Quakes still boast playoff aspirations

OAKLAND -- When you have the worst record in Major League Soccer, making the playoffs is more of a dream than an expectation. But the San Jose Earthquakes want the league to know they're still in the running for postseason play after a 3-2 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday afternoon.

Earthquakes team captain Nick Garcia said "the playoff window hasn't closed," and looks forward to building upon the club's recent success.

"We haven't lost in a month," Garcia said. "Three ties and a win are decent results. Things are optimistic right now, and our destiny is in our own hands. With eight or nine games still to play at home, I think we have a legitimate shot."

The Earthquakes playoff hopes got a big boost when Ryan Cochrane scored in the 90th minute to give San Jose the win Sunday in front of another big crowd at McAfee Coliseum.

"Three points have been a long time coming, but it's always good to win in front of our fans," Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop said. "It was a terrific comeback in the last couple minutes of the game, and it showed character from our team. We're becoming more like the team we want to be, and I think we played well today."

San Jose jumped out to the lead in the eighth minute, as Arturo Alvarez scored in his Earthquakes debut.

"It was nice for to Arturo score. He's really matured into a good player in this league, and we're very lucky to have him on our team," Yallop said. "I'm very pleased for him. He's a young one, and very good for the future of this club."

San Jose made it 2-0 when Darren Huckerby scored in the 40th minute, his second goal in as many games.

"Both Darren (Huckerby) and (Francisco) Lima haven't really trained for two months, and before our last home game, neither had trained for the whole week, so their fitness is not near what it will be in three or four weeks time," Yallop said. "But the guys we've added have made a difference for us, and that's important."

Los Angeles tied the game through goals by Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle before Cochrane's last-minute heroics, but Yallop was still pleased with his team's overall performance.

"I thought Ramiro Corrales really drove us on today. He was terrific in the middle of the field," Yallop said. "We put a lot of energy putting the ball forward and it was good to see. I was very happy in our efforts with both sides of the ball against a team that scores a ton of goals. I was very happy in the stuff we created."

Coming into the game, the Earthquakes had scored just three goals total in their last eight matches, and hadn't scored a goal against the Galaxy all season.

"It was a wide open game," Yallop said. "Either team could have won, but it was nice for us to finally get a good win. It was a good showpiece for the fans -- we showed that we don't give up. I think we've added some good attacking options. We're not done yet, but we're starting to get there, we're starting to build, and hopefully we can become a strong team for years to come."

With FC Dallas' victory Sunday in Toronto, San Jose now sits seven points shy of a playoff place in the Western Conference. But with 11 games still on the schedule, there's still plenty of time to come up with a happy ending to the Earthquakes' first season back in Major League Soccer.

"We starting to establish a good rhythm now," Yallop said, "and with our next game at home -- if we can get a win out of that game (against New England) then we have a real good chance at getting a run into to try and make the playoffs, which is our whole aim."


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Guarda follows Hyndman to Hoops

FRISCO, Texas -- In late February, Bruno Guarda was playing for Southern Methodist University and head coach Schellas Hyndman in a scrimmage with FC Dallas, with thoughts of his senior season with the Mustangs and a possible run at a national championship. Now, several months later, the Brazilian midfielder has found himself again under Hyndman's tutelage -- but this time with FCD.

Earlier this week, the Hoops completed a trade with Colorado to acquire Guarda, the Conference USA Player of the Year each of the last two seasons who has also twice been a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, given annually to the nation's top collegiate player.

Guarda is excited to be playing for Hyndman once again.

"It's exciting to continue to have the coach that I've had for the past three years at SMU," he said. "As I said before, he knows what I can do and I know what he can do. It's exciting. Every day, I'm working hard and getting ready for the next match."

Born in Piracicaba, Brazil, Guarda has been in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2002 and played high school soccer in nearby Arlington. Beginning his professional career in Big D is probably the perfect situation.

"In life, you've got to have high hopes for what you want to do," Guarda said. "You've got to search for what you want because it's not going to just come to you and say here it is. I knew that FC Dallas has always contacted me and we played against them a couple of times. I love Dallas and didn't want to leave here. So, I am so excited that they made a trade."

Hyndman is equally pleased to have his former collegiate star back under his direction.

"It's great to have Bruno here," he said. "I think he's a very good college player. He has a disadvantage coming here while everybody else is in season. His last college game was in the fall. So, his sharpness, fitness and timing isn't at this level. I think that if he just came out of college, it would be a little bit more but right now, it's going to be a bit of an adjustment stage.

