San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chivas USA | MLS Match Preview

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES vs CHIVAS USA
BUCK SHAW STADIUM, Santa Clara, Calif.
August 4, 2013 (WEEK 23, MLS Game #212) 7 p.m. PT (Univision Deportes; CSN-CA) 

The San Jose Earthquakes put their two-game winning streak on the line when they play host to Chivas USA on Sunday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Earthquakes won their second consecutive home match last weekend, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-1. Chivas USA are on the second game of a road swing, starting it in a 2-1 loss at Seattle Sounders FC last Sunday evening.

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REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Peter Manikowski; AR2 (opposite): Jeff Muschik; 4th: Allen Chapman
MLS Career: 22 games; FC/gm: 24.0; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 9; pens: 6

DISABLED LIST: SJ: Ty Harden, Peter McGlynn … CHV: Daniel Antuñez
SUSPENDED: SJ: Alan Gordon (caution accumulation; through August 4); Marvin Chavez (through August 4)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: SJ: Steven Lenhart
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: SJ: Rafael Baca, Chris Wondolowski, Sam Cronin … CHV: Mario de Luna, Bobby Burling, Carlos Alvarez, Gabriel Farfan, Tristan Bowen
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (17 meetings): Earthquakes 5 wins, 26 goals … Chivas USA 6 wins, 20 goals … Ties 6
AT SAN JOSE (8 meetings): Earthquakes 3 wins, 15 goals … Chivas USA 3 wins, 8 goals … Ties 2
FUTURE MATCH: 9/29: Chivas USA vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 8 p.m. PT (UniMas)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. A late Cordell Cato goal pulled the Earthquakes back into a 2-2 draw, April 27 in Carson.
• The Quakes won the final two meetings between the teams last season, winning 4-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium (Sept. 2) and 2-0 at The Home Depot Center (Sept. 15). They had earlier played to a 1-1 draw in Santa Clara.
• Before last season, Chivas USA had won six of the nine meetings, with two draws, since San Jose returned to the league in 2008. The only Quakes victory in that span came in 2010 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• Coaches record: Mark Watson vs. CHV: first game … José Luis Real v SJ: first game

LAST MEETING (MLS)
4/27: CHV 2, SJ 2 (de Luna 47; Bowen 51 – Wondolowski 40; Cato 76)

• The Earthquakes took the lead in the 40th minute. A free kick from the left was swung in toward the back post and Chris Wondolowski beat defender Joaquin Velazquez to the ball before finishing with aplomb.
• But Chivas USA scored twice in the first five minutes of the second half. In the 47th minute, Mario de Luna leveled the score when he deflecting a centering pass from Jorge Villafaña past San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch, finishing on the rebound after his first attempt was blocked.
• Just four minutes later, Chivas USA were in the left. Villafaña again set it up with a cross from the left and it came all the way across to forward Tristan Bowen, who slammed the back of the net with a scintillating left-footed strike.
• But the Quakes found an answer in the 76th minute. Shea Salinas sent in a centering pass from the left and substitute Cordell Cato finished it off from inside the penalty area to leave the teams tied at 2-2.
• CHIVAS USA (3-2-3-2): Dan Kennedy - Mario de Luna, Steve Purdy, Joaquin Velazquez - Marvin Iraheta (Josue Soto 65), Carlos Borja - Tristan Bowen (Marky Delgado 85), Eric Avila, Jorge Villafana - Carlos Alvarez (Jose Rivera 80), Jose Correa.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Victor Bernardez, Nana Attakora, Justin Morrow - Shea Salinas, Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Marvin Chavez (Cordell Cato 67) - Chris Wondolowski, Steven Lenhart (Adam Jahn 70).

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes won their second consecutive match, defeating the Portland Timbers 2-1 on Saturday evening at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Quakes sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 27 points from 22 matches.

LAST MATCH

• The Quakes took the lead 10 minutes into the second half. Shea Salinas saw his slaloming run ended in a collision with Timbers center back Andrew Jean-Baptiste, and the resulting penalty kicks was converted by center back Victor Bernardez, who sent goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts in the opposite direction.
• The lead was doubled three minutes later when Salinas delivered a free kick from deep on the left wing to the far post where Steven Lenhart slipped in behind the Timbers defense and touched the ball home with a sliding poke.
• The Timbers pulled a goal back late when Darlington Nagbe was set free by a nifty back-heel assist from Frederic Piquionne and slotted home from 14 yards.
• Quakes interim head coach Mark Watson made three changes to the team that defeated Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Jordan Stewart came into the back four for Jason Hernandez, Marvin Chavez started in midfield for Walter Martinez, and Adam Jahn started up top in place of the suspended Alan Gordon.
• SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (4-4-2): Jon Busch - Steven Beitashour, Justin Morrow, Victor Bernardez, Jordan Stewart - Marvin Chavez (sent off 85), Sam Cronin, Rafael Baca, Shea Salinas (Ramiro Corrales 89) - Adam Jahn, Steven Lenhart.

