This Week
The San Jose Earthquakes will begin their 2009 Major League Soccer season this week against an Eastern Conference foe, the New England Revolution. The Quakes will host the Revolution at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara on Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast live on Comcast SportsNet California. The first 5,000 fans will receive an Earthquakes/Amway Global replica jersey shirt.
Earthquakes vs. New England All-Time
MLS Regular Season: 16-9-4
Season Series: First Meeting
Home: 7-4-3
Away: 9-5-1
Shootout (1996-99): 0-2
Overtime (2000-05): 0-0-3
Playoffs: 0-0-0; U.S. Open Cup: 0-0-0
All-Time Scoring: San Jose - 58, New England - 39
Injury Report
Probable - Bobby Convey (R - quadriceps strain); Ryan Cochrane (L - ankle tendinitis);Ramiro Corrales (flu-like symptoms); Jason Hernandez (L - calf strain); Ryan Johnson (L - Achilles tendinitis); Chris Leitch (R - knee contusion).
Last Game
Earthquakes 1, Portland Timbers 0; March 14, 2009; Buck Shaw Stadium: Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer League 1-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium in their final tune-up before the season opens next Saturday, March 21 against the New England Revolution. Rookie Quincy Amarikwa scored the game's lone goal to give the Quakes the win. The Quakes put a lot of pressure on Portland early and in the 20th minute, Arturo Alvarez had the ball on the wing and sent a cross to Ryan Johnson but his header went wide. In stoppage time of the first half, Amarikwa broke down the line again, fighting off a challenge and somehow picking out Weaver at the penalty spot. Weaver's header flew over the bar, as the game remained scoreless at the half, despite San Jose's 10-0 advantage in shots. The first real threat for San Jose in the second half came in the 53rd minute as Alvarez broke inside the penalty area but his shot skidded wide across the face of the goal and harmlessly out of play. In the 67th minute, substitute Shea Salinas broke down the right sideline and whipped a cross in that found Amarikwa who got a shot off, but again, it flew wide of the net. Just four minutes later, Huckerby's cross almost deflected in, and trickled in front of an open goal for a moment, but no one could get on the end of it for San Jose. The Quakes finally broke through in the 77th minute as Shea Salinas ripped a shot from outside the area that was initially saved by Cronin, but Amarikwa was not to be denied, heading it just across the line for the only goal of the night. The Quakes held on for the 1-0 win, as Joe Cannon and the defense preserved the shutout.
Last Match vs. New England Revolution
Earthquakes 4, New England Revolution 0; Aug. 16, 2008; Buck Shaw Stadium; Santa Clara, Calif.
The San Jose Earthquakes attempt to climb out of the Western Division cellar got another step up as they beat a depleted New England Revolution 4-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Ronnie O'Brien scored two goals and set up another, with Ryan Johnson and Scott Sealy also scoring as the Quakes scored three goals in 17 minutes late in the game. The Earthquakes opened the scoring in the 11th minute, when Francisco Lima, at the top of the arc, found Ronnie O'Brien coming into the penalty area down the right side. From a tough angle, O'Brien hit what looked like a soft volley to the far post that fell just inside the woodwork for a 1-0 San Jose lead. New England came closest to scoring in the first 45 minutes off free kicks. In the third minute, Mauricio Castro's effort from 22 yards was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Joe Cannon. In the 36th, another free kick from Castro, this one from 25 yards forced Cannon to get down to make the save. Looking for more attack, New England began the second half by bringing in Taylor Twellman, still recovering from a hip injury, to replace Castro, with Khano Smith dropping into midfield. They almost found the equalizing goal a few minutes later when Sainey Nyassi stole a poor San Jose back pass, forcing Cannon to come out to the penalty spot to stop his point-blank shot. San Jose then put the game away with goals just a few minutes apart. In the 71st minute, Sealy, at the top of the penalty area, slipped a backheel through to Johnson, who had come on for Arturo Alvarez. Johnson's blast easily beat substitute 'keeper Doug Warren from 10 yards out. In the 76th minute, it was Sealy's turn, taking a Huckerby pass completely unmarked and beating Warren cleanly from the top of the box to make the score 3-0 San Jose. The Earthquakes got another goal in the 87th minute, when O'Brien cut in from the right wing and hooked in a left-footed shot from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the goal.
