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Donovan's Four Highlights 6-6 Draw
07-28-01
www.CNNSI.com
SAN JOSE -- The home town San Jose crowd had plenty to cheer about Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium, as Earthquakes' forward Landon Donovan knocked home an unprecedented four goals to lead the West side to a 6-6 draw in the sixth MLS All-Star Game. For his historic efforts, Donovan was named the All-Star MVP in front of the home fans. A raucous crowd of over 23,000 was on hand at Spartan Stadium to witness MLS' summer spectacular event, including Columbus Crew forward Brian McBride's crowning as the all-time leading scorer in the All-Star game.
Donovan electrified the home crowd early with a rare natural hat trick in the first 18 minutes of play. The first goal came just three minutes after the opening whistle, opening the scoring for the 2001 mid-season showcase. With the East applying offensive pressure, defender Marcelo Balboa played the ball back to `keeper Joe Cannon for the defensive clearance. Cannon's blast landed in front of a rushing Donovan, nearly 75-yards upfield. Donovan sent the ball onto frame at the near post, catching goalkeeper Nick Rimando off guard.
A misplayed ball by Rimando also set up the second goal of the night, coming in the seventh minute of play. Rimando's punt trailed to L.A. Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos near the touchline. Cienfuegos played the ball toward center for Ariel Graziani, who laid the ball off for Donovan near the top of the box. Donovan's shot beat Rimando to the far post to put the West up 2-0.
The first hat trick in an MLS All-Star game was completed in the 18th minute, when Donovan finished off the ball from the top of the box. As the entire West squad began to advance on Rimando's net, Donovan camped out near the 18-yard line, above the scrum inside the penalty area. Balboa sent the ball wide to San Jose midfielder Manny Lagos on the right flank, who slotted the ball to Donovan for the finish.
Dallas Burn forward Ariel Graziani put the West up by four goals in the 27th minute, slipping through a pair of defenders to find a well-played Cienfuegos ball. Cienfuegos sent the ball into the center of the box, into the path of the speedy striker. A natural finisher, Graziani calmly sent the ball into the net to expand the lead.
The East side began to storm back a minute later, as McBride set up Miami forward Alex Pineda Chacon for the Eastern All-Stars first goal of the game. McBride carried the ball down the left side of the field, pausing long enough at the edge of the box to draw Cannon off of his line. McBride quickly switched the point of attack, sending the ball to Pineda Chacon at the far post. The Honduran striker played an acrobatic volley into the back of the net to signal the East's rally.
McBride continued his assault on Preki's All-Star game scoring title in the 33rd minute of play, scoring off of Preki's well-timed assist. Sixteen-year-old D.C. United forward Santino Quaranta set up the scoring drive, carrying the ball down the right side of the field. Quaranta alertly switched the point of attack, finding Preki wide open on the opposite side of the area. Preki played an early ball to the far post, right into the path of McBride.
The Crew forward added his second goal of the night five minutes later, volleying home teammate John Wilmar Perez's cross in the 38th minute. Perez sent the ball across the mouth of the goal to McBride in the area, who blasted it past Cannon with a left-footed shot off of the bounce. McBride has racked up 17 points in his six All-Star appearances, outdistancing Preki's 14 career All-Star points.
Mamadou Diallo, coming into the game late in the first half, finally equalized for the East in the 53rd minute, slipping a Pablo Mastroeni pass past Chicago goalkeeper Zach Thornton for the East's fourth goal of the game. Thornton and Diallo battled throughout the second half, with the Tampa Bay Mutiny striker testing the reflexes and positioning of the big Chicago Fire `keeper.
MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard was brilliant in the second half, making a variety of acrobatic and spectacular saves to frustrate the potent West attack. Howard was called upon to stop a Luis Hernandez penalty kick in the 64th minute, awarded to the West for a Mastroeni tackle on Colorado forward John Spencer. The Galaxy's Hernandez struck a hard ball to the upper right corner of the net, only to see Howard make the fully extended fingertip save over the bar.