TEAM NEWS

• The Quakes have won back-to-back games for the first time in league play this season, and are now unbeaten in their last 10 games at Buck Shaw Stadium.
• “[The winning streak] is great for us. It gives us confidence and momentum moving forward. We have a good team and, like I’ve said before, we’ve had a tough season,” said Quakes interim coach Mark Watson. “It’s been a struggle at times. I think to have good performances and be tight defensively and to get wins, it does a world of good for our confidence.”
• Bernardez scored his first goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot. The only other player to take a penalty for the Quakes over the last two seasons was Khari Stephenson, last May 23, also while Chris Wondolowski was away on international duty.
• “Ultimately, there’s a few guys you have in mind, but you want the guy who has the confidence to step up and grab the ball,” Watson said. “That’s the guy you want taking the penalty, so we had no problem with Victor grabbing the ball.”
• Jordan Stewart made his MLS debut, coming in at left back after arriving from Coventry City FC in the English Premier League.
• “I thought he was great. There were some questions as to whether he was 90 minutes fit; we did kind of expedite the fitness test,” Watson said. “He has looked very sharp in trainings and played very well against Norwich [City FC] last weekend. I thought Jordan had a very professional and composed performance, and I was very happy with his play.”
• Marvin Chavez made his first appearance in three matches after returning from CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with Honduras, but he will miss the Chivas match after being sent off late against Portland.
• “Marvin looked fresh tonight and he has been missed since his call up with the Honduran national team,” said midfielder Shea Salinas. “It was good to have him back, running at the defenders on the other side, which creates space for the rest of us. Little by little we are coming to full strength as a club.”
• The Quakes scored a goal from a set piece for the first time since May 18. They have scored four goals from deadball situations this season.
• “We had a great week of training, particularly with our set pieces. Steven [Lenhart] had a great finish off of my ball to double our lead,” said Salinas. “His celebration was something he has practiced in our locker room.”

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA weren’t able to make it back-to-back wins, Seattle Sounders FC coming back for a 2-1 victory on Sunday evening at CenturyLink Field. Chivas USA sit in ninth place in the Western Conference with 17 points from 21 matches.

LAST MATCH

• Chivas USA took the lead after just 16 minutes when Carlos Alvarez wound his way through the Sounders FC defense and left the ball for Erick Torres, who coolly finished inside the far post.
• But the home side were level seven minutes later. Obafemi Martins controlled the ball and slipped in Brad Evans, who made a nice run from a deep position before taking one touch and beating Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy to the near post.
• The game-winner came in the 57th minute. Mauro Rosales picked up a loose ball at midfield and put it ahead to Obafemi Martins, who then tapped it back through the penalty area for Lamar Neagle to slip past Kennedy from the spot.
• Chivas USA head coach José Luis Real made two changes to the team that defeated Toronto FC 1-0 at StubHub Center. Gabriel Farfan and Jorge Villafana came into the team for the suspended Eric Avila and the departed Walter Vilchez.
• CHIVAS USA (4-2-3-1): Dan Kennedy - Carlos Borja, Mario de Luna, Carlos Bocanegra, Marky Delgado - Carlos Alvarez, Edgar Mejia (Josue Soto 64) - Tristan Bowen (Jose Rivera 82), Gabriel Farfan (Julio Morales 55), Jorge Villafana - Erick Torres.

TEAM NEWS

• Chivas USA lost for a second consecutive match on the road, and are now winless in their last nine games away from Carson.
• “Our players lost a lot of balls and bad passes turned into dangerous opportunities for Seattle,” Real said. “We just couldn’t pass the ball well. … The performance differed from the first to the second half and that's the reason why we couldn't get this game going."
• Erick Torres scored a goal for a second consecutive match, his first two MLS appearances.
• “I'm very happy to have been able to score my second goal in MLS. I've only been here for two games, so I was happy to be able to collaborate and help the team,” said Torres. “Unfortunately it didn't help me much, but personally, I'm happy for it.”
• Josue Soto made an appearance after not featuring in the victory against Toronto FC, coming off the substitutes’ bench, and Julio Morales made a fifth consecutive substitute appearance.
• “The changes were all for players up front,” Real said. “They weren’t midfielders or defenders. When we went down and weren’t playing very well in the second half, my intention was to tie. Getting a draw as a visitor would have been good for us.”
• Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy made his 100th career league appearance in the loss. He has appeared in all but one of Chivas USA’s league games this season.
• “We could have dealt better with both [goals],” Kennedy said. “You always look at the goals. It’s an important part of the game. To have a guy run out of midfield to score a goal is never a good thing and, on the second goal, we had a chance to make a play before the ball got crossed and we were too patient on it. Still, we’re moving in the right direction. These games always come down to one or two plays and we were on the short end of that.”