Misc. Notes
Quakes in the Community
What: Amway Global Kick for Kids
Who: Nick Garcia
Location: Bachrodt Elementary School
Date: Wednesday, March 18
Time: 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Details: Garcia will appear at the school to speak to children about healthy living and give away tickets and t-shirts.
Quakes Sign Defender Mike Zaher
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the team has signed defender Mike Zaher to a developmental contract. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. The 5-10 defender comes to San Jose after spending his first season in Major League Soccer last year with D.C. United. He appeared in three league matches with United and eight games in all competitions. He also made ten appearances for the reserve squad, starting nine of those games. The UCLA product was originally drafted 30th overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto F.C. and was traded in early April to D.C. United in exchange for a first round Supplemental Draft pick. Throughout his four-year college career, Zaher saw action in 69 games, starting 51 of those in defense. He scored seven goals and notched eight assists in his Bruin career, garnering the team's Defensive MVP in 2007 as a junior. He also played for the PDL's San Fernando Valley Quakes from 2006-2007 during the summers while also at UCLA.
San Jose in March
The Quakes are 3-6-0 all-time in March in MLS play.
Quakes in Season Openers
San Jose is 5-5-1 all-time in season openers.
Quakes Partner with KFC to Launch Colonel's Corner for the Second Straight Year
The San Jose Earthquakes have announced that the team has partnered with KFC for the second year in a row to launch the Colonel's Corner promotion for at every home game for the 2009 season. The promotion will give fans the opportunity to purchase great seats for only $15-the most affordable Earthquakes tickets in town. Fans can purchase tickets regularly priced at $22 for Buck Shaw Stadium and at $40 for Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for only $15 at participating KFC restaurants. The Colonel's Corner vouchers can be purchased at 27 participating KFC restaurants across the South Bay and will be redeemable for any game, subject to availability. The vouchers can be redeemed at Earthquakes Offices or at the stadium on the day of the game. KFC will have 500 tickets available for each game.
Quakes Fans in San Francisco can get a Ride to Home Opener with the First Kick Bus Trip
The Earthquakes are offering a special deal for fans in San Francisco that want to come out to watch the Quakes home opener vs. the New England Revolution on Saturday, March 21. For only $25, fans will not only get a ticket to the game, but a ride to and from as well. Fans will be picked up from one of the four San Francisco pubs listed below, and will ride down to the game in a bus full of other Quakes supporters, and then back to the pub you started at following the game. Participating pubs in San Francisco include Kezar Pub on Stanyan, Mad Dog in the Fog on Haight, Pig 'N Whistle on Geary and Danny Coyle's on Haight. Buses will be at each location for pick up at 5:00 P.M. and will be heading back to SF promptly following the game. Please call 408-556-7700 to reserve your spot.
Quakes on a Roll Against the Revolution
The Quakes are 16-9-4 all-time against the New England Revolution in the regular season, and recently have dominated the series. The Quakes did not lose to New England for 12 straight games, putting together a 9-0-3 record from May 5, 2001-Oct. 1, 2005. The Revs had not beaten the Quakes since July 22, 2000, until their victory on May 17, 2008. San Jose has outscored New England by a 58-39 all-time total. The Quakes have also lost just once at Gillette Stadium, home of the Revolution, posting a 5-1-1 record there since 2002.
Earthquakes - Revolution Connections
Revolution midfielder Steve Ralston and Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop were teammates on the Tampa Bay Mutiny from 1996-1998 ... Quakes midfielder Ryan Johnson is from Boston ... New England defender/midfielder Amaechi Igwe played with current Quake Jamil Roberts at Santa Clara University in 2006 ... Revolution defender Chris Albright played in 2007 with the Los Angeles Galaxy under current Quakes head coach Frank Yallop and with current Quakes Joe Cannon and Kelly Gray.
