SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When the San Jose Earthquakes meet Chivas USA on Saturday, the match will mark a milestone of sorts.
Not only will the Quakes have reached the halfway point of their return season in MLS, but it will conclude a difficult part of their schedule that has seen them play seven of nine games on the road. And while San Jose has coped decently by grabbing eight points in that span, a win on Saturday would go a long way towards landing them in the thick of the playoff race.
Put another way, at the conclusion of Saturday's hostilities with the Red-and-White, the Quakes will have played twice as many road games (10) as they have home matches (five). And the fact that San Jose is just eight points out of third place with two games in hand has manager Frank Yallop convinced that his team still has plenty to play for.
"It's in our hands really," said Yallop. "The league is wide open still. No one is running away with it. It's not like third place is 15 points away and we're going 'Oh geez, we have no chance.' It's right there."
Among the more encouraging signs for Yallop has been the fact that San Jose has recorded two ties in its last three away matches, but the Quakes' manager knows better than anyone that for his team to really make some noise, they'll need to start bagging some wins.
"When you don't lose, it gives you some momentum if you like," said Yallop. "But winning is everything, and we need to get some wins to get going."
The key to cracking the win column on Saturday will be finding a way to contain Chivas' potent midfield, one that contains budding star Sacha Kljestan. With Ned Grabavoy hampered by a groin injury, Yallop will deploy Kelly Gray and Ramiro Corrales in the center of midfield in the hope that their collective size and tough tackling will be enough to shackle the U.S. international.
"[Kljestan] is not only a good footballer, but he's a good finisher," said Yallop. "And he makes some great late runs."
While containing Kljestan will be difficult, the Quakes' presumed central duo has hit a solid run of form. Corrales is coming off perhaps his most impressive performance of the season in San Jose's 0-0 tie with Chicago. Gray meanwhile has put his versatility to good use, deputizing in the center of defense while the team coped with a rash of injuries and suspensions.
While Ryan Cochrane seems likely to sit out Saturday's match with a sprained ankle, the return of James Riley from suspension will allow Jason Hernandez to move into the center of defense alongside Nick Garcia, thus freeing Gray to patrol the center of midfield. It's a task that the San Jose native is ready to embrace, even though he'll be going up against former teammate Jesse Marsch.
"Marsch has always been a pretty solid player; never too flashy and he always does the right things," said Gray. "He usually doesn't make the killer pass, but he keeps everything short and simple."
That recipe is one San Jose's league-worst attack would do well to adopt, although lately the team's approach work has been solid enough. It's been the lack of a finishing touch in front of goal that is still their biggest obstacle. After last week's game against Chicago, Yallop bemoaned the fact that his side "had five clear chances and failed to hit the target."
That hasn't stopped Yallop from remaining upbeat about his team's prospects and mentality.
"None of our guys have dropped their heads," said Yallop. "The group is solid, and we're looking forward to the next 16 games and getting something out of them."
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