings suited the outside midfielder's game to a tee.

"The goal was just to get the ball wide and get the ball into the box," continued Salinas. "We were effective at doing that. I wish we would have scored three goals instead of just two."

The Earthquakes earned 15 corner kicks on the night, but could not muster a single credible shot on target from the attempts. The Quakes did collect their first goal from a set piece this season on Wondolowski's goal from Salinas' 40^th minute free kick, but San Jose did more than enough to earn the full three points on offer. Instead, the draw left the Earthquakes one point behind Chivas USA for the fifth spot in the Western Conference standings.

The game started brightly for San Jose, as from the opening whistle the visitors pinned Chivas in their own half and looked dangerous in possession. With his return from injury complete, Marvin Chavez made his first start of the year, following last weekend's debut as a substitute. The speedy Honduran had as his complement on the opposite wing, Salinas. Together, the two midfielders were the main reason that the Earthquakes of 2012 were able to get off to such a strong start to the season.

Chavez showed his worth with a well timed interception in the 35^th minute that led to an Earthquakes fast break. The winger pressed the ball ahead to Steven Lenhart and ran the central channel, but the forward elected to hold on for Wondolowski to enter the play. Looking to release a quick shot, Wondo turned toward goal, but his effort was deflected wide for a corner kick.

The Earthquakes finally broke through the resolute Chivas defense in the 40^th minute from a free kick earned by the hard work of Lenhart. With players from both sides jockeying for position in the area, Wondolowski snuck around the outside of his marker and tapped in the delivery from Salinas. Goats goalkeeper Kennedy protested vehemently that Wondo was offside on the kick, but referee Mark Geiger refused to entertain the appeal.

San Jose dominated every offensive statistic through the first half, but had only a single goal for their efforts. That lack of converting scoring opportunities would come back to bite the Earthquakes after the interval.

With a renewed energy that was missing in the first 45 minutes, Chivas USA stormed out of the gate to start the second half. Less than two minutes after the restart, winger Jorge Villafana collected a ball down the left side and drove toward the endline. His cross into the six yard box was punched away from danger by goalkeeper Jon Busch, but the loose ball deflected off the onrushing de Luna and over the goal line for the equalizer.

Four minutes late, Villafana was at it again, as from an almost identical position on the left winger, the Chivas USA speedster delivered a dangerous cross into the area. With Earthquakes defenders reaching for the pass, forward Bowen entered the fray and slammed home a left footed effort to give the home side a 2-1 lead.

A furious rally from San Jose over the next ten minutes produced numerous scoring chances but failed to earn a tying effort. In the 58^th minute, Salinas collected a pass inside the area and fired past Kennedy, but defender Joaquin Velazquez slowed the shot enough for de Luna to clear the ball just as it appeared certain to cross the goal line. Less than a minute later, a contested ball in the area looked on target, but Wondolowski was called offside on the play.

With Chavez spent and Lenhart nearing his boiling over point, the Earthquakes substituted in Cato and Adam Jahn to elevate the tempo of the match. Within a minute of entering, Jahn almost proved the hero for the second straight match. Off a throw-in in the 72^nd minute, Salinas carried the ball into the area before cutting a pass back for the rookie forward to one-touch on target. The shot eluded Kennedy, but a sliding Carlos Borja was able to deflect the ball to safety.

Whereas Jahn was unable to bring the Earthquakes back into the match, Cato took full advantage of his opportunity to get on the scoresheet. In the 76^th minute, Salinas was again the Earthquakes offensive initiator as he broke in behind the Chivas backline with room to get off a cross. Cato ran into the area with Goats defender Borja matching him stride for stride, and reached the ball first to poke it into the back of the net and level the score.

The visitors, with momentum on their side, continued to press forward looking to score a winner. A long ball from Justin Morrow over the Chivas defense found Wondolowski with plenty of space to operate in the 84^th minute, and the forward held possession as he waited for teammates to enter the play. A nutmeg pass through a Chivas defender and toward the penalty spot found Jahn racing in on target, but his sliding effort was snuffed out by Kennedy.

For the remainder of regulation and through 4 minutes of stoppage time, the Earthquakes threw everything they had at Chivas USA, but Kennedy and his defense stood strong. Despite being the better team on the night, San Jose was only able to collect a single point.

The Earthquakes return to action on Saturday in a 1:00 p.m. matinee against the Montreal Impact at Buck Shaw Stadium.