Surprising Quakes must make stand

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Given their expansion status, the San Jose Earthquakes' journey to respectability has been swift. Even as the calendar ventures deeper into October, the reborn Quakes still find themselves part of the playoff conversation, something that the three prior expansion sides didn't come close to accomplishing.

Yet time is running out on San Jose, and unless they can fashion a victory in Houston on Wednesday night, its postseason hopes will be all but extinguished.

Of course, even if San Jose somehow escapes Houston with a win, a perfect convergence of results would still have to occur for the Quakes to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. But manager Frank Yallop is intent on buttressing the confidence in his side, even as a four-game winless streak has brought the team's momentum to a halt.

"We're not afraid to go out and play anybody," said Yallop. "It's not like we've sat back in the last four games and got hammered. We've played fine. ... We've just got to let it go and forget about all that other stuff."

San Jose certainly felt like they did enough in last Saturday's 1-0 loss to Chivas USA to get a draw, if not the full three points. The Quakes were much more energetic in attack than they had been in their two previous games against Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas, yet they were unable to translate their territorial dominance into goals.

"I just think our play in the final third hasn't been good in the last three games," said Yallop. "That's what is missing from our game at the moment. Goals come in bunches, and sometimes teams dry up."

One way of getting the goals flowing again is for the Quakes to get better service to midfielder Darren Huckerby. In previous games, San Jose had plenty of success finding the Englishman with long cross-field passes that caught opposition defenses napping. But Chivas was able to either slow down or cut out San Jose's attempts to switch the point of attack, and Huckerby found himself more starved of service than he had been in previous games.

"We've got to play well and not just switch it to Darren, but slip him in with good passes also," said Yallop.

That goes for the Quakes forward line as well, who have largely been kept in check over the last several weeks, and with Ryan Johnson still likely to be sidelined by a hamstring injury, more pressure will be put on Arturo Alvarez and Scott Sealy to shoulder more of the goalscoring burden.

Finding the requisite breakthrough could prove difficult given the dynamics of the Western Conference table. When combined with Houston's 0-0 draw with D.C. United, San Jose's result allowed Chivas to creep within two points of the first-place Dynamo, although Houston has a game in hand. Now, rather than use Wednesday's match as a chance to rest some of his players, it's likely that Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear will employ most of his first-choice lineup.

Not that Houston needs any more motivation heading into the game. San Jose has managed a 1-0-1 record against the Dynamo so far this season, and emotions ran high in both matches. Case in point was Brian Ching's goal celebration following his equalizer in San Jose on Sept. 13, when he gestured at the Quakes fans for some taunts directed at Houston bench earlier in the match. Yallop is expecting Houston to have their game faces firmly in place on Wednesday.

"They're not coasting at all," said Yallop of Houston. "That team is very competitive; they want to win every game."

Given the dire straits the Quakes find themselves in, it will be interesting to see just how much risk Yallop is willing to take if he finds his team tied late in the match. But the Quakes head coach indicated that the team's level of aggressiveness is something he'll manage as the game goes on.

"We won't become desperate," said Yallop. "You can't. You've still got to play the game; you can't play two at the back and have everyone else go forward from the start. We'll see how the game goes."

Dynamo emotions running high for rematch

HOUSTON -- This time of year, when just about every team in Major League Soccer is playing a crucial match, there is always one that carries a little more importance with every passing tick toward kickoff.

If you don't think the Houston Dynamo and San Jose Earthquakes have been looking forward to Wednesday's match for quite sometime, you're wrong.

Most MLS fans are acutely aware that the Dynamo used to play in San Jose. They left after the 2005 season, moved to Houston and, in a nutshell, won back-to-back championships.

Mind you they were a pretty good team in California as well, racking up many kudos and league accolades along the way.

Fans there, understandably were and perhaps still are bitter about the relocation, but now they have their own team -- a team that kept all of the aforementioned records -- and they are undefeated against the Orange this season.

After playing to a 1-1 draw in San Jose on Sept. 13, arguably both teams' most emotionally draining of the year, both teams could not wait until the following weekend for the rematch.

But that didn't happen. The lingering effects of Hurricane Ike left the stadium in no condition to host a competition, and the game was moved to Wednesday night.

