Quakes broadcasts to see a lot of changes in 2010

The Earthquakes will be making a host of changes to their TV broadcasts this season, both on the screen and behind the mics. Welcome news to San Jose supporters is the news that all match broadcasts in 2010 will be in high definition, a first for the team. Currently, 15 games are scheduled to air on  Comcast SportsNet, with 13 on Comcast SportsNet California and one each on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area and Comcast SportsNet Plus. Combined with national TV broadcasts and the MLS Direct Kick pay-per-view package, all 30 Earthquakes games will be available on television.

As for the changes in the broadcast booth, two new faces will be joining the San Jose broadcast team. Jim Kozimor will take over play-by-play duties this year, with John Shrader sliding over one chair to fill the role of analyst. Dan Dibley of KNBR is the team’s new sideline reporter. Read more…

FC Gold Pride open preseason with 3-0 victory over TEPCO Mareeze

(DANVILLE, CA) The sun was shining brightly, belying the chill in the air breezing through the Mustang Soccer Complex in Danville Wednesday morning. And while the observers were bundled up, the FC Gold Pride players were boundless on the field in taking a 3-0 victory over Japanese club TEPCO Mareeze in their first match of the 2010 WPS preseason. Goals from Christine Sinclair, Kelley O’Hara, and Mandy Moraca combined with a solid defensive unit lead by Rachel Buehler made all the difference on the day. Read more…

Wednesday news wrap

It’s a chilly Wednesday morning by the Bay but hot off the presses is the news that the Quakes have once again prevailed over a Premiership reserve side during their 10-day stay in London. This time, it was the Spurs reserves going down 1-0 on a 51st minute goal from Bobby Burling. Perhaps the most impressive part of the feat is that the only regulars in the San Jose starting 11 were Ramón Sanchez and Cornell Glen; instead, it was Andrew Weber earning the clean sheet in goal, fronted by a back four of Steve Beitashour, Burling, Ike Opara, and Justin Morrow. The rest of the Earthquakes lineup consisted of Simon Elliott, Antonio Ribeiro, Quincy Amarikwa, and Chris Wondolowski. For Tottenham, the side was Alnwick, Walker, Kaboul, Dervite, Smith, Townsend, Livermore, Parrett, Rose, Mason, and Kane. (As reader Dave in San Jose points out in the comments below, there’s now an article on the match, along with a photo gallery, at Spurs’ web site.)

Note to Quakes: Look into acquiring this Livermore person. I see potential for a “Where’s Livermore?” ad campaign.

It’s the second victory in a row for the Quakes over a reserve side for a team from the Prem. On Tuesday, San Jose beat West Ham’s reserves 2-0. Love the hammers on the wall in the dressing room there. Despite the loss, the English press reports that head Quake Frank Yallop thinks Kieron Dyer may yet overcome his injury problem to feature for West Ham.

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We’ve been lax on keeping up with South Africa news in advance of the World Cup, but that will be changing soon. In the meantime, enjoy these two galleries of photos of the new Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, which will host both the first and final games of the tournament. Kudos to all involved in SA for creating some of the most impressive stadiums around for soccer’s big event. We’ll be passing along more photos and other tidbits in the coming weeks and months. And yes — opening kickoff is only 92 days away!

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Three members of FC Gold Pride have been called up to the U.S. women’s national team camp for the team’s two friendlies against Mexico later this month. Joining red, white, and blue regulars — goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart and defender Rachel Buehler — is rookie forward Kelley O’Hara.

The sides square off on March 28th in San Diego (TV: Fox Soccer Channel) and March 31st in Sandy, Utah (TV:ESPN2).

FC Gold Pride opened their training camp on Monday. They’ll be holding a closed-door scrimmage today against Japanese side TEPCO Mareeze, the same side that will feature in Saturday’s free exhibition that begins at 6:30 at the Mustang Soccer Complex in Danville. Look for a report from training camp on this week’s Center Line Soccer podcast.