Chicago forward Dema Kovalenko gave the West another lead in the 69th minute, blasting the ball past Howard for his first All-Star goal. Less than ten minutes after seeing a sure goal turned away by a brilliant Howard save, Kovalenko found the back of the net to make the score 5-4 in favor of the West. Cobi Jones made a diagonal run near the top of the box to draw the defense, slipping the ball back to a waiting Kovalenko for the long-range shot.
Miami captain Jim Rooney pulled the East even in the 84th minute of play with an unassisted blast that knuckled past Thornton. The ball deflected off of Landon Donovan near the top of the West penalty area, popping up and landing in front of Rooney. Thornton appeared to save the 19-yard shot on goal, but the ball squirted underneath him, ricocheted off of the bottom of the crossbar and into the net.
Rooney honored Bay Area soccer icon Brandi Chastain by whipping off his jersey to reveal a sports bra he had hidden beneath in a scene reminiscent of the U.S. Women's National Team victory over China in the 1999 Women's World Cup. Chastain was honored by MLS as one of the area's soccer leaders in a ceremony on Thursday.
New England's Cate added another goal for the East, finishing off an Ian Bishop pass with clinical accuracy. In textbook fashion, Marco Etcheverry launched a long ball to Bishop on the right side of the field, who sent the ball in front of the net for Cate to slip onto in the 87th minute.
Donovan added his fourth goal of the game in the second minute of stoppage time, finishing off a long ball pass from Kansas City's Matt McKeon. Donovan received the ball down the left side of the penalty area, slipping underneath Howard's outstretched arm for the equalizer. Donovan offered his own tribute to Chastain in the final seconds before play ended, drawing the sixth annual MLS All-Star game to a close.
The 6-6 result is the first time in MLS history that the All-Star Game has ended in a draw.
The following are select quotes from the 2001 Major League Soccer All-Star Game played at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California on Saturday, July 28:
Landon Donovan - San Jose Earthquakes & West All-Star forward:
On netting the first four-goal game in All-Star history:
“I’m excited. I want to say thank you to all the fans for coming. What a great day. It was memorable for all of us”
On celebrating his fourth goal by unveiling a sports bra:
“We wanted to one-up Brandi (Brandi Chastain - U.S. Women’s National Team). That was all for her. I hope she was watching somewhere and saw that. It was fun.”
On being part of his first MLS All-Star weekend:
“It was all I expected and much more. The whole weekend is awesome. I don’t think it’s done yet. It’s going to be fun tonight as well. I’m happy to be here.”
On enjoying his time on the field:
“I was trying to have a good time and I think I succeeded in that.”
On playing with other stars on the All-Star team:
“That’s what happens when you play with great players around you. I couldn't have done it without them. The last goal was my favorite. It was exciting to tie the game”
On the reaction of the fans during the game:
"I thought it was a fun game to watch. I think the fans know there are some good players in America."
Jim Rooney - Miami Fusion & East All-Star midfielder:
On his first All-Star Game experience:
“It was a great atmosphere and it’s been a great even all week. It’s a great feeling to get to know the other guys on this team and to have the opportunity to play with them is something special.”
On celebrating his goal ala Brandi Chastain (World Cup 1999):
“It’s a good thing they’re comfortable. I was getting a little nervous I wasn’t going to score. The players were trying to set me up and it worked out great. I figured it’s Brandi’s hometown and I figured why not.” On the way he scored the goal: “I just chested it down and I figured I’d take a shot. It was a good opportunity to whack it and hope for the best.”
On how the idea of the sports bra celebration came about:
“The idea came up during the Skills Challenge. We were talking to Mamadou (Diallo) and he didn’t know who Brandi (Chastain) was and we were explaining it to him. From there the idea grew. We thought ‘Wouldn’t it be great if one of us did that when we scored?’ By the time kickoff came the whole team was in on it. It was a great laugh for us. No one thought I would do it but I told them I would.”