After playing to a scoreless draw against D.C. United Sunday night, the Dynamo are more than ready to take out their frustrations on a team that has outscored them 3-2 this season.

"We feel like we owe them a little bit and there is a little chip on our shoulders in that we feel a bit disrespected because we did not get to keep all our accomplishments from San Jose," said defender Eddie Robinson. "A lot of these guys worked our tails off for those things, and we feel a little bit disrespected. We are really looking forward to showing them who won those two championships there and who won the two here."

Forward Nate Jaqua said Wednesday's match has been circled on his calendar since the Sept. 13 meeting. He said he was disappointed in the result and was looking forward to the rematch the first time it was scheduled.

"I was disappointed that we did not get a little bit more as that was one of those hard-fought games this year," Jaqua said. "I came away from that match really wanting to play them that next week and bring them back here. But (because of Ike) we obviously were not able to do that. Now we get that opportunity and this is one of those games that we really want to win."

And there are several other reasons that make Wednesday night's battle one to watch.

San Jose needs to run the table and get help just to make the MLS Cup Playoffs. Their 1-0 loss last weekend to Chivas USA not only put their playoff hopes on life support, but it allowed Chivas to solidify their positioning behind the Dynamo in the Western Conference standings.

Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear said his team needs to be ready for an intense 90 minutes of football.

"They have three games to go, and if they run the table and something else happens, up above them, they have a chance to make the playoffs," Kinnear said. "They will be looking to rebound from their most recent result, and we do know our games against them have been very physical and very emotional. I don't think it will be any different this time around."

Jaqua said his team gave maximum effort in the 0-0 tie with United, but noted several area in which the team could improve.

If the Dynamo are going to beat a desperate San Jose team Wednesday night in Houston, the Orange, he said, are going to have to learn from Sunday's miscues.

"We know San Jose is really going to be fighting for their playoff lives and we need to be ready for that," Jaqua said. "Hopefully we can get the ball down (field) a little bit more, and I kow we want to be sharper. When we do get our chances, we need to be a little bit better with them."

No glitz, just guts for Galaxy in win

CARSON, Calif. -- Coming into Sunday night's game, the Los Angeles Galaxy knew what they were up against. Sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, anything less than a victory would effectively doom LA to an early vacation for the third consecutive season.

Billed as one of the more glamorous sides in MLS with players like David Beckham and Landon Donovan on the roster, the Galaxy took a much more workmanlike attitude into the contest, scrapping out a 3-2 decision against the Colorado Rapids.

The game didn't start out well for Los Angeles, as they were outplayed for long stretches to open the game. Yet LA avoided disaster early and played their way back into the match.

"The first 15 minutes of the game we were thoroughly beaten all over the field," said head coach Bruce Arena. "I like the way our guys fought back into the game."

The Galaxy took a first-half lead when Edson Buddle scored his 14th goal of the season from just inside the area. A defensive lapse on a corner kick late in the half allowed Colorado to level the score, then things nearly turned disastrous to open the second half.

Tom McManus hit the post with a header just minutes into the second half. Fortunately for the Galaxy, they dodged a bullet and settled in, eventually taking the lead through an own goal from Ugo Ihemelu. The goal came when Bryan Jordan drew a free kick deep in Colorado territory. In fact, Jordan was all over the park on the night, typifying the performance of the entire Galaxy team.

"I give our players a lot of credit. They worked real hard and played a scrappy game and walked off the field with three points, which was certainly the objective for the night," said Arena.

There certainly was no quit in the Galaxy, knowing their backs were against the wall. Donovan contributed 30 minutes of work, despite having gone the full 90 minutes against Cuba in World Cup qualifying the night before. It was that type of energy that put the Galaxy over the hump.

"Coming into the game we knew what we needed to do. What we were trying to do was come out, work hard, and scrap a win out of it," said Jordan. "I thought we played well. We moved the ball well, got our goals and I'm happy."

Even with the workmanlike effort, it was a masterstroke off the right foot of Brandon McDonald that spelled the difference. The rookie scored his first career MLS goal in emphatic fashion, ripping a shot from 35 yards out that will no doubt be a goal of the week candidate.