"I also see him as a future player for FC Dallas otherwise we wouldn't have worked so hard to get him," Hyndman continued. "I'm very happy to have him here. It's another player who understands what I'm looking for."

Coming to FCD means that Guarda is also reunited with midfielder Chase Wileman, who was a teammate at SMU for two seasons.

"When I got to SMU my freshman year, he was a junior," Guarda said. "So, I played with Chase for two years. He is an incredible player. I think it's kind of hard to find a better left foot than what he has. He's a great player and a good friend of mine. I'm happy to be playing with him again."

Wileman, who made his MLS debut on Sunday and got an assist in the 4-0 win against LA, is also pleased to be Guarda's teammate yet again.

"Bruno is a great player," Wileman said. "I'm glad he's on our team and not on another team. We played together two years at SMU and always combined well together. I know that the guys are glad to have him here. He's an international player and we have a lot of those on our team. I'm sure he'll fit in fine. With more practice, he'll become more fit and ready to go."

With Guarda set to return for his senior season and the 2008 NCAA College Cup set for Pizza Hut Park, SMU was considered a contender to at least reach the final four. However, things changed a bit when Hyndman left the Hilltop in mid-June to coach in MLS.

"When I got there my freshman year, Schellas and I made a commitment that we were going to stick together for SMU," Guarda said. "I think when he left, it broke the chain a little bit. I didn't know who the coach was going to be and my family and I had made a decision to move on and hopefully be in Dallas. That's what happened."

Even though he only has two practices under his belt with FCD, he has already noticed some pretty big differences between the college and pro game.

"It's soccer but it's different," Guarda said. "The college game is not as fast. It's a more physical game here and you have to play with a smarter mentality. Sometimes in college, you can still win if you don't play well. But in the pros, you've always got to step up your game and focus. There is a lot more focus in the pros on the speed and the physical game."

Guarda also becomes the fourth Brazilian player on the FCD roster, joining midfielders Andre Rocha and Marcelo Saragosa plus striker Ricardinho.

"They are great guys," he said. "We have three other Brazilians here and they are great players. They have been teaching me a lot and are good guys to listen to. Any time I have a question, I can go to them."

Hyndman's expectations of Guarda haven't changed in the least.

"I expect him to be on the hardest working players every day in practice because he realizes that he's not there yet," Hyndman said. "I won't put him out on the field until he's ready to contribute."


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Galaxy unable to put halt to slide

OAKLAND -- The Los Angeles Galaxy suffered a frustrating loss Sunday afternoon, dropping a 3-2 decision to San Jose on a last-minute goal by Earthquakes defender Ryan Cochrane. With the loss, the Galaxy's winless streak now stands at seven games as they slip to fourth place in the MLS Western Conference.

"It wasn't because we were totally outplayed," Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit said. "We really battled for the game. It's a real compliment to the team, but unfortunately we didn't win."

The Galaxy had come back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the match, only to see Cochrane bang in the game winner for San Jose in the 90th minute.

"We fought for it, we did everything we could to get a good result, and I think we deserved a lot better than we got," Gullit said. "I can't blame the team, the team did everything well. I blame myself. There's nothing to say -- the team was excellent, it was just one of these days when luck is not on your side."

LA came into the game with the most prolific attack in MLS, scoring 36 goals in their first 18 games -- six better than the next best total. But they've also given up 37 goals in that same period, which is nine more than any other team.

"They scored two and conceded three today, and that's kind of their season, if you like," Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop said. "But it could have been the other way around."

San Jose opened the scoring in the eighth minute with an Arturo Alvarez goal, then doubled their lead in the 40th minute through Darren Huckerby.

"(Defender Chris) Klein said to me that on the first goal he was interfered with by the referee and couldn't do anything (to stop Arturo Alvarez)," Gullit said, "And on the second goal he slipped, so it's just unfortunate that it happens. Despite that, I think we played good football, and created a lot of chances."

The Galaxy battled back to tie the score, getting their first goal in the 42nd minute. A David Beckham free kick from 35 yards out found Landon Donovan for a header from six yards out, but Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon pushed the ball off the crossbar. But when San Jose couldn't clear, Beckham tried another cross from the right wing, and this time Donovan's header from eight yards out cleanly beat Cannon inside the left post for his league-leading 13th goal of the year.

