Jason Hernandez and the Quakes' defense proved to be solid again - Photo: Dani (www.danivernonphoto.com) for TheBaySoccer
- Comments & Photos (below) - More Photos - Video Interviews
Around 2,000 people (Officially 2,116) including about 40 Ultras gathered tonight at Kezar Stadium, San Francisco to watch the first Earthquakes' competitive pre-season game in the Bay Area.
It was not nice to watch, but both teams seemed happy with the result as they obviously had the "clean sheet" set as their main objective. After 3 wins during their camp in England, the Quakes earned their 4th pre-season shutout in a row.
Simon Elliott on the ground. The referee almost lost control on the game in the second halfPhoto:
Dani (www.danivernonphoto.com) for TheBaySoccer
Both teams played hard and the match was physically very intense for a friendly which, unfortunately, turned the game into a constant fight for the ball in the midfield. As Frank Yallop stated that the Quakes showed that "if it was going to be rough game, [they] can match them" even when the referee, Tyler Ploeger, who probably didn't expect such a hard battle, seemed to almost lose the control of the game in the middle of the second half.
In the middle of this, not more than 2 good chances can be credited to each side. Quincy Amarikwa created the best of them in the 65th minute, finding himself in front of Pat Onstad. His shot was deflected by Houston's goalkeeper...into Cornell Glen's feet whose missed shot turned into a pass to Chris Wondolowski who (probably in an offside position anyway) failed to push the ball in the open goal.
2 minutes earlier Chris Wondolowski from the right corner of the box had beautifully half volleyed a ball coming from the left...wide right.
Houston had their best chance in the end of the first half by ex-Quake Cam Weaver who headed the ball above the bar from a corner kick by Mike Chabala coming from the left (44')
The show was in the stands as much as on the pitch tonight - Photo: Dani (www.danivernonphoto.com) for TheBaySoccer
The rest of the action mostly came from the Ultras in the stands who cracked a firework, producing a lot of smoke which made difficult for the security services to find the culprit.
The Quakes stayed solid but couldn't make a difference - Photo: TC for TheBaySoccer
For the fans, this game was an opportunity to discover the new faces of the Quakes. All of them seemed ready for hard competitive games in terms of physical impact, but the poor technical quality of the game combined with the fact that most players played only 45 minutes doesn't allow us to give a detailed analysis of each player's skills and abilities.
However, the first half also gave us an idea 11 could look like. Here is tonight's starting line up:
Arturo Alvarez - Ryan Johnson
Bobby Convey - Javier Robles - Brad Ring - Joey Gjertsen
Ramiro Corrales - Bobby Burling - Jason Hernandez - Chris Leitch
Joe Cannon
Out of these 11 players who started tonight, the 7 players in green are almost certain to start.
In defense, Bobby Burling is replacing Brandon McDonald (injured) and Ike Opara (not available). According to Franck Yallop, "Opara played very well in England so he has a good chance to be in the team for the first game.
In the midfield Javier Robles may have a good chance to start with Ramon Sanchez and later, Andre Luiz who told me today he would be able to train with the team again next week after his knee surgery.
Upfront, Ryan Johnson is clearly number one. Eduardo should take the second spot when he's back from injury, which could put Arturo Alvarez in competition with Joey Gjertsen on the right wing.
This means the starting 11, assuming that everybody is available, will probably look like this:
Eduardo - Ryan Johnson
Bobby Convey - Javier Robles (or Ramon Sanchez) - Andre Luiz - Joey Gjertsen (or Arturo Alvarez)
Ramiro Corrales - Ike Opara (or Brandon McDonald) - Jason Hernandez - Chris Leitch
Joe Cannon
The San jose Earthquakes will now play their last pre-season game next Saturday (March 20) at 7pm at Buck Shaw Stadium (Santa Clara) against Portland Timbers (Division 2) before kicking off their 2010 MLS season the next Saturday (March 27) at 6pm against Real Salt Lake.
- Comments & Photos (above) - More Photos - Video Interviews