"I try to strike balls like that quite often in practice, so I'm kind of used to hitting the longer shots," said McDonald. "I looked at the opposition and they weren't stepping to me, so I took a touch to prepare the shot and no one stepped so I just blasted it. The rest is history."

McDonald's goal proved to be the game winner, leaving the Galaxy's playoff hopes alive for at least one more week. The road doesn't get any easier, as the Galaxy travel to face Houston next weekend. For Arena, however, it's all quite simple.

"We have to win games. I've said all along, I don't concern myself with standings or points," said Arena. "We have to win games. Even if we win out, we may fall short. But at least we know what we have to do. We're not going into any games looking for a point. We have try to win."

Unexpected sources power Crew offense

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Crew have unexpected production from the backline; a healthy contribution of goals from the midfield and a good number of scores from the forwards.

They have scored nearly a fourth of their goals off set pieces as well as converting four penalty kicks and were also the beneficiary of an own goal.

What the team hasn't received, at least in the eye of the beholder, is respect for having one of the best offenses in MLS.

While the attention has focused on the crowd-pleasing attack of the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Crew have quietly generated 46 goals to trail the league leader by only four -- if anyone noticed.

"I know our offense was a little hurt by that because people are talking about (LA's) explosive offense and it's like, 'Hey, we've almost scored as many goals,' " Crew coach Sigi Schmid said after Saturday's 1-0 win against the Galaxy.

He explained his remarks earlier this week.

"We don't have the glamour boys. Obviously, we don't have David Beckham, whose the most expensive player in the league and for sure the most recognizable name in this league. We don't have Landon Donovan, who on his day is the best American player, and Edson Buddle had gotten off to a very good start, though when you look at his goals the last 10, 12 games it hasn't been very good.

"The glamour guys," he said. "Aren't we the team with the hard hats, anyway? We're a little more hard hat."

Befitting the "America's hardest working team" motto that the Crew used to espouse, this year's squad is gritty when it needs to be but can also play with flair when all cylinders are clicking.

Besides, Los Angeles can keep all the fanfare -- the Crew will take their league-best 53 points -- ahead of the 29 by the last-place Galaxy.

"Part of it is due to in LA they have a lot of goals coming from certain key players," Crew defensive midfielder Brian Carroll said. "Here, they're coming from all over the place, which is a good thing. It shows everyone has contributed something to the success of the team and shows an overall team mentality."

The statistics don't lie. The Galaxy's 50 goals have been scored by 11 different players. Of those, four scorers have two or more goals. Fourteen players have contributed to the Crew's 46 goals, including 10 with at least two goals. D.C. United are third in scoring with 41 goals by 13 players; six have two or more.

Crew forwards have scored 22 times, led by the career-best nine from Alejandro Moreno. Guillermo Barros Schelotto has six, including 4-of-4 from the penalty spot. Jason Garey and Steven Lenhart have three apiece goals off the bench and Pat Noonan salvaged a tie at Toronto on Sept. 13 with his first goal since being acquired in August.

Robbie Rogers has six of the 17 goals from the midfielders, who also got the first goal since 2006 out of the Carroll. Central midfielder Brad Evans has four after replacing the injured Adam Moffat.

"We felt going into the year we needed to get more goals out of the midfield, also more goals out of the middle of the midfield and we have with Evans and Moffat, who had a couple early in the season," Schmid said. "We've definitely gotten more goals from the middle of the midfield and we've gotten a fair amount from the outside midfield. I've been happy with that. The front line's also thrown in their goals."

The backline has six tallies with Chad Marshall heading in four, to match his output of the previous four years.

"Set pieces are bonus goals. Most of our defenders who've gotten goals have usually come from those situations. It's not like they're coming from overlapping in the flow of the game," Schmid said.

One that did was an arcing shot -- at least that's what he said -- from Frankie Hejduk against New York on Sept. 18 for his first goal in more than three years.

Otherwise, the defenders have been stellar on corner kicks and set pieces because of the presence of the 6-4 Marshall and rookie Andy Iro (6-5), who has one goal.

