just 13 minutes apart -- as the home side took the lead. Kreis first converted from the penalty spot as Eddie Robinson bundled over Brian Dunseth from behind while challenging for a cross, San Jose 'keeper Pat Onstad going the right way but just unable to push the shot outside of the post (21).
Kreis then scored on the end of a quick counterattack, launched by a rampaging run right down the center of the park by Clint Mathis. Mathis slipped a pass to Kreis steaming on his left, and the all-time MLS goal scorer added to his record by hammering a low shot through Onstad's legs.
But after having seen late goals cost them points on three occasions this season, this time it was the Earthquakes who provided a late decider. Brian Mullan served up a looping cross from the right flank to the far post where substitute Alejandro Moreno neatly headed home to give the visitors a share of the spoils.
On June 18 in San Jose, the Earthquakes started a three-game home run - all against conference opposition - with a dominating performance, scoring three goals in the opening 34 minutes to ease to victory as Real Salt Lake saw their losing and goalless streak reach five games.
Mark Chung gave the Quakes the lead after just two minutes, a neat one-two on the left leading to a perfect low cross from Brad Davis, and Chung swooped in to turn it home from close range.
Kelly Gray - the San Jose native in his Earthquakes debut after being acquired from the Chicago Fire - then doubled the lead when he finished off a big one-two with Ronald Cerritos, racing forward from his right back position to collect the return pass and clipping it home from inside the area (13).
Left back Wade Barrett then made it 3-0 with a similar goal, racing forward to collect the return ball on yet another long-distance give-and-go, acrobatically getting onto the end a Cerritos early cross hooked into the area (34).
LAST MEETING
On Aug. 20 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Real Salt Lake striker Jason Kreis was honored with a pregame ceremony following his 100th career MLS goal last weekend, as Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman proclaimed it "Jason Kreis Day" in the state, but at the end of the night the San Jose Earthquakes just kept rolling along.
Mark Chung scored the game's only goal four minutes before the end of the first half, cutting back inside a defender before beating RSL rookie 'keeper Jay Nolly inside his near post as San Jose extended their unbeaten run to four games, now with just one loss since the start of June.
Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Kelly Gray, Danny Califf, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett - Brian Mullan, Ricardo Clark, Mark Chung (Ian Russell 81) - Dwayne De Rosario - Alejandro Moreno, Ronald Cerritos (Brad Davis 75)
Here's Ellinger's team (4-1-3-2): Jay Nolly - Rusty Pierce (Adolfo Gregorio 46), Nelson Akwari, Brian Dunseth (Brian Kamler 85), Paul Broome - Kenny Cutler - Chris Brown, Andy Williams, Robert Scarlett - Jason Kreis, Jordan Cila (Dante Washington 64)
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes won for the seventh time in eight games and stretched their league unbeaten run to 11 games, defeating the New England Revolution 2-0 in a battle of conference leaders last weekend at Gillette Stadium. The Earthquakes are now a point away from clinching the MLS Supporters' Shield, signifying the league's best overall record, with 60 points from 30 matches.
A game already being touted as a possible preview of the MLS Cup Final was claimed by the Earthquakes with two second-half goals as the Revolution finished with 10 men.
The home side dominated the opening 45 minutes, but it was San Jose who opened the scoring, through Brian Ching on the hour mark. Substitute Kevin Goldthwaite whipped in a corner, and Ching rose up at the near post to power his header home.
Just a minute later the Revolution were left a man short when Daniel Hernandez was sent off for an incident with San Jose striker Alejandro Moreno, and in the 80th minute the Earthquakes took advantage. A corner kick was cleared by San Jose, and Ching sent Dwayne De Rosario on his way from midfield, the Canadian international racing to the other end before slotting home past Matt Reis inside the near post.
Earthquakes head coach Dominic Kinnear made two changes to the team that came back to claim a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas the previous weekend. Ryan Cochrane came into the center of defense for the suspended Eddie Robinson, and Ian Russell came in at a wide midfield role for Mark Chung.
Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Kelly Gray, Danny Califf, Ryan Cochrane, Wade Barrett - Ian Russell (Kevin Goldthwaite 55), Ricardo Clark, Brian Mullan - Dwayne De Rosario - Alejandro Moreno, Brian Ching
"We did enough,'' Kinnear said. "It's one of those games where if you don't play well you hope you defend well, and that's what we did.''
TEAM NEWS
The Earthquakes have become just the second team in MLS history to reach the 60-point mark. The 1998 Los Angeles Galaxy gathered 68 points, going 24-8 for the season. That year, the Galaxy won two games by shootout, but also lost two - if match results were recorded the same way, they would have had 70 points that season (22-6-4).