Earthquakes Leaders vs. Revolution
Eric Denton has scored two goals and recorded three assists in his career against New England in 20 games ... Arturo Alvarez has three goals and an assist in New England in only nine career games vs. the Revs ... Joe Cannon has recorded seven career wins against the Revolution.
Revolution Leaders vs. Earthquakes
Taylor Twellman has scored three times against San Jose in his career in 10 games, while Steve Ralston has notched two goals and 14 assists in 25 games against the Quakes.
Cannon Amongst All-Time Leaders
Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon is among the all-time league leaders in a number of goalkeeping categories. He previously played for San Jose from 1999-2002. He enters the 2009 season fourth all-time in saves (1,026), fourth all-time in shutouts (65), fifth all-time in wins (92) and eighth all-time in goals against average (1.26). For San Jose, Cannon is first in club history in appearances (131), first in minutes played (11,961), first in saves (558), first in wins (54) and second in goals against average (1.26), shutouts (35) and saves percentage (74.6). He also holds the team's all-time record for saves in a game with 12 on July 8, 2000 at Colorado.
Quakes Above .500
The Earthquakes all-time MLS record is above the .500 mark. The Quakes all-time regular season MLS record is 142-138-56 for 482 points. The Quakes finished 2008 with a 8-13-9 record, registering 33 points.
Quakes Radio Segment on KNBR 1050
The Earthquakes weekly five-minute news debuted on KNBR 1050 last week. The segment, which runs throughout the MLS season, will air Friday, March 20 on KNBR 1050 following college basketball. John Shrader, the voice of the Earthquakes, will host the report that will include interviews, player features and team news. The segment will air every Friday on KNBR 1050 following the Razor and Mr. T show at 7 p.m. PT, except this week, when the report will air following the NCAA Tournament.
Earthquakes Launch Fan Social Networking Site MyQuakes
The Earthquakes are proud to announce the launch of MyQuakes.com, the official social network of the San Jose Earthquakes. The site is a place where fans, players, and staff interact and share all types of content such as photos, videos, blogs and more. Some features that members will enjoy are the following; a team blog on the main page that will update fans on insider team information, a forum on the main page where fans, players, and staff can create and respond to discussions, a fully customizable profile page, players and coaches pages, an option to create your own groups, a full event calendar, as well as live online chat. MyQuakes has now launched, so sign up and join Earthquakes players, coaches and fans from all over the world in the official online community for the Quakes.
Rookie Quincy Amarikwa Takes Home College Goal of the Year Honors
Quincy Amarikwa has been honored by Soccer America for scoring the 2008 College Goal of the Year for UC Davis. His goal came against the University of California Santa Barbara off of a bicycle kick that flew into the top corner past a sprawling keeper. UC Davis won the match 2-0. The video can be seen here. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPDTIC3g334&eurl
Preseason Ends With Success
The San Jose Earthquakes rounded out their preseason with a 1-0 victory over the Portland Timbers of the United Soccer League. The Quakes completed their seven exhibition matches with a 6-1-0 record, including four straight wins to open the preseason by a combined 13-2 margin. The Quakes won both of their MLS Central Coast Showcase matches in San Luis Obispo, taking home the title.
Preseason Schedule
The San Jose Earthquakes have played all seven scheduled preseason matches, earning wins over Seattle Sounders FC, the Houston Dynamo, Fresno Fuego, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA and the Portland Timbers. Ryan Johnson and Cam Weaver led the team in goals in the preseason with four in seven matches against non-collegiate opponents. Below is the team's full preseason schedule:
Feb. 13 - Earthquakes def. Seattle Sounders 3-2 at MLS Central Coast Showcase in San Luis Obispo (Johnson - 2, Amarikwa).
