SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When you're scheduled to play an international friendly in the middle of the MLS regular season, the game plan is pretty simple.
"We wanted to score some goals and get a victory, and not have any injuries," San Jose Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop said after watching his club do just that, beating the Honduras Olympic team 4-0 Tuesday night at Buck Shaw Stadium.
Ned Grabavoy, Shea Salinas, Jovan Kirovski and Kei Kamara all got on the scoreboard for San Jose, who enjoyed its best offensive output since the team's rebirth this season.
"It's always good to score, but obviously it's a friendly, and (Honduras) wasn't the strongest team that we've faced this year," Yallop said. "But it's never easy finding the back of the net, and it was nice to have four different scorers. It might give us some confidence to feel a little more comfortable in front of goal."
The Earthquakes dominated the match from the start, scoring twice in each half while shutting down the Honduran attack.
"I think we played with a bit of confidence for a change. It's a friendly, but it shows that we can play decent football," Yallop said. "We've been a little bit edgy on everything lately, so it was nice to see (the Earthquakes) just go out there and play and perform."
The exhibition allowed the Earthquakes to field several players who've seen limited action so far this season, and also gave some who've been struggling a chance to shine.
"I thought Ned Grabavoy had a good game in the middle of the field," Yallop said. "He was playing free and moved the ball well. Ramiro (Corrales) played well the first half, and Shea (Salinas) had some moments. It was good to see Jovan (Kirovski) get his first or second 90 minutes in, too. There were some good performances out there."
Before the game, the Earthquakes introduced the just-signed Darren Huckerby and Francisco Lima to the press. They did not dress for the game, but should be ready, along with the newly acquired Scott Sealy, to see action when San Jose travels to Canada on Saturday to face Toronto FC.
"Maybe the players we've signed have moved some people a little bit, so that's good," Yallop said. "Competition for a place is always good on any team. And (these signings) are going to put some people under pressure, which is good.
(Huckerby, Lima, and Sealy) will all hopefully be available Saturday," Yallop said. "Like Darren (Huckerby) said, he's only trained once in two months, so it'd be a little tough for him to be thrown out there, but hopefully he can be on the bench. I don't want to force him into anything he's not quite comfortable with. The same with (Francisco) Lima. We'll see how he feels. Scott Sealy will probably be available, because he's played in MLS and he's fit and raring to go. but they might all get some time."
After traveling to Toronto Saturday, the Earthquakes finish out the season with nine home games in their remaining 13 matches as they attempt to climb back into the playoff picture after beginning the year with a 3-9-4 record. The events of Tuesday might just be a good start.
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