"When we hit the crossbar, in that moment I thought we were jinxed or something," Gullit said, "But then David put a good ball in there and we scored."

LA tied the game in the 76th minute on a great individual effort by Edson Buddle, who slammed home a shot from 20 yards out, but couldn't find the game winner.

"I thought our attitude the second half was great, but we were unlucky in the end not to at least get a point," Donovan said.

Said Beckham: "It's disappointing to lose, but we can take from today's game that it was 100 percent better than the last game (a 4-0 loss in Dallas). We showed some fight, some character, even when we went 2-0 down.

The Galaxy knew they had seen a much-improved Earthquakes from the one they had defeated twice earlier in the season.

"It's disappointing when you lose any game, especially when you lose in the last couple minutes when we worked so hard to get ourselves back into it," Beckham said. "Sometimes when you're not playing well, you don't get the luck in games. These things happen."

The Galaxy now haven't won since their last trip to San Jose, a 3-0 win on June 14.

"We've got to 10 days now until we play Chivas," Beckham said, "and the Chivas game now becomes a must-win game for us. We need to get back to winning. I'm fed up, and the rest of the players are fed up with not winning games, and we need to turn it around quickly."


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Gutierrez relishes trip home

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- An MLS Original returned home to Kansas City last Sunday evening as Diego Gutierrez manned the Chicago Fire midfield against the Wizards. The stop was Gutierrez's next to last in his hometown during his goodbye tour in MLS as the 11-year veteran announced in February that this would be his last season.

The 35-year-old began his career with the Wizards in the inaugural MLS season in 1996, but became a Fire original after he was traded to the then-expansion side following the 1997 season, which the Colombian native was forced to sit out due to a ruptured ACL and MCL in his left knee. The man who spent his junior and senior seasons at Blue Springs H.S. just outside of Kansas City before moving onto a collegiate career at Evansville University in Indiana and Rockhurst University back in K.C., was reacquired by the Wizards for the 2002 through 2005 seasons before again re-joining the Fire.

Having played at cavernous Arrowhead Stadium during his Wizards days, Gutierrez was pleased with the sold-out atmosphere at Kansas City's temporary home at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

"We heard that it was going to be a packed house," he said. "It was pretty pleasing to play in front of a good crowd."

A crowd that has always been good to Gutierrez. In his first appearance in Kansas City after being traded to the Fire in 2006, the Wizards' supporters group -- the Cauldron -- presented him with a touching commemorative collage. Sunday, as friends and family crowded section 110 of CAB, Gutierrez was able to reconnect with some of his K.C. fans.

"I got the opportunity when I was coming out of the tunnel to speak with a few fans. They still treat me extremely well," he said. "I have a lot of fond memories from a lot of those guys. It's always a pleasure to come back and play in a place where you know you are appreciated."

Having won five domestic championships as a player -- the 2004 U.S. Open Cup with Kansas City, the 1998 MLS Cup and three more Open Cups with Chicago (1998, 2000, 2006) -- Gutierrez knows what it takes for a side to be at the top. Saturday's 0-0 draw with his former team, though frustrating due to a lack of offensive production, was another step for the Fire who sit third in the Eastern Conference with 26 points from 17 games.

"It's important for us to continue an undefeated streak (now five games), continue adding points, and taking the proper steps for the second half of the season," he said.

Gutierrez is fairly sure the Chicago area will remain his family's city of choice after his playing days are over. But be assured the Fire's last visit to Kansas City on October 5 of this year is circled on his calendar as it could mark his last game in the city as a professional soccer player. It is his hope that he will remain a valued member of the Fire on that day and beyond despite increasing competition from his teammates and new acquisitions in forward Brian McBride and especially Guatemalan midfielder Marco Pappa, recently acquired on loan from CSD Municipal.

Having played in and started 13 of the Fire's 17 matches, bringing his career appearances total to 269 (tied for 11th-most in MLS history), Gutierrez has provided his usual confidence and steadiness in the midfield. Yet the veteran knows a place in the squad is not earned in the past.

"I'm taking it one game at a time," he said. "I don't want to start thinking too far down the road, but, hopefully, I'll be healthy and I'll be able to step on the field and culminate a chapter of my life that has been pretty exciting and is full of beautiful memories, especially in a city like [Kansas City]."


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Revs oust Atlante, advance to final

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Revolution and Houston Dynamo together again, thanks to Shalrie Joseph.