Feb. 15 - Earthquakes def. Houston Dynamo 2-0 at MLS Central Coast Showcase in San Luis Obispo (Johnson, Weaver).
Feb. 20 - Earthquakes def. Fresno Fuego 6-0 at Chukchansi Park in Fresno. (Johnson, Huckerby, Alvarez - 2, Weaver, Campos).
Feb. 27 - Earthquakes def. Colorado Rapids 2-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium (Weaver, Roberts).
March 2 - Colorado Rapids def. Earthquakes 2-1 at Loyola Marymount University (Amarikwa).
March 4 - Earthquakes def. Chivas USA 1-0 at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles (Weaver).
March 14 - Earthquakes def. Portland Timbers 1-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium (Amarikwa).
Making the First One Count
The Earthquakes now own a 69-4-12 record in their last 85 matches when they score the first goal of the game. They finished 8-1-3 in 2008 when scoring first. They lost to Columbus 3-2 on May 10, 2008 after scoring first. In 2005, San Jose went undefeated at 14-0-5 when scoring first. The Earthquakes were 25-2-2 in 2001 and 2002 when finding the back of the net first. The Quakes only gave up leads two times in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. The team continued that trend in 2003, possessing an 11-0-1 mark in the regular season when they scored the first goal. In 2004, the Quakes went 8-1-1 when scoring first, the top mark in MLS. The Quakes gave up their lead and lost to Los Angeles on July 4, 2004 for the first time since July 27, 2002 against Kansas City. The Quakes are also impressive in the playoffs when scoring first, posting a 6-0-0 record.
Scoring First Under Yallop
During Frank Yallop's first tenure with San Jose, the Earthquakes were one of the best teams in the league when scoring the first goal. The team went 36-2-1 from 2001-03 when scoring the first goal of the game. The Quakes only gave up leads two times in 2002, losing 2-1 to Los Angeles on July 4 and falling 2-1 to Kansas City on July 27. Yallop's team was 8-1-3 in 2008 when scoring first.
Halftime Success
The Earthquakes remain amongst the best in league history in holding onto a half-time lead after defeating D.C. United 2-1 on Sept. 6, 2008. Since the beginning of the 2000 season, the Earthquakes are now 53-1-8 in games when leading at the half, including 8-0-1 in 2003, 7-0-1 in 2004 and 7-0-3 in 2005. Despite holding a halftime lead on May 10, 2008 vs. Columbus, the Quakes fell 3-2. That game marked the team's first loss since 1999 when holding a halftime lead.
Quakes Development Schools
The San Jose Earthquakes announced that the Earthquakes Development Schools will debut in the summer of 2009 throughout Northern California. The Earthquakes will run the schools in conjunction with their official camp partner, UK International Soccer Camps. Development School attendees will enjoy a week-long camp experience that will include daily sessions with top-level coaches, along with visits from Earthquakes players and coaches throughout the week. All participants will receive an Earthquakes t-shirt as well as a ticket to an Earthquakes game. The total cost for a week is $170 for half day and $220 for a full day. To sign up or to request to host a Development School in your area please contact Director of Development Schools Neil Diaz at developmentschools@sjearthquakes.com or call 510-461-0463.
San Jose Earthquakes Individual Tickets on Sale Now
Individual tickets for all 2009 San Jose Earthquakes home games are now on sale. Tickets for the much anticipated 2009 campaign are available online at sjearthquakes.com or by calling (800) 225-2277. Prices range from $20-$70 per ticket.
Season Tickets on Sale Now
Season tickets are on sale now for the 2009 Earthquakes season. The season-ticket package consists of 17 games, 15 regular season matches and two bonus matches. Prices begin at $306 and all packages offer significant savings off the regular price. Season ticket holders will also receive the following benefits: invitations to private Season Ticket Holder events, ability to purchase a season parking pass; Darren Huckerby Bobblehead and first priority for playoff tickets and all international games, along with a number of other benefits. To purchase season tickets, call 408-556-7700 or log on to sjearthquakes.com.
