San Jose Earthquakes Vs New England Revolution

Posted Saturday, April 17, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

On Form

San Jose: The Earthquakes kicked off the season with an embarrassing 0-3 spanking in their home opener at the hands of Real Salt Lake. Last week, the Quakes rebounded with an impressive 2-1 win on the road in Chicago. Earlier this week, San Jose showed some fire in taking RSL to penalty kicks before losing in a US Open clash. They haven’t been great, but they’ve been opportunistic and resilient.

New England: Rookie forward Zack Schilawski should be riding high after scoring a hat-trick last week against Toronto. The Revs were in need of a goalscorer, and Schilawski showed signs of being just that. Sainey Nyassi should also be feeling good after opening his account for the season against Toronto. The defense is still looking solid having allowed only two goals in three matches.

Off Target

San Jose: Including the US Open contest, the Quakes have lost two out of three since the start of the MLS season. Even in their win at Chicago, they gave up chance after chance and were lucky to allow only one goal. Defense was a major problem for San Jose in 2009—their 1.67 goals against average was the worst in MLS—and the jury is still out on whether the 2010 version have the back line and keeper positions shored up.

New England: Shalrie Joseph looked a step slow for much of the Toronto match. The midfielder just returned from injury and may take a bit to find his stride, but until he is full steam ahead the Revs have a gap to fill. Still, when Shalrie Joseph is on the field and still your biggest concern, things are going pretty well.

Tactics

San Jose: The Quakes will catch a big break by not having to face the Revs’ Shalrie Joseph, a member of MLS’s Best XI in each of the last three seasons. San Jose’s shaky defense should be helped by facing New England’s traditionally anemic offense, tied for second-worst in goals scored last year and still missing injured Taylor Twellman (though the Revs have somehow managed six goals in their last two games). While fitness may be an issue due to the recent US Open contest, quite simply these are the games that San Jose has to win to even consider contending this season. Head coach Frank Yallop will be aggressive and try to break through New England’s defensive vise.

New England: Look for Nicol to continue with the 4-4-2 with Joseph lined up in the middle of the pitch and Schilawski up top. The options seem to open for a few spots though. Chris Teirney has been favored on the left side of midfield over Kenny Mansally, and Seth Sinovic has been slotted in on the left side of defense. With Darrius Barnes, Kevin Alston, Cory Gibbs and Emmanuel Osei all healthy, Nicol could choose to leave Sinovic and slide Gibbs to the left. The move could also prompt a move away from the more defensive Tierney to Mansally, who is more of goal threat.

Intangibles

San Jose: This seems to be a battle of the letdowns. One on hand, San Jose stole a game in Chicago and almost knocked the defending MLS champs out of the US Open Cup. On the other, the traditionally sleep-inducing, offensively-challenged Revolution are coming off two big wins where they managed six goals without their best offensive talent.

New England: The Revs' first cross country trip of the year ended in their only loss to date. However, that was against the Galaxy, and San Jose doesn't pose quite the same threat. Still, another long trip and a match against another strong team could bring end the Revs two game run over weaker Eastern Conference foes.

Predictions

San Jose: 1-1 draw. With the Quakes playing their third game in about a week—a schedule that would be challenging to a major European team, let alone an MLS cellar dweller—and New England flying cross-country after an usual run of offensive form, this looks to be an entirely unpredictable affair. Look for a San Jose defensive lapse to allow the Revs the first goal, followed by an Arturo Álvarez strike to salvage the draw.

New England: The Revs seem to struggle on the west coast, but the Earthquakes are a hard team to get a read on. Look for New England to chip out a road result but probably nothign more than a draw. San Jose 2-2 New England.