SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Whenever the San Jose Earthquakes and the Houston Dynamo get together, the talk inevitably turns to family reunions. The Dynamo used to call San Jose home, and many of the Houston players at one time played for Quakes head coach Frank Yallop.
Yet ahead of Saturday's gathering at Buck Shaw Stadium, the vibe is different than the teams' previous encounter back in May. On that occasion, the Quakes might have come away with a 2-1 win, but they were still very much an expansion outfit. Now they bear a closer resemblance to the cousin you haven't seen in a few years that not only has grown a foot, but is sporting a Mohawk and a few piercings.
That's what an eight-game unbeaten streak will do for a team, but that's not the only explanation for the change in mood.
The Quakes' recent run has propelled them into fourth place in the Western Conference, yet there is still plenty of work still to be done. San Jose lies two points behind Chivas USA with a game in hand in the race for the last guaranteed playoff spot. For that reason talk of the past has been replaced by a focus on the present.
"I think that first time [Houston] came in, there was a lot of talk about the expansion team going up against the team that used to be here," said midfielder Ned Grabavoy. "At this point, that means nothing to us. They used to play here, but they don't play here anymore. Both teams have gotten on with it, and we're just focused on getting three points."
Of course another big difference since that May night is the play of the Dynamo. Back then they were a team short on offensive firepower, and still working past their CONCACAF Champions' Cup hangover. But head coach Dominic Kinnear once again worked some midseason magic in re-signing Nate Jaqua and acquiring ex-Quakes forward Kei Kamara, and the return to health of players like Brad Davis and Brian Mullan has the team on a considerable roll.
Houston has won six of their last seven league encounters, and opened up a seven-point gap on second place Real Salt Lake. That has left Yallop under no illusions as to the difficulty of his team's task.
"We've got to match the physical, that's the thing about Houston," said Yallop. "They're the most physical team in the league, and when I say that, that means running with and without the ball, and competing for the ball. They're all tough men down there and that's what we have to make sure we can match."
The game is the first of a home-and-home series that concludes the following weekend in Houston, and it's imperative for San Jose to win at least one of the matches in order to keep pace with the other playoff contenders.
"You can't lose two matches in a row at this point in the season," said Yallop. "And if we get a win it really tightens things up. The first game is important because then you can go into the second game a little differently."
The match should provide a good indication of just how much the Quakes have improved since reshaping their offense. In particular the impact of recent acquisitions Arturo Alvarez, Scott Sealy and Darren Huckerby, along with that of Ronnie O'Brien, will need to match that of the last few weeks.
O'Brien for one is intent on doing just that, and is firm in his belief that a victory on Saturday, as well as a spot in the postseason is in the Quakes' future.
"With the pieces that we've added and the way the team has gelled and the way everyone gets on," he said, "for us it would be a disappointment not to make the playoffs."
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