When you take a look at how the San Jose Earthquakes and Columbus Crew have fared so far in 2011, it is most definitely a tale of two seasons. The Quakes are at the bottom of the Western Conference, winless in their last four MLS matches while the Crew is third in the Eastern Conference, and haven’t lost since their first match of the season. But these two teams will clash tonight at Buck Shaw Stadium as the Quakes will hopefully turn the tides on their subpar season.
Head coach Frank Yallop knows that the Quakes need to start racking up points and getting some wins under their belt if they want to start competing in thier Conference this year, especially when they play at home. From Elliot Almond of the San Jose Mercury News:
“We can’t just keep giving fans ties and losses at home,” Yallop said. “We’re going to find a way to win, whatever combination of players we use.”
The Quakes and Crew had two draws in their two meetings last season, a 2-2 tie in San Jose and a 0-0 draw at Columbus. In 33 meetings in their existence the Earthquakes have 12 wins and 49 goals while the Crew has 18 wins and 60 goals. They’ve had three ties as well.
From SJEarthquakes.com:
INJURY REPORT:
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES – OUT: MF Simon Dawkins (R/L bilateral fasciotomy); MF Andre Luiz (L knee injury); DF Tim Ward (R hamstring strain) …
COLUMBUS CREW – OUT: MF Danny O’Rourke (L knee surgery); DF Josh Williams (R hip labral tear); FW Santiago Prim (R ankle sprain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Shaun Francis (L hamstring strain)
Kick off is set for 7:30 PT tonight and can be found on CSN California, or MLS Match Day for paid subscribers.
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