Major League Soccer

Graziani's 12th is enough for Earthquakes to edge Chicago 1-0.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Wednesday, July 24, 2002) -- Striker Ariel Graziani found net just before intermission as the San Jose Earthquakes continued their dominance at home, defeating the Chicago Fire 1-0 before 9,137 at Spartan Stadium.

San Jose (12-6-2, 38 points) extended its first-place lead in the overall Major League Soccer standings to eight points while running its home record to 10-0. Graziani, with 12 goals and four assists, tied for second place in the league's scoring race with 28 points.

"Every night in this league you need to go out and earn it," San Jose coach Frank Yallop said. "Right now we are on a really good run, but we know we have to stay focused and continue playing like this."

Chicago, which managed only two shots on goal, fell to 7-8-3 with 24 points.

The Fire's best chance came in the 26th minute when a ball was played to forward Ante Razov inside the six-yard box. Razov chipped the ball over the outstretched arms of Cannon, only to see his shot thwarted by the crossbar. Cannon recovered in time to clear the ball out of danger, preserving his league-leading eighth clean sheet of the season.

"Statistically, it proves to everyone what we have known all along -- that our defense is the best in the league," Cannon said. "It really is a credit to them. We know that our guys are some of the best."

In the closing minutes of the first half, rugged pressure from Earthquakes midfielder Richard Mulrooney resulted in a Razov turnover. San Jose midfielder Landon Donovan ran onto the loose ball before sending it to the far post for an advancing Graziani who nodded the ball back to the near post, out of the reach of goalkeeper Zach Thornton, for a 1-0 lead in the 43rd minute.

Chicago is always a good game and we always expect it to be tight against them," San Jose forward Dwayne De Rosario said. "We played well tonight and forced lots of chances. I thought I would finish a couple more tonight."

Graziani, Donovan, and forward Dwayne DeRosario made their presence felt throughout the night, continually applying pressure to the Chicago backline. The Fire defense held well throughout the match, however, thanks to solid play from Jim Curtin and C.J. Brown.

"We gave away a goal at a very bad time," said Fire coach Bob Bradley. "We lost a ball in the midfield and they were able to get at us quickly. It was a real bad time to give up a goal. In general, I didn't think that we were sharp enough. It's a tight, close game and we need to be sharper to make a difference on more plays."

Defender Jeff Agoos returned to the San Jose lineup for the first time since sustaining an injury during the World Cup.

The crowd really was amazing," he said. "I heard them while I was warming up and when I went into the game I heard them. The adrenaline was going and it is so nice to have fans that support you like that."

San Jose 1, Chicago 0

Lineups: San Jose - Joe Cannon, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Robinson, Wade Barrett, Ramiro Corrales, Richard Mulrooney, Ronnie Ekelund, Landon Donovan, Manny Lagos (Ian Russell 61), Dwayne DeRosario, Ariel Graziani (Jeff Agoos 80). Chicago - Zach Thornton, C.J. Brown, Carlos Bocanegra, Jim Curtin, Kelly Gray (Hristo Stoitchkov 56), DaMarcus Beasley, Jesse Marsch, Dema Kovalenko, Billy Walsh (Orlando Perez 83), Ante Razov, Josh Wolff.

Scoring:
San Jose - Graziani (Donovan) 43.

Total shots: San Jose 13 (Graziani 4), Chicago 8 (Razov 3). Shots on goal: San Jose 8 (Graziani 3, Donovan 3), Chicago 2 (Kovalenko 1, Razov 1). Saves: San Jose - Cannon 2; Chicago - Thornton 7. Fouls: San Jose 15 (DeRosario 5), Chicago 18 (four players with 3). Offside; San Jose 5, Chicago 0 Corner kicks: San Jose 7, Chicago 5. Yellow card cautions: San Jose - Conrad 26; Chicago - Kovalenko 34, Brown 60.

Referee: Elias Bazakos. Assistant referees: Jose Corro, David Bragg. Attendance: 9,137 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, Calif. Weather: Clear, warm, slight breeze.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Striker Dante Washington's goal early in the second half gave the Columbus Crew a 1-0 victory over fading D.C. United in Major League Soccer action before 17,368 at Crew Stadium.

United (6-10-2, 20 points), 0-4-1 in its last five outings, is 0-8-1 on the road this season, producing only three goals in those matches. Saturday's 0-0 draw at the Chicago Fire ended a streak of 13 straight losses away from home dating back to last season.

Neither team generated much offense with United managing seven shots, six on frame, while only four of the Crew's 13 shots were on target.

After striking a header of the post in the in the 48th minute, Washington worked his way free inside the penalty area to give Columbus (7-8-4, 25) a 1-0 advantage four minutes later.

Deftly settling a cross from teammate Brian West on the right side of the box, Washington took one additional touch before zipping a his sixth goal of the season by goalkeeper Nick Rimando to the near post from nine yards out.

"Tonight was a big game for us. The guys came to play," Columbus coach Greg Andrulis said. "It wasn't a thing of beauty, by any stretch of the imagination. It was a very gutsy performance. I think our team showed a tremendous amount of fortitude tonight. Dante came through for us big time. A great, gutsy performance."

United lost striker Jaime Moreno for at least two weeks when he aggravated a right hamstring injury. The club also learned forward Santino Quaranta, who has been out for a month, will require surgery on an abdominal hernia and will miss another six-to-eight weeks.

Columbus 1, D.C. United 0

Lineups: Columbus - Jon Busch, Daniel Torres, Chad McCarty (Kyle Martino 32), Brian Dunseth, Chris Leitch, Brian Maisonneuve (Duncan Oughton 77), John Wilmar Perez, Eric Denton, Brian West, Dante Washington (Jeff Cunningham 74), Brian McBride. D.C. United - Nick Rimando, Brandon Prideaux, Milton Reyes, Ryan Nelsen, Bryan Namoff (Ali Curtis 74), Lazo Alavanja (Justin Mapp 89), Petter Villegas, Bobby Convey, Richie Williams, Jaime Moreno (Jose Alegria 63), Roy Lassiter.

Scoring:
Columbus - Washington (West, Maisonneuve) 52.

Total shots: Columbus 13 (Washington 5), D.C. United 7 (Convey 3). Shots on goal: Columbus 4 (Washington 3), D.C. United 6 (Convey 2). Saves: Columbus - Busch 6; D.C. United - Rimando 3. Fouls: Columbus 15 (Maisonneuve 4), D.C. United 19 (Moreno 5). Offside: Columbus 1, D.C. United 2. Corner kicks: Columbus 2, D.C. United 5. Yellow card cautions: Columbus - Maisonneuve 23, Leitch 67, Cunningham 84; D.C. United - Villegas 25, Williams 36.

Referee: Erich Simmons. Assistant referees: Mikael Lundquist, Chip Reed. Attendance: 17,368 at Columbus (Ohio) Crew Stadium. Weather: Cloudy, 79 degrees.