"I've always tried, wherever I've coached, to have somebody who could score goals on those things. In LA it was somebody like Danny Califf. Danny Califf won an Open Cup for me by scoring off a corner kick," Schmid said. "When I was at UCLA I had guys like Carlos Bocanegra and Paul Caligiuri; (former Crew defender) Mike Lapper when he played for me. I always had a defender who would get somewhere between four and six goals a year coming forward on set pieces. Now we've got Chad here. That's definitely been a link we've been missing in the past few years."

The Crew have been lethal in deadball situations. Their 10 goals have come via five corners and five free kicks, one directly from a free kick strike. By contrast the Beckham-led Galaxy have scored only one from a corner and two from free kicks.

"Getting goals from set pieces are important because they can turn tight games," Schmid said. "It's like getting a goal every third game off one of those things and I think that's good for us. We believe we can be dangerous."

Columbus (15) and LA (13) are the only teams to score in double figures in the final 15 minutes of the first half and Colorado (11) and the Crew (10) are the most productive teams from minutes 61-75.

"Our offense has been fantastic in the sense when we did struggle a little bit defensively our offense was always there," goalkeeper Will Hesmer said. "Sometimes when you're down you push too hard. We don't do that. We relax and believe in ourselves that the goals will come."

Timely goals and the second-stingiest defense in the league have carried the Crew to a 16-6-5 record. That's why the Crew tops MLS with a 4-6-4 mark when allowing the first goal in addition to a 12-0 record when scoring first.

Yet, it doesn't take much to humble the players. They only need to remember that early this season they set a team record by not scoring for 371 minutes.

Real Salt Lake left wondering after draw

SANDY, Utah -- Javier Morales produced one of those moments that make a soccer stadium opening memorable.

With Real Salt Lake trailing New York by a goal in the first-ever match at Rio Tinto Stadium, Morales found defender Jamison Olave for the equalizing goal just before the first half drew to a close.

In getting the assist -- his 15th in an RSL uniform -- Morales surpassed teammate Andy Williams to set a new club record. But the milestone felt somewhat hollow to the midfielder when RSL failed to follow up with another goal and spoiled its debut at its new home with a 1-1 draw on Thursday night.

"I would have been happier if we had won and I had not gotten the assist," Morales said.

For RSL, Thursday's match against the Red Bulls left a bunch of what-ifs for the club to ponder.

What if they had come out sharper from the beginning in the first half? What if they had defended corner kicks better and not allowed New York to create so many scoring chances off that one set piece? What if they had put more shots on frame in the second half when they so desperately needed a goal?

The main positive Real can draw from a flat showing at home is that the club at least managed to snag one point instead of none.

"If we would have lost this game tonight, I don't know what I would have done with myself -- but it wouldn't have been good," midfielder Will Johnson said. New York secured the honor of scoring the first-ever goal inside Rio Tinto Stadium. The Red Bulls marched out to a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute when Dave van den Bergh capitalized on a corner kick.

Seth Stammler put his header right on target after the ball swung into the box, just beating Nick Rimando's dive. Kyle Beckerman had perfectly position to head it off the line. He did so, but sent it right to van den Bergh.

From there, the Red Bulls midfielder rocketed a full-blooded drive on the rebound and sent the ball zooming into the back of the net.

RSL answered with the tying goal by Jamison Olave in the 42nd minute. Morales swung a corner kick toward the center of the area. The ball took a bounce and Olave got his right foot onto it and looped it over Conway and into the back of the net.

Real had plenty of chances to go ahead in the second half, but never seriously threatened to score -- even when New York was down a man in the final minutes of the match when Juan Pietravallo was ejected with a red card in the 83rd minute. RSL head coach Jason Kreis attributed his team's offensive struggles to a general nervousness when they had possession.

He felt like, in a lot of ways, they let themselves get distracted by all the hoopla surrounding the opening of Rio Tinto Stadium.

"My single biggest fear about this match was ourselves and how we would deal with everything that goes into this night," Kreis said.

Coming up a couple points short felt like a punch in the gut to a lot of the players who felt like the fans that turned out to see the match deserved better. Beckerman said he thought RSL had played one of its worst games of the year and the club can't disappoint its fans like that the next time out.

