One more step forward

Under any other circumstances, we at the solar-powered soccer blog would probably be content with a point on the road. Yesterday’s scoreless draw with Chivas USA is just a tiny bit disappointing, however, because a win would have vaulted the Quakes out of last place.

It was so close we could taste it, but now it will have to wait for another week. And really, it’s not so bad. San Jose started Saturday two points behind the Gringo Goats and they ended Saturday the same way. In fact, the team actually gained ground on both Colorado and Real Salt Lake, both of whom fell 3-0 to Eastern Conference teams. FC Dallas, the final Western Conference team in action yesterday, drew with Kansas City. The Quakes didn’t lose anything but an opportunity to win, and they still have nine more of those on the schedule, with six of those matches coming at home. So, to sum up, yesterday’s draw wasn’t a great result, but it wasn’t bad either.

In a very important way, though, yesterday’s effort was a real step forward for the team.  They started confidently and threatened the Chivas goal almost immediately, but everything changed when Ramiro Corrales banged his leg while clearing a loose ball, spraining a knee ligament and forcing his removal from the game. Afterward, their play was a bit more tentative, and it took them quite a while to rediscover the aggresiveness they needed to take the game to the Goats. In the end, though, they ground out a draw on the road and only Zach Thornton’s fingertips kept them from taking all three points.

That’s the kind of result that’s going to add to the team’s confidence. Remember, it hasn’t been that long since the operative question about the Quakes was, “What will be the next thing to go wrong?” Now, that question is “What do we need to do to win?” That’s a muscle they’re only beginning to know how to flex, and they very nearly did it successfully last night. The next time they find themselves in that position, we think they’ll be able to finish the job completely. In any case, a step forward is better than a step backward, and they accomplished that.

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Here’s today’s press round-up:

- We have match reports from MLSnet.com, and the L.A. Times. (Oh, and don’t forget the CLS match report from Embele Awipi.)

- MLSnet.com also has a post-game story and video highlights.