John Spencer - Colorado Rapids & West All-Star forward:
On his first All-Star Game:
“It was a game for the fans and we scored a lot of goals. I think they went home happy.”
Joe Cannon - San Jose Earthquakes & West All-Star goalkeeper:
On his first-half performance:
“It started out great for me. I got an assist on Landon’s first goal.”
On suffering a few goals to end the half:
“Later, I felt I kind of pulled something (a muscle) and I kind of lost my concentration but it’s a relaxed atmosphere. These All-Star Games are a good time to take a break. I wish we could have won tonight but we’ll do it next year.”
On the experience of playing in the All-Star Game as a goalkeeper:
“Defenses are a little lax and I was expecting the worst. I think they relaxed a little too much and were trying to soak up a little too much of the atmosphere. But you know you can do that.”
On his teammate Landon Donovan’s performance:
“If he got the winning goal, that’s the only way it could have gone even better. Hopefully we’ll see more of what he did today in the future and he’ll save some of those goals for the Earthquakes.”
Cobi Jones - Los Angeles Galaxy & West All-Star forward:
On the final 6-6 result:
“That’s the way these games are. One team goes out in the beginning and scores some goals and the other team gets fired up and it gets closer. It was a good game and very exciting.”
On Donovan’s and Rooney’s sports bra celebrations:
“I’m sure the women won’t take offense at it at all. It was all in good fun.”
Bob Bradley - Chicago Fire & West All-Star coach:
On the entertainment provided by the players:
“It was a great game for both teams. There was lots of scoring and it was exciting for the fans.”
On the final result of the game:
“I guess the 6-6 finish is probably the perfect ending.”
“It was an especially nice day for the San Jose players. Landon was the big star of the day but I want to mention Troy Dayak. He's given so much to soccer in this country. He's a good guy and it's great to see him come back and play in front of all these fans."
On starting a number of San Jose players:
"Frank Yallop did such a good job in making San Jose into a good team. There were plenty of good players to pick for the All-Star Game. I felt it was important to start as many of them as possible."
On the goalkeepers giving up 12 goals:
"These games are nightmares for goalkeepers. All the guys did a great job. They showed why they were All-Stars."
Manny Lagos - San Jose Earthquakes & West All-Star midfielder:
On the All-Star Game being hosted in San Jose:
“It was a great day for soccer in San Jose. We have great fans here and to bring the best players in MLS to Spartan Stadium was a nice treat for them.”
On looking forward to the rest of the season:
“We’re looking forward to the second half of the season and build on what we’ve done. Our goal is to win MLS Cup 2001. We go back to work on Tuesday.”
Marcelo Balboa - Colorado Rapids & West All-Star defender:
On the result of the game:
“It was fun for the fans but there was a lot more defending compared to past games."
On the impact of the younger players on the game:
“Watching how the young kids play together with the veterans shows how far U.S. Soccer has come.”
On Landon Donovan’s performance:
“Landon is the future of American soccer. Today was the perfect picture with Landon winning the MVP.”
Ray Hudson - Miami Fusion & East All-Star coach:
On the outcome of the game:
“It was a great day for MLS. All the big actors stepped up and performed. On a day the world was watching they saw the very best of MLS - individually and collectively. They were fantastic-looking goals. All the pieces came together. The drama coming back wasn’t Mickey Mouse drama. It meant something and was magnificent.”
On the sports bra celebration:
“It was a little bit of hijinx from the players. I’m worried about where they got the bras from.”
On the booing directed at Diego Serna:
“It's the ultimate sign of respect from the crowd when they boo you. He's really an angel but just an antagonist. I boo him at practice all the time so he’s used to it.”
