making his MLS debut -- was sent off by referee Hilario Grajeda.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Richard Mulrooney, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Wade Barrett (Mike Chabala 80) - Brian Mullan (Corey Ashe 70), Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden - Brad Davis - Kei Kamara, Brian Ching. Substitutes Not Used: Danny Cruz, Tally Hall, Julius James, Craig Waibel, Chris Wondolowski
• Here's Osorio's team (4-1-4-1): Danny Cepero (Alec Dufty 8) - Carlos Johnson, Andrew Boyens, Kevin Goldthwaite (Mike Petke 65), Danleigh Borman - Juan Pietravallo - Dane Richards, Jorge Rojas, Seth Stammler (Albert Celades 64), Khano Smith - Juan Pablo Angel. Substitutes Not Used: Dominic Oduro, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, John Wolyniec
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls won for the second time on the season, exploding for a 4-1 victory against the San Jose Earthquakes last Friday night at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls have eight points from nine matches on the season, still sitting in a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind first-place D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
• Both teams were looking for a morale-boosting win. The Red Bulls had lost three on the trot, while the Earthquakes were winless in their last four games.
• But it was the Red Bulls who exploded from the gate, and had a four-goal lead before the game reached halftime. Jorge Rojas scored twice in the opening 13 minutes, first swinging in a freekick that narrowly missed the head of Kevin Goldthwaite, yet froze the 'keeper as it slipped untouched inside the left post (7). Then Carlos Johnson sent in a throw-in from the right corner that was flicked on by Mac Kandji at the near post where Rojas nodded home from close range at the back stick.
• New York made it 3-0 in the 22nd minute when Albert Celades unleashed Kandji on the right flank and he sent a rolling cross to the back post where Juan Pablo Angel swept it home for his third goal. Then Kandji made it four in the 40th minute, stripping a San Jose defender of the ball and racing in alone before slotting it past Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
• The Earthquakes pulled a goal back five minutes later when the Red Bulls couldn't clear a bouncing ball and Ramiro Corrales headed a pass to Ryan Johnson, who nodded in his third marker on the campaign.
• Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio made three changes to the team that lost 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy the weekend before. Danny Cepero returned between the posts in place of Jon Conway, while Mike Petke came in for Carlos Mendes in central defense and Albert Celades came into central midfield for Dane Richards.
• Here's Osorio's team (4-4-2): Danny Cepero - Carlos Johnson, Kevin Goldthwaite, Mike Petke, Alfredo Pacheco - Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Seth Stammler, Albert Celades (Dane Richards 64), Jorge Rojas (Danleigh Borman 73) - Juan Pablo Angel (John Wolyniec 80), Macoumba Kandji. Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Jeremy Hall, Carlos Mendes, Juan Pietravallo
TEAM NEWS
• After scoring five goals in their first eight matches on the season, the Red Bulls exploded for four goals in the opening 40 minutes against San Jose. The club had last scored four goals in a 5-4 loss to Colorado on Sept. 27, 2008.
• "Today was the game we were expecting to have a long time ago," striker Juan Pablo Angel said. "Everything came together today, especially in the first half. I think the first half was a different class in terms of the way we played, how we closed them down -- we denied them the space, we denied them the ball."
• Osorio once again change his tactics, giving Albert Celades his first MLS start in the center of midfield. That meant Jorge Rojas and Sinisa Ubiparipovic played as wide attacking midfielders who were somewhat pinched in.
• "I wasn't expecting that we would keep the ball the way we did for 35 minutes, that we would release the fullbacks and would create chances from playing centrally," Osorio said. "We had a very good distribution from midfield and Seth (Stammler) and Albert (Celades) showed very good signs of a partnership."
• In his 11 games after joining the Red Bulls last season, Rojas did not score a goal, but contributed five assists (one short of Dane Richards' team lead).
• "I think Jorge had been knocking on the door for quite a while," Osorio said. "I remember his shots from distance against D.C. There were times in the preseason when he was our best player. I think when he plays farther up the pitch, he is very good to us and I am very pleased to see Jorge scoring and playing well."
• The Red Bulls have placed a lot of importance on their current four-game homestand. In a similar stretch last year, New York had three consecutive decisive victories.
• "We'll see. It's been a lot of ups and downs this year," Angel said. "We still believe when we keep the lead, we have a much better team than the one that was showing. We think we have more class, and I think (Saturday) was a very good game in general."
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo won for the third consecutive game, all by shutout, defeating FC Dallas 1-0 on Saturday night at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo have 11 points from seven matches on the season, sitting in a tie for third place in the Western Conference with the Colorado Rapids, 11 points in back of MLS overall leader Chivas USA.
LAST MATCH
• The Dynamo had not conceded a goal in more than three games and had won back-to-back matches, while FC Dallas had lost back-to-back matches after claiming their lone victory on the season.
• A tense initial meeting for El Capitan saw its lone goal 12 minutes after the second-half restart. Stuart Holden was freed down the left flank and floated a high cross into the area where Kei Kamara soared over a defender to head home his first goal on the season.
• Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that defeated the New England Revolution 2-0 the weekend before. Andrew Hainault made his first MLS start, coming in at left back for the injured Wade Barrett.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Richard Mulrooney, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Andrew Hainault - Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Brad Davis (Corey Ashe 83) - Stuart Holden - Kei Kamara (Chris Wondolowski 94+), Brian Ching (Ade Akinbiyi 85). Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Tally Hall, Julius James, Craig Waibel
• "I thought we were good. In the first half, we were excellent, and in the second half, they gave a good push, but we held strong," said Kinnear. "That was a great goal by Kei. We talked at halftime about Stuart trying to make some late runs behind their back four because their back four was playing kind of a high line."
TEAM NEWS
• The Dynamo have now gone 403 minutes without conceding a goal, the longest shutout streak in MLS this season. The club record is 727 minutes set in 2007, which also the all-time MLS record.
• "I think we've been saying all year that we've been playing great soccer, even in the games we've tied and lost. We play good team defense -- that's our claim to fame: how hard we work," said Bobby Boswell. "The most important thing is we are keeping the ball out of the net and giving the guys up top a chance to put one in for us. Everyone is doing their job, and we just have to keep rolling."
• For Kamara, it was his first goal of the season, and his first in a league game since last Aug. 20, when he scored the final goal in a 4-0 win against Chivas USA.
• "Yeah, I was on a mission," Kamara said. "I've been looking for one for a while. I saw Stuart go down the line, it didn't look like he was going to get to it, but he looked up and I knew he was going to cross it ... great service, all I had to do is touch it."
• With the injury to Wade Barrett, Andrew Hainault started his first MLS game, at left back. While Barrett said he was at 80 percent heading into the FCD match, there could be another change on the opposite flank, with Richard Mulrooney now out with a facial fracture after a training ground collision Tuesday. As well, projected first-choice center back Eddie Robinson has missed the entire season after undergoing knee surgery.
• "You always try and put your best team on the field," said Kinnear. "That's what you always try to do. But we feel comfortable enough with Boswell, Hainault, Cameron, and Julius James, that when Eddie comes back it's the right time. If it gets to the point where Eddie is a clear starter, then we have some selection issues, which is great."
• Geoff Cameron took over the center back spot from the start of the season, winning the job ahead of Julius James, and has now seen the club record four consecutive clean sheets.
• "In preseason, I would've been surprised to know that Geoff would start at center back and play seven games," Kinnear said. " ... He's just one of those who players who's comfortable and confident and has the ability to play anywhere on the field. His height and his athletic ability make it easier for him too."
