17 JUNE 2007 - To a non-soccer fan, it may seem like a contradiction in terms to call a 0-0 tie an exciting game, but that was exactly what the San Fernando Valley Quakes’ draw with Ventura County Fusion was: exciting. There was energy and passion, moments of sublime skill from both teams, brute strength and moments of controversy, shots on goal, and outstanding goalkeeping. In the end, the only thing missing was goals.
Over 300 fans, including a nice contingent of Fusion supporters making the short trip from Ventura County, enjoyed the game on a warm Father’s Day evening in Granada Hills. The Quakes, hot from their excellent 3-0 victory over Bakersfield on Friday, were looking to capitalize on their strong run of home form, and as such coach Florez made just two changes, starting Sean Alvarado in the center of defense in place of Robert Pate, and giving a full debut to goalkeeper Sean O’Connor, deputizing for Kevin Guppy who was absent from the line-up for personal reasons. By contrast, Fusion were playing just their seventh game of the season, and their first competitive match since June 2nd, a friendly scrimmage against Los Angeles Galaxy’s reserves notwithstanding. Fusion coach Graham Smith was again without quicksilver winger Jason Leopoldo, who had been sidelined following surgery, but did start with a strong forward line led by English striker Mark Draycott and his Liberian counterpart John Massaquoi, while the defense was marshaled by standouts Brad Rusin, Chance Myers and Greg Folk (who played for the Quakes in 2006).
The Quakes began the game strongly. If Friday night’s first half performance against Bakersfield was slow and sluggish, tonight’s first 45 was a complete polar opposite. The passing was quick and sharp, the movement off the ball was creative, and every player seemed to have found a perfect set of first touches. The central midfield interplay was especially noteworthy, with both Daniel Paladini and Dylan Leslie combining excellently on a number of occasions, regularly releasing Sung Kim and Sean Franklin down the wings with through-balls of pinpoint accuracy and perfect weight. The defense, which faced physically strong opposition from Draycott and Massaquoi, held its shape throughout the half, and while Chad Borak, Derek Hanks and Sean Alvarado did the dirty work of being first to the ball, winning tackles, and hustling the attackers, Mike Zaher’s calm distribution ensured that the Fusion attackers were frustrated.
At the other end of the field, Franklin and Ryan Shaw regularly broke free of the physically imposing Fusion defense, latching on to the numerous through-balls and over-the-top passing. It was only through a combination of wasteful finishing, good goalkeeping from Ventura’s Logan Frank, a disallowed goal for a foul, and a brave goal-line clearance from Myers off a shot by Paladini that the scoreline remained at 0-0 going into the half-time break. The second half saw the usual flurry of substitutions from both teams, as the coaches shuffled their packs in an attempt to find a breakthrough. Nelson Pizarro, Ricardo Alcaraz and Hagop Chirishian replaced Rusin, Diego Barrera and Massaquoi for Ventura at the start of the half; Mat Davis, Patrick Gutierrez and Juan Guerrero came on for Kim, Marcus Chorvat and Shaw for the Quakes five minutes later. Unlike Friday, however, the Quakes’ substitutions did not result in immediate goals, and for long periods of the second half the Fusion held the upper hand. Several dangerous corners caused moments of mild panic in the Quakes defense as O’Connor punched the ball clear; Draycott, Pizarro and Chirishian all registered shots on goal as the visiting men in orange searched for that all-important first goal. Inevitably, Ventura’s attacking play left holes in their defense, allowing both Guerrero and Gutierrez to go on rampaging runs forward, none of which unfortunately resulted in scores.
As the clock ticked down towards the game’s conclusion, the frustration began to build amongst both sets of players: Ventura’s Alcaraz, Pizarro and Alejandro Carmona were all cautioned for chippy tackles, while Quakes’ Mat Davis received a yellow for kicking the ball away as he attempted to prevent Ventura from taking a quick free-kick. Each near miss and saved shot resonated in the crowd, which began to get more vocal as the minutes ticked away. Ultimately, neither team could find the necessary breakthrough, and the game finished scoreless. The Quakes did have the best of the play, however, out-shooting Fusion 7 to 3.
So, a point a piece, which is not really what either side wanted out of the game, and depending on your point of view can either be seen as a point gained or two points dropped. The night’s other results, however, certainly went in the Quakes’ favor, as their three closest rivals all dropped points. San Jose and Fresno, who were lying 2nd and 3rd in the table respectively, also played out a 0-0 draw, while fifth placed Bakersfield were unexpectedly walloped 5-0 by Los Angeles Storm, thereby virtually ending the Brigade’s playoff hopes.
The Quakes now have 24 points, five points clear of Fresno and San Jose in joint second place, and eight clear of Ventura in fourth. Both Fresno and San Jose have two games in hand over the Quakes, while Ventura has FIVE games in hand; however, Ventura must play both Fresno and San Jose again before the end of the season. The Quakes’ next game is at home against Fresno Fuego next Saturday night, June 23rd, kicking off at 7:00pm.
Match report by Jon Broxton
