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		San Jose Holds on to 1 goal lead to defeat DC United By Randy Leighton September 6, 2008

	San Jose – 2 DC United - 1 Santa Clara, CA – The San Jose Earthquakes extended their undefeated streak tonight as they faced DC United to a home crowd of 10,121. San Jose is the hottest team in the MLS today, as they now have an unbeaten streak of 8 games and they have won 4 of their last 5 matches. The first half started with both teams fighting to control the ball and score some goals. San Jose continued their strategy of dominating the first half, as they put up 3 shots on goal to DC United’s 1. The Quakes would continue pressuring until the 18th minute when Darren Huckerby got the ball on the left side and created a scoring opportunity for Arturo Alvarez. Huckerby pushed the ball right into the defenders, then sent a pass through to Alvarez, who drilled it low and to the right post for a goal. The United offense kicked up their intensity in the 38th minute as they brought in Craig Thompson for Francis Doe in the forward position. It would not be enough as they ended the first half with no goals. The Quakes continued strong pressure in the second half, and they struck a goal in the 61st minute. Eric Denton saw an opportunity to send Scott Sealy and put a pass through to Sealy. Sealy pressed it hard up the left side of the field and then sent a pass through the middle to Huckerby. Huckerby turned it into a shot on the left side of the goal, beating United keeper Louis Crayton in dramatic fashion for their second goal of the night. DC did not give up, and in the 75th minute Rod Dyachenko and Santino Quaranta paired up to force the San Jose defenders to make some mistakes. Quaranta ended up breaking through the defenders and putting a hard shot on Joe Cannon, beating him and scoring their first net of the night. Even with a strong DC United rally in the last part of the game, San Jose would hold on to its 1 goal lead and defeat DC. San Jose has moved out of last place with tonight’s win, proving they have become a strong contender to grab one of those coveted play-off spots.