Earthquakes take over AT&T Park

So, Saturday, when the San Jose Earthquakes borrow the friendly confines to host the Houston Dynamo in a Major League Soccer game, AT&T Park should feel right at, well, home.

The Dynamo come into town as part of their seven-game road trek to begin the MLS season as they patiently await the completion of their new stadium in Houston.

The Dynamo began the year much like San Jose, scoring a lone goal in a win against Chivas USA.

But unlike the Dymano, the Quakes looked like a team that had more than one idea on offense. Their score in the 15th minute off the foot of Chris Wondolowski was the beginning of an evening where San Jose controlled the run of play — until the game’s final two or three minutes, there was very little doubt that the Quakes would and should come away with the win.

It’s much too early to start thinking playoffs, but San Jose has pieces on the 2012 squad that may in fact do some positive things.

"Last year, we would have most probably, if not definitely, conceded a late goal,” said San Jose head coach Frank Yallop after the 1-0 win. "I said this week it’s like a Cup final to us (the season opener against New England), and we won the cup final. So now we can build on it.”

The play of forward Steven Lenhart stood out. The "other” San Jose striker didn’t get on the stat sheet, but his play up top for the Quakes went a level above promising. Lenhart was placed slightly in front of Wondolowski and gave New England defenders fits the entire night with his constant pressure on the ball. He drew a handful of fouls and did what he does best: cause headaches, which opens the door for Wondolowski to score goals. That’s not to say that Lenhart won’t be expected to find the net, but if he continues to play the way he did against the Revolution, the goals will come.

Speaking of pressure, Marvin Chavez, had himself quite the game on the wings for San Jose.

Much like Lenhart, Chavez will be looked upon for pressure — he showed last Saturday that he has a knack for challenging lazy defenders in their defensive third, getting steals and jump-starting the Quakes offense on a kind of condensed counter-attack. Chavez did just that at least a handful of times against the Revolution. He’s faster than the man he replaced, Bobby Convey, and his crosses into the box will get better as he acclimates himself with his new team better.

There’s no question he’s got the touch: Yallop had Chavez take all the corner kicks in the 70 minutes that he was in the game.

Saturday’s matchup with Houston will be a defensive battle and by the looks of things, San Jose has the soldiers for that type of game.

There was no Earthquake more impressive than Victor Bernardez, San Jose centerback. He established his presence on that backline early in the game and played some mean, clutch defense for the Quakes.

"I think Victor’s presence and calming influence on the team, it’s what we needed,” Yallop said.

It will be interesting to see who Yallop pairs with Bernardez in the heart of the defense — expected starter Jason Hernandez did not play last week and when healthy, Ike Opara (who was recently named to the United States U-23 training camp team) has shown tremendous upside. Justin Morrow got the start against New England.

Houston counters with one of the most solid defensive backlines in the league — Corey Ashe, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron and Andre Hainault will be a much harder defense to crack than last week’s Revolution. Hainault scored the winning goal in the 92nd minute of Houston’s game against Chivas.

The Dynamo and San Jose have a built-in rivalry. When the Earthquakes franchise left MLS back in 2005, they departed to Houston, where they proceeded to win a pair of MLS Cups.

The Earthquakes own an even 4-4-1 all-time record against the Dynamo, including 3-1-1 at home.

Saturday’s matchup will be the lone meeting between the two teams this season. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Mexico will battle Senegal as part of a double-header on Saturday immediately after the game.