Center Line Soccer

Sebastian Le Toux, Philadelphia's leading scorer in 2010, tallied his first of this year against the Quakes. Photo: Michael Janosz, isiphotos.com.

In a match that will have fans of both sides questioning the decisions of referee Mark Geiger, a 10-man Philadelphia Union took advantage of a late penalty to defeat the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 at PPL Park in Chester, Penn., before a near sell-out crowd of 18,279. Union supporters will be wondering if Jordan Harvey really deserved his 41st minute red card while the Earthquakes will ask how a cross blocked over the end line by a man less than a yard away resulted in a penalty kick.

“It’s disappointing to pin the game and a loss on that call,” said Earthquakes head coach Frank Yallop. “It’s a little harsh I would think.”

Following two disappointing and lopsided losses in the last two weeks, Yallop decided that it was time to shake up the lineup. Making their first starts of 2011 were Brad Ring, Bobby Burling, and Steven Lenhart, while Anthony Ampaipitakwong and Justin Morrow were making their first career MLS starts. The move relegated a number of erstwhile starters to the bench, including Ramiro Corrales, Sam Cronin, Ryan Johnson, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Bobby Convey. Chris Wondolowski wore the captain’s armband for the side, another first.

Yallop’s changes paid early dividends as the Earthquakes showed confidence in possession and a high level of commitment, chasing down loose balls and challenging their opponents at every opportunity. Lenhart demonstrated his ability as a target forward in the opening 10 minutes by distributing flick-on headers while Ampaipitakwong showed skill and vision in spraying balls around San Jose’s offensive third. While there were no tangible results, the side’s early play showed potential.

Philadelphia’s first opportunity came in the 16th minute, as old Earthquakes nemesis Carlos Ruiz released Roger Torres down the right flank on a counter. Torres dribbled into the box and tested San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch with a hard shot at the near post, but he was able to parry it.

The Earthquakes created their first opportunity in the 21st minute. The play began with a 60-yard pass from Ring to Ampaipitakwong, switching play from the right to left flank. Ampai held the ball up, waiting for support to arrive, then cut inside and curled a dangerous cross that froze Union goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon, who only managed to knock the ball away with a late, one-handed dive. The Quakes looked dangerous on the ensuing corner kick, but a Lenhart foul on Danny Califf brought the action to a halt.

Six minutes later, Lenhart hit the turf heavily after challenging for a header and receiving an elbow in the back of the head from Amobi Okugo, who received the game’s first yellow card for the foul. Tensions remained high after the ensuing free kick, which resulted in a challenge between Wondolowski and Mondragon for a loose ball in the Union six-yard box. Brandon McDonald took exception to the goalkeeper’s challenge and the two players exchanged words, with Geiger eventually issuing yellows to both players.

In the 39th minute, it was Philadelphia’s turn to threaten, again on a counter. Danny Mwanga released Le Toux behind the Earthquakes’ defense, and although Morrow was able to use his speed to recover and block Le Toux’s path toward goal, he wasn’t able to prevent the Frenchman from picking out Ruiz in front of goal. Thanks to a heroic diving block from Jason Hernandez, however, Ruiz’s shot never tested Busch.

The physical nature of the match bubbled to the surface again in the 41st minute, and this time the card issued was red. Union midfielder Jordan Harvey and San Jose back Chris Leitch challenged for a loose ball in midfield. Neither player won the ball, which squirted away towards the center circle, but Harvey planted a foot squarely on Leitch’s stomach as he turned to chase after it. Leitch reacted by kicking out at Harvey and was lucky not to connect as referee Geiger sent off the Union midfielder for the infraction.

Despite being a man down, Philadelphia dominated play in the opening minutes of the second half. With Stefani Miglioranzi and Michael Farfan coming on for Mwanga and Torres, Keon Daniel moved from the right to the left flank and, for a time, was able to take advantage of the switch as Wondolowski and Leitch initially struggled to track him.

The Earthquakes made their first change of the night in the 58th minute, as Convey came on for Scott Sealy, with Wondolowski moving forward to partner Lenhart and Ampaipitakwong switching to the right flank. Convey earned a yellow card just two minutes later as he rolled a second ball onto the field as Philadelphia prepared to take a throw in.

Brandon McDonald’s outing in midfield ended in the 64th minute as Sam Cronin took his place and San Jose sought to improve their ability to control the ball and retain possession. Cronin made his presence felt five minutes later as Ruiz and Le Toux combined at the top of the box, with Le Toux bearing down on the San Jose goal. Cronin went to ground with a daring tackle and emerged a moment later with the ball, neatly defusing a dangerous situation.

Ryan Johnson came on for Ampaipitakwong in the 72nd minute, but before he could make his presence felt, Philadelphia was rewarded with the opportunity that led to the only goal of the game. In the 75th minute, Okugo dribbled through the box and attempted a cross as he reached the end line, with the ball apparently hitting Jason Hernandez on the arm as he blocked it out for what should have been a corner kick. Geiger pointed to the spot, however, despite the fact that Hernandez was no more than a few feet from Okugo when the cross was hit, which would have made it almost impossible for Hernandez to touch the ball on purpose. Le Toux gladly accepted the referee’s gift, however, and slammed the penalty past Busch to net his first goal of the season.

Hernandez was critical of the call after the match. “I’m in my seventh year, and I’ve never had that called against me so there’s a first time for everything,” he said. “I went over to try and make a tackle to block the cross, and honestly I didn’t even know about it. I kind of just felt it, and the ref pointed to the spot. I didn’t see the ball; I didn’t make a play for it. I just tried to get big and block the cross.”

Despite being up a man and down a goal, the deflated Earthquakes were unable to create much in the way of scoring opportunities in the closing minutes. The loss drops them to 1-4-2 while the Union moves to 4-1-1. The Earthquakes next take the field on Tuesday night in Portland in a U.S. Open Cup qualifying match.

“Our confidence is not high, but we’ll keep working,” added Yallop. “We know in this league if you knuckle down, don’t quit and keep your head held high that things will turn around.

“If you look at the overall individual performances, I think the guys gave a lot of effort, which is what I was looking for.”

• • •

San Jose Earthquakes (1-4-2) at Philadelphia Union (4-1-1)
April 30, 2011 – PPL Park
Attendance: 18,279

Scoring Summary: PHI – Sebastien Le Toux (penalty) 76.

Misconduct Summary: PHI – Amobi Okugo (caution) 28; PHI – Faryd Mondragon (caution) 31; SJ – Brandon McDonald (caution) 31; PHI – Jordan Harvey (ejection) 41; SJ – Bobby Convey (caution) 60.

Philadelphia Union – Faryd Mondragon, Sheanon Williams, Carlos Valdes, Danny Califf, Jordan Harvey, Keon Daniel, Roger Torres (Michael Farfan 46), Amobi Okugo, Sebastien Le Toux, Carlos Ruiz (Kyle Nakazawa 83), Danny Mwanga (Stefani Miglioranzi 46).

Statistics: Shots: 6; Shots on Goal: 1; Saves: 4; Fouls: 10; Offsides: 6; Corners: 2.

San Jose Earthquakes – Jon Busch, Chris Leitch, Jason Hernandez, Bobby Burling, Justin Morrow, Chris Wondolowski, Brandon McDonald (Sam Cronin 64), Brad Ring, Anthony Ampaipitakwong (Ryan Johnson 72), Steven Lenhart, Scott Sealy (Bobby Convey 58).

Statistics: Shots: 8; Shots on Goal: 5; Saves: 1; Fouls: 10; Offsides: 2; Corners: 2.