"We got to get a win," Beckerman said. "These fans deserve it here with this atmosphere and this stadium. We'll just keep at it, I guess."

The win isn't just crucial to the fans, but it might be essential to whatever playoff hopes remain for RSL after this weekend. Real have 36 points already, but more likely than not will need three points in their home finale against FC Dallas next Saturday.

"We just have to bear down and focus on the fact we've got to play better soccer next week," Kreis said. "Hopefully all the nerves and the adjustments will be out of us by then and we can just focus on playing good soccer."

Rapids lose control of destiny in LA

CARSON, Calif. -- Before Sunday's match against the Los Angeles Galaxy, the Colorado Rapids seemed to have a bit of fortune with the schedule. World Cup qualifying kept David Beckham from playing on Sunday and also kept Landon Donovan from starting the match, though he began the game on the bench.

But misfortune eventually ruined Colorado's day and perhaps the season. Ugo Ihemelu scored on own goal in the second half to break a 1-1 draw and the Rapids eventually fell by a 3-2 score.

Colorado now does not control its own destiny -- winning both of its remaining games would not guarantee a playoff spot.

"It makes things a lot more complicated, tougher," Ihemelu said. "Before this game we were right in the middle of everything, in a very good position but with this loss ... it definitely makes the last two games must-win. We need some luck."

Colorado's first order of business will be to win at The Home Depot Center a week from now. Colorado plays Chivas USA, who clinched a playoff spot on Saturday, before closing out the season at home against Real Salt Lake.

The Rapids have 34 points, sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference. Real Salt Lake currently sits in third place with 36 points, but in between is FC Dallas, with 35, and games at RSL and the Galaxy to conclude the season.

Had Colorado even tied, the result would have been in line with what coach Gary Smith had wanted prior to the game.

"It's very damaging," Smith said. "I really felt we needed at least four points, five maybe depending on other results, in the last three games. (The loss) means we put ourselves under a lot of pressure coming back here next week against Chivas, a very difficult game."

Facing a Beckham-less Galaxy squad may have made things easier for Colorado initially. Beckham was with England for Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan. Donovan, meanwhile, went the distance for the USA on Saturday in a 6-1 win against Cuba in Washington, D.C.

Colorado, however, wasn't exactly licking their lips in anticipation of an easy game without Beckham and possibly Donovan.

"We came down here, had a game plan and it didn't work. We didn't think much about that," Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo said about the Galaxy's lineup. "That's the way it was with that lineup. We prepared all week. We had a decent team out there. That's just the way it went."

Edson Buddle scored the Galaxy's first goal when he shook off Rapids defenders and buried a shot from 15 yards out in the 36th minute. Cory Gibbs equalized, though, just two minutes from halftime when he buried a header off a corner kick.

But the game slipped away from the Rapids in the 70th minute. Ihemelu found himself in a bad spot at the wrong time on a Galaxy set piece.

"I was running with my guy," Ihemelu said. "The ball got through somehow. I was just on the goal line running."

Eddie Lewis knocked the ball into the penalty area when it skipped and found Ihemelu's chest.

"There was not much I could do about it. I saw it last minute and it went off me, own goal. Not something you want to do when the game is tied in a game you really need to win," Ihemelu said. "I just saw ball, you know, I'd say two feet away from me bouncing right to my chest. Any other part of my body maybe I could redirect it but it's a bad spot to bounce into."

With the game carrying such importance and significance, Smith conceded that nerves may have got to some of his players.

"Within a lot of teams that are in that playoff run right now, there is a real edginess to their games," Smith said. "Some players can deal with it and some can't. It affects their performances and ... I felt there were two or three of our lads who under-performed and left us in a difficult spot."

Donovan, Hejduk highlight World Cup call-ups

It's not the first time Dane Richards received the call. But it's the first time he's been healthy enough to answer it.

The second-year New York Red Bulls midfielder has been called up by Jamaica and could earn his first World Cup qualifying cap Saturday when the Reggae Boyz face Mexico at "The Office" in Kingston.

