Two goals apiece from strike partners Landon Donovan and Ghanaian Junior Agogo paced the San Jose Earthquakes to a resounding 5-1 win over the New England Revolution at Foxboro Stadium on Wednesday evening. The ‘Quakes rebounded well from a weekend defeat to extend their lead in Major League Soccer’s Western Division to six points over the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the Revs never rebounded from Mauricio Wright’s first-half sending-off in a game they had to win to bolster their playoff hopes.
Afterwards, Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop saluted the play of Donovan, who came back into the side with a flourish after being benched against the Tampa Bay Mutiny on the weekend as a measure of discipline after reportedly missing a team flight to the east coast.
Yallop felt that Donovan’s dynamic ball skills and blistering pace gave the Revolution defense trouble all night long. “Landon is an outstanding talent,” he said, “and if given space, he is very dangerous. He does everything well-- he passes on the run, he gets into space, and he creates chances. He does his best work around the goal, so I want to keep him at forward as much as possible.”
“Things are going well right now,” said Donovan of his efforts on the evening. “When I pass the ball, my teammates are doing great things with it, and when I shoot, I have been able to finish pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Revolution coach Fernando Clavijo was critical of the lapses his entire team committed, a matter which cannot bode well for a team on the outside looking inward at the hunt for playoff places. Of particular offense to Clavijo was an altercation in the game’s closing minutes, with the score at 5-1, between midfield creator Cate and ‘Quakes counterpart Ramiro Corrales that resulted in both players getting sent off, Corrales for a second bookable offense and Cate for a direct red card.
But while Cate’s actions came when the the winner had long been decided, the sending-off of Wright and other lesser mental transgressions only repeated a pattern of the season, according to Clavijo.
“We have been preaching that all along,” said Clavijo. “But it goes back to stupidity, also. The game was probably already done and we have to think about the next game. It’s infuriating when the difference is between someone who is ready to do what it takes and someone who lets his emotions carry on.”
Yallop, whose team remained on the east coast for workouts following Saturday’s shocking 2-0 upset loss against Tampa Bay, made three key changes to his side for this match. With midfield general Ronnie Ekelund ruled out with a calf strain, Richard Mulrooney started in central midfield-- but the biggest adjustment came up top where Donovan and Agogo were favored over Ronalsd Cerritos and Dwayne DeRosario.
The out-and-out speed of Donovan and Agogo together would prove to be the difference in the match. After the teams traded salvos over the course of the opening half-hour, Donovan got behind the Revs’ defense to score the opening goal in the 35th minute. Ian Russell led Donovan perfectly with a ball played over the top of the Revs’ backline, with Donovan outpacing Yari Allnut to race twoards the goal, where he calmly slotted his shot past goalkeeper Jeff Causey.
Buoyed by the breathtaking finish and eager to halt a mini-skid of two consecutive losses in the league and three overall in all competitions, the ‘Quakes added to their lead four minutes later from the penalty spot. Donovan once again figured prominently in the buildup, receiving a return pass on a give-and-go that gave Manny Lagos a clear look at the goal-- but Wright blocked Lagos’ shot with an outstretched hand, giving referee Kevin Terry no choice but to point to the spot and send Wright off. Donovan proceeded to send Causey the wrong way on the ensuing penalty kick to double his account on the night.
The Revolution pulled a goal back just before the break as Cate converted a penalty kick past ‘Quakes ‘keeper Joe Cannon in the 44th minute after Lagos had felled Leonel Alvarez in the penalty area. But truth be told, without defensive kingpin Wright in the game, the Revs were doomed to succumb to the ‘Quakes’ relentless attacking pressure, with the threats of Lagos and Russell on the wings serving as a perfect complement to Donovan and Agogo up top.
The ‘Quakes dictated the pace of the game almost as soon as the second half began, and regained their two-goal advantage in the 68th minute through Agogo. The Ghanaian-born striker used his scorching pace to link up to a Donovan through-ball before beating a pair of Revolution defenders on the dead run before tucking a low shot under a diving Causey.
Causey was under pressure all evening, making nine saves throughout the game-- but he was defenseless to stop the ‘Quakes’ fourth goal in the 71st minute. Moments after Agogo had hit the lefthand post with a rasping drive, Donovan picked off an errant pass in the Revs’ rearguard to feed Lagos for the simplest of point-blank finishes.
Agogo scored his second goal and the Earthquakes’ fifth on the night on the 81st minute with an exquisite finish. It was a perfect capper to the evening’s onslaught, with Agogo running full-speed onto Mulrooney’s defense-splitting through ball, rounding Causey and depositing his shot into the vacated net.
Both Agogo and Donovan had chances to complete respective hat-tricks in the closing minutes, but Yallop was left aglow with his entire team’s attacking display. “I am ecstatic with the win. To come back from two tough losses on the road and get a 5-1 result in a tough place to play is fantastic,” said Yallop. “It was a superb display by the guys. I felt that we were on our game from the beginning, and that we were very sharp and hungry.”
“We haven’t had much luck in recent games, so tonight it was important to take the game,” added Yallop.
“We had great possession tonight, but the big difference was finishing,” said Mulrooney, who was instrumental in the team’s collective mindset to win the ball back as soon as possible after surrendering possession towared getting a fluid passing game going. “When we are moving the ball around like that, we are dangerous.”
Clavijo, on the other hand, could not sugar-coat the impact Wright’s first-half ejection left upon his team. “We had to play with three defenders after that,” he admitted. “They are young players and the oldest was Yari [Allnut] and he is not a natural defender. With three in the back, you open up a lot of space and it was hard for each other playing against their forwards.”
Cate and Wright, by virtue of their red cards received, will miss the Revs’ weekend home match against top-of-the-league Miami, and the team’s lack of consistency has befuddled their own players. “The scenario of this team is that we play a good game [a 5-1 win over Dallas last Saturday] and then come out and play like this,” said midfielder Ted Chronopolous. “But when you play with ten men for more than 50 minutes, it’s going to take its toll.”
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MATCH SUMMARY
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION 1, SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES 5
NE-- Cate 44 (pen.)
SJ-- Donovan (2) 35, 39 (pen.), Agogo (2) 68, 81, Lagos 71
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION-- Jeff Causey, Rusty Pierce, Yari Allnut (Matt Okoh 59), Alan Woods, Mauricio Wright, Jay Heaps, Ted Chronopolous, Leonel Alvarez (Shaker Asad 72), Andy Williams, William Sunsing, Cate. CAUTIONS: Allnut 22, Alvarez 55; EJECTIONS: Wright 38, Cate 90. POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 38%.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES-- Joe Cannon, Troy Dayak, Jeff Agoos (Jimmy Conrad 86), Wade Barrett, Zak Ibsen, Richard Mulrooney, Ian Russell, Manny Lagos (Scott Bower 79), Ramiro Corrales, Landon Donovan, Junior Agogo. CAUTIONS: Corrales 34; EJECTIONS: Corrales 90. POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 62%.