On the spectacular nature of the game:
"It was such a wonderful advertisement for MLS with all the pomp and circumstance in front of a great crowd. I'm proud of my boys for coming back from 4-0. It was an absolutely scintillating game - lovely soccer. You don't get much better than that. I don't think you'll ever see an All-Star Game as good as that. There was fabulous finishing up front and the goalkeeper was magnificent. It couldn't be called anything else but top draw soccer."
On the play of Landon Donovan:
"He was a rash all over the place. But it wasn't just the Landon Donovan show. It was an MLS showcase."
Santino Quaranta - D.C. United & East All-Star forward:
On his first All-Star experience:
“It was great and I had a lot of fun. It was a great atmosphere and the fans were really into it. It was a great result for both sides. Hopefully I’ll be back next year.”
Preki - Miami Fusion & East All-Star midfielder:
On Rooney’s goal:
“It was classic Rooney. Great goal and great celebration. The boys were proud of him.”
Brian McBride- Columbus Crew & East All-Star forward:
On his sixth All-Star experience:
“You’re surrounded by guys who are just unbelievably talented. You get to make friendships that you normally wouldn’t be able to.”
On goalkeeper Tim Howard’s performance:
“The game was enjoyable to watch. For me Howard had an unbelievable half. It’s a shame he had to have that last goal go in.”
Nick Rimando - Miami Fusion & East All-Star goalkeeper:
On his first All-Star Game:
“It’s really tough on goalkeepers but I had a great time today. It was a great experience. I didn’t have my best performance but it’s all for fun and it’s great for the fans.”
July 28, 2001 1 2 F
East 3 3 6
West 4 2 6
Scoring Summary:
WST--Donovan (Cannon, Balboa) 3
WST--Donovan (Graziani, Cienfuegos) 7
WST--Donovan (Lagos, Balboa) 19
WST--Graziani (Cerritos, Agoos) 26
EST--Pineda Chacon (McBride, Etcheverry) 28
EST--McBride (Preki, Quaranta) 34
EST--McBride (Perez, Quaranta) 39
EST--Diallo (Mastroeni) 53
WST--Kovalenko (Jones, Spencer) 69
EST--Rooney (unassisted) 84
EST--Cate (Bishop, Etcheverry) 87
WST--Donovan (McKeon, Brown) 92
EAST--Nick Rimando (Tim Howard 46), Carlos Llamosa (Mike Clark 46), Mike Petke (Steve Jolley 46), Pablo Mastroeni, Marco Etcheverry (Cate 56), John Wilmar Perez (Jim Rooney 45), Preki (Marco Etcheverry 74, Cate 56), Ian Bishop, Santino Quaranta, Brian McBride (Diego Serna 46), Alex Pineda Chacon (Mamadou Diallo 41)
TOTAL SHOTS: 33 (Diallo 9); SHOTS ON GOAL: 20 (Diallo 5); FOULS: 6 (Mastroeni 2); OFFSIDE: 4; CORNER KICKS: 8; SAVES: 14 (Howard 11, Rimando 3); CAUTIONS: none; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 47%
WEST--Joe Cannon (Zach Thornton 46), Jeff Agoos (Diego Gutierrez 46), Marcelo Balboa (C.J. Brown 46), Troy Dayak, DaMarcus Beasley (Jesse Marsch 46), Mauricio Cienfuegos (Dema Kovalenko 46), Manny Lagos (Landon Donovan 69, John Spencer 46), Chad Deering (Matt McKeon 46), Landon Donovan (John Spencer 46), Ronald Cerritos (Luis Hernandez 46), Ariel Graziani (Cobi Jones 46)
TOTAL SHOTS: 27 (Donovan 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 20 (Kovalenko 4, Donovan 4); FOULS: 4 (four players with 1); OFFSIDE: 5; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 12 (Thornton 6, Cannon 6); CAUTIONS: none; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 53%
Referee: Noel Kenny; Assistant Referees: Scott Weyland, Roger Itaya
Attendance: 23,512; Weather: Clear, Sunny, pleasant, Clear
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