*The Hamstring Crew (Arturo Alvarez, Ike Opara and Steven Beitashour) are each fit to play this weekend in Seattle.
*Arturo Alvarez participated in team drills Wednesday through Friday and looked sharp in his first on-field action since a hamstring strain in the U.S. Open Cup Play-In match against Real Salt Lake on April 14.
*Joey Gjertsen missed Tuesday’s practice session and had a light week after a quad strain, but was on the pitch Friday. Gjertsen figures to make his sixth-straight start on Saturday.
*Saturday's match is a homecoming for Joey-G. The Washington native grew up 40 minutes from Seattle and expects a large contingent of Gjertsenites wearing the black and blue at Qwest Field.
*Andre Luiz missed training on Tuesday and Wednesday, but participated on Friday and is expected to get the start.
* Frank Yallop: “The best thing about going to Seattle, I usually get to see my family when we’re up there and that’s always good. The worst thing, they’re a pretty good team.”
*Expect to see the same lineup that has started over the last three weeks, Yallop added.
*19 players traveled to Seattle. That list includes:
Goalkeepers: Joe Cannon, Jon Busch
Defenders: Chris Leitch, Jason Hernandez, Bobby Burling, Ramiro Corrales, Ike Opara, Steven Beitashour
Midfielders: Bobby Convey, Andre Luiz, Brandon McDonald, Joey Gjertsen, Brad Ring, Justin Morrow
Forwards: Ryan Johnson, Chris Wondolowski, Arturo Alvarez, Scott Sealy, Cornell Glen
Have a question about the Quakes? Leave a comment!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Shrader's Spin: Defense Gelling
LISTEN TO AN INTERVIEW WITH JOE CANNON
Three shutouts in-a-row. Three games plus three minutes without allowing a goal.
Pretty impressive stuff for a team that had only three shutouts during the ENTIRE 2009 season. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon now has 72 career shutouts; only Kevin Hartman has more in the history of Major League Soccer.
“It’s not just the defenders,” Cannon said. “It’s everybody in front of me.”
“We’re just trying not to let the guys play the ball out of the back very easily,” said forward Ryan Johnson. “And we try to take away the defensive midfielder.”
Johnson said he and the other forwards - right now he’s partnered with Chris Wondolowski - try to be disruptive on the field. “We try to do the work defensively,” Johnson says. “We’re team players and we want to help each other out.”
Bobby Burling has started in each of the three shutouts, and he agrees you stop the other team with an 11-man defensive effort.
“Our defensive shape starts with the forwards,” he said. “As long as everybody is talking and cutting off angles and making plays hard for (the other team), it makes it a lot easier on the back four.”
This week, it’s a trip to Seattle where Sounders FC comes off a 1-0 win at New York. One week prior, Seattle lost at home to the Galaxy, 4-0.
“Three shutouts in-a-row aren’t going to help us in the Lion’s Den,” Cannon said. “You know Seattle will be hungry to come at us.”
The Quakes made two trips to Seattle last year, going oh-for-the-Great-Northwest. But Cannon says this team is different, this bunch is more mature. “We have a group that can handle themselves,” he says.
MLS teams are finding the Quakes a difficult team to break down, even on the road. Take away a half at Chivas USA and they have been tough to beat on the road and have outscored their home opponents 7-0 since losing 3-0 on opening night.
“From top to bottom it’s been a great team effort,” said defender Jason Hernandez. “And it’s showing in these clean sheets.”
Three shutouts in-a-row. Three games plus three minutes without allowing a goal.
Pretty impressive stuff for a team that had only three shutouts during the ENTIRE 2009 season. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon now has 72 career shutouts; only Kevin Hartman has more in the history of Major League Soccer.
“It’s not just the defenders,” Cannon said. “It’s everybody in front of me.”
“We’re just trying not to let the guys play the ball out of the back very easily,” said forward Ryan Johnson. “And we try to take away the defensive midfielder.”
Johnson said he and the other forwards - right now he’s partnered with Chris Wondolowski - try to be disruptive on the field. “We try to do the work defensively,” Johnson says. “We’re team players and we want to help each other out.”
Bobby Burling has started in each of the three shutouts, and he agrees you stop the other team with an 11-man defensive effort.
“Our defensive shape starts with the forwards,” he said. “As long as everybody is talking and cutting off angles and making plays hard for (the other team), it makes it a lot easier on the back four.”
This week, it’s a trip to Seattle where Sounders FC comes off a 1-0 win at New York. One week prior, Seattle lost at home to the Galaxy, 4-0.
“Three shutouts in-a-row aren’t going to help us in the Lion’s Den,” Cannon said. “You know Seattle will be hungry to come at us.”
The Quakes made two trips to Seattle last year, going oh-for-the-Great-Northwest. But Cannon says this team is different, this bunch is more mature. “We have a group that can handle themselves,” he says.
MLS teams are finding the Quakes a difficult team to break down, even on the road. Take away a half at Chivas USA and they have been tough to beat on the road and have outscored their home opponents 7-0 since losing 3-0 on opening night.
“From top to bottom it’s been a great team effort,” said defender Jason Hernandez. “And it’s showing in these clean sheets.”
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