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Quakes' home dominance key to race Posted: Saturday August 24, 2002 2:32 PM
By Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America SAN JOSE -- The Burn fell to San Jose, 3-1, Wednesday night at Spartan Stadium to fall lower than second place in the Western Conference for the first time since June 8. Los Angeles took over second place in the West by beating Kansas City, 2-1, and guess who's next for the Burn? Yup. The Galaxy. At least the Burn fared better than during its last visit to Spartan -- a 4-0 pasting July 20 -- but once again it fell behind early and never caught up. Former Burn striker Ariel Graziani scored from an almost impossible angle in the seventh minute and set up Landon Donovan for a critical second goal 25 minutes later. "I thought we learned our lessons the last time we were here," said coach Mike Jeffries. "I guess I was wrong." Forward Jason Kreis earned a penalty kick -- which was converted by Jorge Rodriguez -- by embellishing a jersey tug by defender Eddie Robinson, but otherwise he had little impact. Kreis, who had been batting Carlos Ruiz and Taylor Twellman for the scoring title earlier in the season, has scored only one goal since July 4. A groin strain is limiting his mobility and explosiveness but he continues to play. Defender Steve Morrow is concerned the Burn has been psyched out by the Quakes' unbeaten home record (11-0-1) as much as their pressing, aggressive style. "Maybe we have a mental block when we come here," said Morrow. "That side of soccer is very important. You have to have that self-belief. "There's no doubting they're a good side. They're one of the best sides in the league. It's a hard place to come and play, but it disappoints me we can't perform here like we know we can." Away from home the Quakes are a miserable 2-7-2, which includes a 2-1 loss to Dallas in the Cotton Bowl July 13. The tight confines of Spartan Stadium, which is actually a few yards narrower than the official width of 70 yards, are being cited as a primary reason for the team's success. "They pick it up here," said Jeffries. "It benefits them with their style. They live on their pressure and sending multiple guys to the ball and making it difficult to play. That's easier on a smaller field." Said Quakes keeper Joe Cannon, "All year we've played well at times on the road but never for 90 minutes. At home we seem to have that adrenaline for whatever reason." San Jose finished as the No. 5 seed last year but in the playoffs conceded only two goals in five games before beating Los Angeles, 2-1, in MLS Cup 2001. It also won two of three games on the road in postseason and clinched a place in the final with a 1-0 overtime win in Miami. "Last year our record away from home wasn't so good [5-5-3] but we were able to get results in the playoffs," said Mulrooney. "There was definitely a little push forward and I'm sure it will be the same this year." Los Angeles trails the Quakes by three points and finishes the season with two games against San Jose. It is the only team to win at Spartan this season, having beaten the Quakes, 1-0, in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Aug. 7. "Nobody likes to play here," said Galaxy defender Ezra Hendrickson after Carlos Ruiz had scored the winner. "The field is tight, the fans are loud and their players get right on top of you. "You can't let them run at you with the ball. We showed tonight that if you play good defense you can win here."
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