Kinnear refused to look at the game as meaning anything toward a possible Nov. 13 date at Pizza Hut Park. In the last 12 meetings between the teams, San Jose has won nine with three draws, and outscored the Revolution 27-11. The Revolution haven't defeated the Earthquakes in Foxborough since 2000, winning five of the last six meetings in New England with one draw.
"We don't try to make statements, we just want to win games. The most important thing is to be happy with our performance and not try to prove anything to anyone else. We are getting great results on the road and we are very proud of that."
In addition to the team records, an indication of the quality of the sides in last weekend's match was demonstrated in the number of players each had called into international duty for the upcoming round of qualifiers. Eight Revolution players [Clint Dempsey, Avery John, Steve Ralston, Matt Reis, Jay Heaps, Daniel Hernandez, Pat Noonan and Taylor Twellman] and five Earthquakes [Wade Barrett, Danny Califf, Ricardo Clark, Alejandro Moreno and Brian Ching] are in national team camps.
However, claiming the MLS Supporters' Shield is important to the club, especially in what is says for a team's consistency over the course of a season.
"This was a huge win for us tonight. We came in with the expectation of getting three points and we accomplished that. They kind of took it to us in the first half, but we were resilient and we were able to hold them off," said Brian Ching. "Then we took our opportunities when we got them and we just continued our good (form) recently."
Pat Onstad set the team's all-time shutout record in the victory. "I am happy to do it, especially here against New England on the road. They are the top scoring team in the league and they have an all-star team of attacking players," Onstad said. "I thought that the defense played great, as they have all year and, as always, our effort started with the forwards and came all the way back to the back four. It was another great result for the team tonight."
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake saw their losing streak reach double-digits, falling for the 10th game in a row in a 3-1 decision to D.C. United on Wednesday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real now have 19 points from 30 matches, just a single point ahead of Chivas USA for fifth place in the Western Conference, though they have one more game to be played than their expansion rivals.
United extended their winning streak to four games, once again getting hot at the right time of the year, while Real's losing streak hit 10 games, two shy of the MLS record.
The Black-and-Red opened the scoring in the 29th minute as Bobby Boswell scored his third of the year. Christian Gomez swung a 25-yard freekick from the left touchline in front of the net, and Boswell got up and flicked the ball with the top of his head past D.J. Countess and inside the far post. Boswell hasn't played in the last three league games for United, losing his starting place to Argentinean defender Facundo Erpen.
United then blew the game open with two goals in three minutes early in the second half. First, five minutes after the restart, Freddy Adu scored a wonder goal. The 16-year-old spun around Brian Dunseth with a sombrero at the center circle and was off. He streaked past RSL defender Nelson Akwari at the top of the penalty area before slotting home past Countess on the ground inside the far post.
It only took United two more minutes to find the net again. Leading a lightning-quick counter-attack, Adu found Jamil Walker out wide on the right flank. Walker instantly crossed to Gomez, who was wide open in front of the net, and he easily swept in his 11th goal on the season.
The home side was able to pull a goal back in the 79th minute. John Wilson brought down Jamie Watson in the area and Andy Williams converted from the spot, but it was far too little to keep Real from a 10th loss in a row.
Real head coach John Ellinger made four changes to the team that lost 2-1 to the Colorado Rapids the previous weekend in Denver. D.J. Countess came in between the posts for Jay Nolly, and with both Eddie Pope and Gustavo Cabrera called in for national team duty, Nelson Akwari and Adolfo Gregorio returned to the lineup. Andy Williams also returned from suspension, coming in for Jordan Cila.
Here's Ellinger's team (3-4-3): D.J. Countess - Chris Brown, Nelson Akwari, Brian Dunseth - Adolfo Gregorio (Dante Washington 76), Kenny Cutler, Brian Kamler, Robert Scarlett (Leslie Fitzpatrick 65) - Clint Mathis, Melvin Tarley (Jamie Watson 46), Andy Williams
"I thought the first half, it definitely wasn't a fair result," said Ellinger. "I thought we created enough dangerous chances that we should've got a goal or two. They really only got one chance, and as usual it goes in. Same old story."
TEAM NEWS
With just two matches remaining, Real is now dangerously close to equalizing the longest losing streak in MLS history. RSL's last win was a 2-1 victory against Chivas USA on Aug. 6. The 10-game losing streak is second-longest, tied with the 1999 New England Revolution, outpaced only by the 12 consecutive losses by MetroStars in 1999.
"It is going to take two wins for us to finish the season on a positive note, Ellinger said. "We are all on a down note from the fact that we have lost 10 games in a row and we feel we could have easily won five or six of those games."
It was a real makeshift back three, with both Pope and Cabrera away on national team duty. "The defense did an admirable job with Brian Dunseth, who had to play hurt, and Nelson Akwari played well after coming back from an injury," Ellinger said.
The pair will also miss this weekend's game, as well as the season finale in Denver on Oct. 12, as the World Cup qualifiers are on a double week.