Joseph's powerful diving header in the 30th minute gave the Revs the cushion they would need to advance to the SuperLiga 2008 final with a 1-0 victory Wednesday against Mexico's Atlante FC at Gillette Stadium. With the victory, New England advances to face Houston in Foxborough next week, after the Dynamo defeated Pachuca CF 2-0 on Tuesday.

It was no more than the Revs deserved, limiting Atlante to half-chances and looking consistently dangerous on the break. The win extended the Revs' unbeaten streak to eight games in all competitions since losing to Real Salt Lake on June 21.

Jeff Larentowicz replaced Michael Parkhurst in the center of the Revolution's four-man backline with Parkhurst away on Olympic duty. Mauricio Castro earned the start on the left of midfield after shaking off a groin injury. Taylor Twellman was named amongst the substitutes.

Atlante named 10 of the 11 players that played in Saturday's 2-1 season-opening win against Toluca in its starting lineup. Gabriel Pererya dropped out of the side as Daniel Arreola took his place in midfield. Luis Gabriel Rey partnered Giancarlo Maldonado up top. Maldonado looked to maintain his perfect goalscoring record at Gillette Stadium after scoring for Venezuela in its 2-0 victory over Brazil on June 6.

Both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances at the outset, but displayed a willingness to go forward in search of goals. Kheli Dube probably should have done better with Mauricio Castro's inswinging cross, but he blasted over the bar. Matt Reis had to be attentive off his line to cut out a dangerous cross with an Atlante forward waiting to slam an effort towards goal.

Things picked up after 20 minutes and the home side generally looked on top. As a harbinger of things to come, Joseph directed a header over the bar after he latched on to a Castro free kick. Dube did even better shortly thereafter, turning Kenny Mansally's service off the bar.

Not to be outdone, Atlante created its first chance from a corner kick, but Reis collected Gerardo Espinoza's one-bounce header off the turf.

New England converted its advantage into the game's first goal, though not without some carping from the visitors. Javier Munoz Mustafa gave away a cheap foul 40 yards from goal by climbing over the top of Mansally in an attempt to head the ball clear. Steve Ralston didn't ask for a second opinion; he curled his effort to the back stick for Joseph to slam home his diving header off the underside of the crossbar to give the Revs the lead.

Atlante tried to respond and looked to press forward with more intent and quality, but it was the Revs who nearly added a second before the break. Chris Albright played a clever one-two with Kheli Dube to gain entrance into the penalty area, but the finish lacked and goalkeeper Federico Vilar easily collected.

The intensity ratcheted up as the match entered the second half. Arreola's decision to head to goal while Joseph was prone on the turf didn't help matters. Once Arreola let the ball dribble out over the end line, Revolution players swarmed around him, demanding to know why he continued to play when courtesy mandated that he stopped.

The higher tempo benefited Atlante. Sustained pressure in the Revolution end yielded few chances and many Revolution clearances, none more vital than Sainey Nyassi's track back to clear a pending chance from inside 15 yards after Atlante tore apart the left side of the Revolution midfield.

Mansally should have put the match beyond reach for the visitors in the 62nd minute. Amaechi Igwe's long diagonal clearance found Dube heading towards the corner. Dube wriggled free from his defender, drove to the byeline and cut back for Mansally. The finish wasn't nearly as good as the buildup as Mansally blasted his effort towards the back of the supporters' section.

Reis alertly rushed off his line to punch away the ball from Munoz Mustafa's feet as he shaped to shoot from 10 yards away.

But the match would descend into temporary chaos after Ralston won a free kick after nicking the ball off an unsuspecting Alan Zamora. As he went to strike the free kick, the whistle blew after Rey appeared to strike Joseph in the stomach. Out came the red card for Rey as the two teams congregated on the edge of the penalty area.

Atlante continued to press, but all hope faded for the Mexicans once Zamora slid through the back of Joseph in stoppage time to earn his second booking and another ejection.

After the final whistle, the contest degenerated into ugly scenes as both benches emptied onto the field and the protagonists flew into an angry swarm at midfield. Once again, referee Carlos Batres of Guatemala brandished his red card, showing it to Vilar, Munoz Mustafa and Luis Venegas for Atlante and New England's Jay Heaps, meaning he will miss the final.


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Hoops aim to bring swagger on road

FRISCO, Texas -- Not only was FC Dallas' 4-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy last Sunday significant because it was the first victory under new head coach Schellas Hyndman, but it was also noteworthy because it was FCD's first win since June 15.

