Friday, August 1, 2008
What if next Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Galaxy turned out to be the real start of the new Earthquakes? Not their first game, not their first win, but the one that all the fans will remember years later as the beginning of the new era.
The Galaxy easily won the first two games against their Californian rivals and even if the Quakes had their revenge on Sunday, they would remain in the bottom of the table, 6 points behind Los Angeles.
But a lot of things have changed since June 14th when the Galaxy came back with 3 points and a 3-0 win from the Oakland's McAffee Coliseum. David Beckham's team has not won a single game in one month and a half (3 draws and 3 losses - 8 goals scored, 16 against in 6 games). They still score goals but are now the worst defense in the League.
And that may be the key of Sunday's game. While the Earthquakes' performances at home are more and more promising, they still struggle to score goals. With Darren Huckerby and Arturo Alvarez on the wings and Scott Sealy upfront, they now have enough weapons to threaten any opponent in the League. Last week, at Buck Shaw (Santa Clara), Huckerby scored his first goal in MLS, but that was not enough to take the three points (1-1 against New York Red Bulls)
This week Alvarez has been added to the squad and the Earthquakes' offense looks strong. Probably strong enough to start the game full of confidence, while the Galaxy's defense is currently full of doubts. Totally the opposite situation compared to one month and a half ago!
This may not be enough to win the match. The Earthquakes now need to prove they can really score goals (one will probably not be enough against the Galaxy), but a victory is totally possible this time.
A win would put the Earthquakes 6 points behind the Galaxy, with 7 home games to play in the last 11 games. To keep the possibility to dream about making the playoffs, they absolutely need to start a come back tight now.
But more than that, Frank Yallop knows that it is more about building a team and a crowd for next year. And, even though he won't say that this game is different than any other, he also knows that a victory against their rivals would be a great gift to the fans, especially if it was reminded later as the first step in a great come back.
Thierry Heumann (email)
Interviews:
Frank Yallop talked to the press after today's training. Listen to him:
We also asked a few questions to Darren Huckerby:
San Jose Earthquakes' Probable line-up:
Ryan Johnson
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Scott Sealy |
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Ronnie O'Brien |
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Daren Huckerby |
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Arturo Alvarez |
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Nick Garcia |
Ryan Cochrane |
Jason Hernandez |
Joe Cannon |
Scott Sealy has left his teamates before the end of the session today because of a thigh injury. He should be able to start the game, but in case he couldn't, here is the alternative line-up:
Arturo Alvarez
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Ryan Johnson
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Ramiro Corrales |
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Daren Huckerby |
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Ronnie O'Brien |
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Francisco Lima |
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Eric Denton |
Nick Garcia |
Ryan Cochrane |
Jason Hernandez |
Joe Cannon |
Bus Transportation From San Jose & San Francisco
If you are looking for a fun and convenient way to go to the game, here are bus services organized from San Jose and San Francisco:
From San Jose:
The Britannia Arms organize a bus service for families including the bus transportation: San Jose / Oakland / San Jose, a post-match barbecue party at the pub and a raffle ticket to win a football autographed by David Beckham. $25/person - Match tickets NOT included - Bus leaves the pub at 10am
Britannia Arms (South San Jose): 5027 Almaden Expressway - San Jose, CA 95118 - 408.266.0550 - www.britanniaarmsalmaden.com
From San Francisco:
Sunset Soccer Supply organize a bus service for the fans including the bus transportation: San Francisco / Oakland / San Francisco, refreshments, beer and snacks and and a raffle ticket to win soccer prizes. $45 match ticket included or $25/person without the match tickets. Bus leaves the store at 10:30am.
Sunset Soccer Supply (San Francisco): 3401 Irving Street (@35th Ave.), San Francisco, CA 94122 - 415-753-2666 - www.sunsetsoccer.com
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