FC Dallas: Can Star Winger Brek Shea Break out of His 2012 Slump?

With a little luck here or there, It could all have been so very different for Brek Shea at Buck Shaw Stadium on Wednesday night.In just the first minute of his FC Dallas side's match against the host San Jose Earthquakes, Shea saw his left-footed drive from point-blank range cleared off the line by 'Quakes midfielder Jeff Baca.Then, just minutes after the start of the second half, Shea again had another effort saved off the line, again from Baca, this time after the Dallas winger/forward had nearly bundled his way into what would have been his fourth league goal of the season.In between those two opportunities, however, came the further degradation of a Shea clearly not at the pinnacle of his powers.He certainly had looked his dangerous self when these two teams had met just 11 days earlier in Frisco, Texas. Playing predominantly up front in Dallas's 4-5-1 formation, Shea had turned San Jose central defender Victor Bernardez this way and that in the 0-0 draw.But this time, nothing was clicking, although Shea could not be faulted for attempting to build through industry.His running style, seen yet again against San Jose, might best be ...

San Jose Earthquakes Cut It Close in 2-1 Victory over FC Dallas

It wasn’t exactly a let-off, although something of that register might have been expected—perhaps even understood—after such a thrilling match four days earlier had seen San Jose Earthquakes dismantle Real Salt Lake to the tune of five goals to nil.But San Jose could consider themselves fortunate to escape with a 2-1 win over FC Dallas at Buck Shaw Stadium on Wednesday night in a match that saw the visitors granted a penalty just seconds from the final whistle. “If they would have equalized in the end with that penalty kick, you would have had to say that they deserved at least a draw, to be honest,” Earthquakes manager Frank Yallop told reporters after the game. “You can’t use the word ‘lucky’, but that game could have gone either way." “I keep saying, ‘Every game in this league is difficult’. They’re bottom of our conference (eighth out of nine teams), and I think they’re a really good team. They’re very dangerous, and very hard to handle." “They’ve been a bit unlucky in a lot of the games they’ve had, but there’s not a big gulf between the top and the bottom in the standings. They’ve played some great stuff, and they ...

Simon Dawkins Marks His Return from Injury in a Big Way Against Real Salt Lake

Meeting reporters in front of a makeshift backdrop at halfcourt of Santa Clara University's Leavey Center just minutes after watching his San Jose Earthquakes mount a thrilling 5-0 victory over Real Salt Lake--its closest competitors for the Western Conference lead--manager Frank Yallop made it perfectly clear that he expects his side to continue pressing for goals throughout the entirety of a match."I'm not going to tell our guys to hold back and not score as many goals as they can," Yallop told that small band of collected media. "We didn’t sit back, we didn't try to pad and see the game out, we went at it and we tried to play in the right manner. We had some great finishes tonight."Yallop had every reason to beam about the game he'd just seen. Real Salt Lake had come to the Bay Area just one point behind San Jose in the Western standings and brimming with confidence after waxing Portland Timbers 3-0 the previous weekend.Considering San Jose had fought tooth and nail for a 0-0 draw in their own road encounter against FC Dallas, the final game in a debilitating run ...

San Jose Earthquakes Thrash Real Salt Lake 5-0, Consolidate First Place in West

In a match with crucial implications for the MLS Western Conference standings, the San Jose Earthquakes made an emphatic statement on Saturday night at Buck Shaw Stadium, where Chris Wondolowski's hat trick paced a 5-0 drubbing of Real Salt Lake. The encompassing win sees the Earthquakes (12-4-4) go four points clear of the 2009 MLS Cup winners (11-6-3) atop the West. Salt Lake remain in second place with 36 points on the season. “I felt we were in charge of the game from the opening whistle,” Earthquakes manager Frank Yallop said after the match. “I really didn’t feel any doubt that we weren’t going to win this game. I felt we bossed everything; we took charge of everything in the match. I felt really good about it.” Boss the game they did, particularly after the 57th minute, when Salt Lake were reduced to 10 men when midfielder Kyle Beckerman, a frequent inclusion in the U.S. men’s national team set up for several years now, chopped down Earthquakes midfielder Sam Cronin, who had just touched the ball out into play after seeing Salt Lake midfielder Javier Morales go down with an apparent injury. A scrum ensued, with Earthquakes players rushing to ...

San Jose Earthquakes Earn Difficult 0-0 Draw Against FC Dallas

Two days after being named MLS Player of the Month for the second time this season—a recognition of his three goals in as many league games during June, each of which ended up being the decisive goal in an eventual win—San Jose Earthquakes forward Chris Wondolowski very nearly showed the predatory instinct that has made him one of the premier players in Major League Soccer.In fact, were it not for two timely interventions by FC Dallas defender Hernán Pertúz and keeper Kevin Hartman, both of whom cleared Wondolowski efforts off the goal line, the Earthquakes could well have escaped a brutal stretch of games, which has seen them play six times in 18 days, with a 2-0 victory.But Dallas made interventions when it needed to, and the game, which failed to fire for most of the 90 minutes, ended in a 0-0 draw. A positive result from the Earthquakes perspective, especially when viewed in light of their 2-1 defeat to Portland Timbers on Tuesday.The draw took the Earthquakes' record this season to 11-4-4.Heat was a factor—it was 80 degrees in Frisco, Tex. by the time kickoff rolled around, and within 10 minutes Earthquakes keeper Jon Busch, recovered from an eye ...

San Jose Earthquakes’ Comeback Falls Short in 2-1 Road Loss to Portland Timbers

Mired in a brutal midseason stretch that will see them play six games in 18 days (they're currently four games through), the San Jose Earthquakes lost 2-1 to the Portland Timbers on Tuesday night at Jeldwen Field.The loss dropped the Earthquakes' season record to 11-3-4, although they remain first in the Western Conference standings with 36 points.Much had been made about the Earthquakes' prodigious attack (35 goals (including 17 on the road) and 37 assists this season), deemed to be far superior to that of the Timbers', who have crawled out of the gate to start the MLS season.But with the first portions of Tuesday night's match as a reference, you wouldn't have known that the Earthquakes were at top of the Western Conference. The Timbers dominated them in both possession and scoring opportunities.Aside from some pretty link-up play in midfield, and one searching long ball that passed just out of the reach of league-leading goalscorer Chris Wondolowski (14 goals), the Earthquakes found themselves largely on the back foot.The Timbers, bolstered by their rapturous, incessant fan support, hit the post and fired wide of both posts during the early going. Their troubles in the attacking realm aside, the Timbers have ...

San Jose Earthquakes Defeat LA Galaxy in 4-3 Thriller at Stanford Stadium

To commemorate Military Appreciation Night on Saturday at a sweltering Stanford Stadium filled to the brim with boisterous supporters, San Jose Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski went a bit overboard.Entering into the game with a league-best 13 goals (two ahead of New York Red Bulls' Kenny Cooper, who has made two more appearances this season), Wondolowski sent his side ahead in the 61st minute with a sublime back-heeled flick off a Marvin Chavez corner.It marked the third goal in three league games for the man affectionately known as "Wondo," who spent nearly a month on duty with the United States men's national team during this latest round of friendlies and World Cup qualifying.His latest exploit, which would prove the last goal the Earthquakes would need on the night, also saw him enjoy one of the more patriotic celebrations seen in recent memory, just days from the Fourth of July.After watching his shot trickle past a helpless Josh Saunders into the back of the net, Wondolowski charged toward the group of 15 or so military personnel collected behind the goal and began high-fiving and hugging a number of them fervently.Then, Wondolowski took a few steps backwards and began trotting toward center-circle, pounding ...