Richards was in Rene Simoes' plans earlier this year, but the right-sided midfielder was sidelined with one of a variety of injuries this year and was unable to play. Simoes is gone, having been sacked after a 2-0 loss to Honduras in San Pedro Sula, but Richards is anxious to make his competitive debut for Jamaica after playing in friendlies against Guatemala and Honduras.

"The coach called me and said just get some games in after my injury is over and he would call me back," said Richards, who is tied with Jorge Rojas on the Red Bulls with five assists. "He did and I'm very happy to go back and play for them. I'm very excited, first time playing in a World Cup qualifier."

Joining Richards is Colorado Rapids forward Omar Cummings and defenders Tyrone Marshall (Toronto FC) and Shavar Thomas (Chivas USA), named to interim coach Theodore Whitmore's side that will face a Mexican team poised to clinch a berth in the final hexagonal phase of CONCACAF qualification.

The Reggae Boyz, meanwhile, are tied with Canada for third after securing just one point in three road matches.

Canada needs a result in San Pedro Sula Saturday night to keep its slim hopes of advancing alive. Winless in three Group 2 matches, Canada will call on South African-born Kevin Harmse from Toronto FC as its lone Major League Soccer player for the match at Honduras, while Dallas defender Adrian Serioux and Houston midfielder Dwayne De Rosario (both suspended) will join the team after the weekend for its match against Mexico in Edmonton next Wednesday.

On the other side of the field from Harmse on Saturday will be TFC teammate Amado Guevara, who will hope to further cement Honduras' chances of advancing to next year's final round. Honduras has six points from three matches and is five points clear of both Jamaica and Canada in Group 2.

Like archrival Mexico, the United States can book its ticket into the final round of qualification with a victory against Cuba at RFK Stadium Saturday night. While Bob Bradley has selected a relatively young team to face the Cubans, Major League Soccer veterans Frankie Hejduk (Columbus) and Landon Donovan (Los Angeles) while join Brian Ching (Houston) and Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA) on a U.S. team that has secured a maximum nine points from three Group 1 matches.

Guatemala and Trinidad & Tobago are level on points through three games and meet in Guatemala City in a critical Group 2 match Saturday night. Hoping to help Guatemala secure three points at home is Toronto FC forward Carlos Ruiz and Chicago Fire midfielder Marco Pappa, who has been limited because of a knee injury lately. Toronto FC defender Julius James, slowed by a knee injury, is on standby for Trinidad, which played Guatemala to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 6 in Port of Spain.

Featuring Chicago's Gonzalo Segares, Costa Rica has flexed its muscles, scoring 11 goals, while conceding just one in three comprehensive Group 3 victories and can book its ticket with a victory in Paramaribo against a Suriname squad that has conceded 11 goals in three matches.

Haiti is looking for its first victory of the group stage and has again called Columbus Crew rookie Ricardo Pierre-Louis to its team for qualifier Saturday against El Salvador in Port-au-Prince. The hosts will be looking to avenge the 5-0 loss in San Salvador a month ago.

Venezuela's hopes of advancing to its first World Cup finals have taken a hit after back-to-back road losses against Peru and Paraguay last month. Tied for eighth with Peru, Venezuela hosts its next two matches. That's the good news. The bad news is that world powerhouse Brazil is next up on Sunday in San Cristobal.

Venezuela, which has called up Red Bulls teammates Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero as well as Columbus forward Alejandro Moreno, will host Ecuador in Puerto La Cruz three days later.

Featuring Toronto FC midfielder Carl Robinson, Wales is tied with Russia for second in Group 4 in European qualification, one point behind Germany. Wales will host tiny and winless Liechtenstein at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Saturday before heading to Moenchengladbach to meet the mighty Germans next Wednesday.

England sits atop Group 6, tied with Ukraine with maximum points out of two matches. Featuring Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, the Three Lions will host Kazakhstan at Wembley Stadium Saturday before heading to Minsk Wednesday to take on Belarus, which is in a three-way tie for third with Croatia and Kazakhstan.

The New England Revolution duo of Kenny Mansally and Sainey Nyassi will join The Gambia for a critical World Cup qualifier against Senegal, which has called up Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul.

The Gambia and Senegal are currently tied for second in Africa's Group 6, one point behind Algeria. The two teams played to a scoreless draw in Bilda on Sept. 6.