Sunday's blanking of the Galaxy was also a nice way to conclude a run of three consecutive games at home. Beginning this weekend, when FCD travels to Toronto for a Sunday afternoon match at BMO Field, the Hoops will play three in a row away from home before finishing the month against Columbus at Pizza Hut Park on August 30.

And they clearly want to use last weekend's triumph to create some much-needed momentum on the road, where FCD is just 1-4-3 on the year and hasn't won since a 2-0 victory at Chivas USA on April 20. That is also the last time they won back-to-back games.

"We have established a standard and we want to continue meeting that standard," FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman said. "Everything we're doing is for Toronto. How huge is it for us to go on the road and get points? It's major."

Hyndman's players agree that continuing that momentum is crucial if the Hoops hope to keep climbing up the table in the Western Conference.

"Hopefully that win was a spark for us and we can go on a little run here," said forward Kenny Cooper, who scored twice in Sunday's win. "We've been fortunate that the West has been really tight, so even though we weren't winning games before, we stayed in the hunt. We're right there in it right now. It was a huge win for us this past weekend. Hopefully, we can just go on from there and put in more performances like that."

Fellow Dallas native and teammate Drew Moor agreed.

"I think it's important that we continue the momentum that I think we're all feeling right now," the FCD defender said. "A game like that can lead to a nice little run. For some teams, it doesn't work out so well. But we want to be one of those teams that use the momentum to build into this road trip and hopefully come away with nine points. We're going to three tough places to play but I think we're all excited to go play again."

For left back Adrian Serioux, the win against LA was a great way to end what had been a frustrating homestand before that victory. The Hoops had started it with draws against Kansas City and Colorado. "It's one of those situations where we needed a win," Serioux said. "We had a good home stretch where we weren't getting the results that we deserved. To get that one win, especially against a team like LA, is good for our confidence to carry that on the road because we've got a few games on the road that are going to be kind of tough. If we can carry this momentum forward, get some results and move up in the table, then it will be great."

Just over a week ago, Cooper played at BMO Field for the first time as a member of the starting 11 for the league all-stars in the MLS All-Star Game. Now he finds himself returning to Toronto not even two weeks after his all-star debut.

"It's an awesome city," Cooper said. "They've really embraced TFC and that's awesome to see. I know that they always have a great atmosphere up there and it should be the same this weekend. It was a lot of fun with the All-Star team in a packed stadium. I know that they show their club that same support. It will be a fun place to go this weekend."

Sunday's match will also be the first for Serioux against his hometown club. Serioux grew up just outside of Toronto in Scarborough, but because of an injury a year ago, didn't make the trip to Toronto.

"It's great," he said. "I have a lot of friends and family back home there. Unfortunately for me, I was injured last year and wasn't able to travel or play. So, it's big for me. I've been away from Toronto for so many years and some family members haven't seen me play except on TV. It will be a good little change of scenery."

The Canadian international isn't at all surprised by how much support TFC has gotten given the great soccer fan base that has always been in the area.

"I knew the support was there, there just wasn't a team worth coming out to watch," Serioux said. "Toronto is so multicultural that the support is there. There are soccer people there who love the game. It's great to see them support their team."


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Blanco suspended from Open Cup

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco has been suspended from playing in the U.S. Open Cup for six games or two years, whichever comes first, for his actions in the Chicago Fire's Open Cup loss to D.C. United July 8.

Blanco, 35, received a red card in the Open Cup game after getting involved in a late-game scuffle with United players. Upon receiving the red card, Blanco did not leave the field in a timely manner, officials said, and then reportedly head-butted a United team official trying to get him off the field.

The suspension affects only Open Cup play, sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation. It does not affect Blanco's standing in Major League Soccer, unless the league decides to make a separate disciplinary action for conduct unbecoming the league.

The incident was reviewed by the USSF's Adjudication and Discipline Panel, a five-person panel that heard from the match referees, United officials and Blanco in a meeting on July 29.

Blanco cannot play in either 2009 or 2010, and possibly longer depending on the number of games Blanco's team participates in the tournament in those years. The Fire will play its next Open Cup game some time next summer after being eliminated by United this year.

Blanco was not in the starting lineup against Everton Wednesday and he is not available for selection for the team's next MLS game Saturday against Chivas USA due to yellow card accumulation.


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