Earthquakes place defender Aaron Pitchkolan on waivers

The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the team has placed defender Aaron Pitchkolan on waivers. With MLS extending the date of roster compliance due to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Quakes have been able to carry extra players beyond the original March 1st date. As such, the coaching staff has been afforded additional time to evaluate the candidates for the 24 roster spots available for the 2010 season. With over 24 players participating in preseason camp, some cuts were inevitable over the coming weeks. Read more…

Quakes to host Real Salt Lake in U.S. Open Cup qualifying match

The San Jose Earthquakes posted another victory today - albeit the victory came in the form of a coin toss deciding who would host their first round U.S. Open Cup play-in match with Real Salt Lake. The match will be announced at a later date, but must be completed before the end of the month of April. Read more…

Soccer fever: catch it!

The rabid enthusiasm of soccer supporters is well known; fandom could probably be defined as one of the most contagious diseases known to humankind since one rarely becomes a footie follower without contact from others. As it turns out, though, there is something even more communicable: actual  viruses. So, as the Earthquakes depart this afternoon for a week in residence at Tottenham Hotspur’s training grounds outside London — check out this cool aerial shot of the facilities — we feel it necessary to point out that those same facilities were closed down last week after several players caught a “vomiting bug,” as the Guardian reported. (Well, sort of closed down. As Goal.com notes, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, apparently channeling Yogi Berra, told reporters, “We’ve closed the training ground. Everything is off limits. We’re just going to train there and that’s it.”)

On the bright side, this story provides a perfect excuse to re-introduce the soundtrack to the Solar-Powered Soccer Blog, as we pick a tune from our favorite band that’s named after a disease.

 

There’s more news from across the pond, too. Former Earthquakes Darren Huckerby and Davide Somma get some ink — er, pixels — over the latter’s loan to English fourth division side Lincoln City. Hucks compliments Somma, saying “When I saw him in America I thought he had everything you need to be a decent player,” then adds this cryptic comment: “He was unlucky not to play more games at San Jose but things are very different over there, sometimes if your face doesn’t fit you don’t get picked.” Is this some weird English idiom? As far as we remember, Somma’s face seemed to fit, just like everyone else’s, right between his ears.

The FC Gold Pride brain trust decided recently that Brandi Chastain didn’t fit into their plans anymore, and she is, understandably, none too pleased about it. She told the Mercury News last month that she thought she deserved a try-out, and the American soccer icon told Big Apple Soccer that her departure left “a bitter taste in my mouth.” This is hardly surprising — in fact, it’s an indication that the remarkable drive that pushed Chastain to compete at the highest level and to return to the pro ranks as a 40-year-old mom last season still motivates her now. Today, USA Today’s Beau Dure notes that she has another issue to raise: Is Marta too expensive for WPS? An interesting rhetorical question, to which we reply “How could WPS claim to be the best women’s league in the world without the best player in the world?”

In any case, Brandi fans, fret not — you’ll get a chance to see her later this month when she appears March 14 as the guest speaker at the seventh annual Salinas Californian All-Star High School Soccer Classic at Salinas High School, details of which are here.

That’s all the news for the day — we’ll let you return your attention to the rockin’ performance by The Hives you see above. Man, that tune is positively infectious, don’t you think?

Andre Luiz undergoes successful knee surgery

The San Jose Earthquakes announced earlier today that midfielder Andre Luiz Moreira underwent successful surgery last Friday, Feb. 26. Andre Luiz had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. Earthquakes team orthopedist Dr. Mike Oberlander performed the surgery at the Sequoia Surgical Pavilion. Read more…

Earthquakes hold off Cal in 3-0 victory

The San Jose Earthquakes kicked off the month of March with a 3-0 victory over the University of California Golden Bears at West Valley College in Saratoga. A first half finish from Ryan Johnson, along with second half strikes from Brad Ring and Quincy Amarikwa gave the Quakes their fourth win of the preseason. Read more…

Quakes sign Argentine midfielder Javier Robles

The San Jose Earthquakes made their official announcement earlier this afternoon that Argentine midfielder Javier Robles has signed with the team. The compact 25 year old has been training with the team since they left for their Arizona camp in early February, as he waited on approval of his contract status with MLS. Per league policy, the details of his contract were not disclosed. Read more…

Quakes dominate Fresno in 3-2 win

Despite the blemish of two late goals from Fresno, the San Jose Earthquakes registered a solid 3-2 victory against the Fuego on Saturday night. Center Line Soccer’s Embele Awipi was on hand for the action and offers these notes from the game, as well as a minute-by-minute match report and brief post-game comments from Ike Opara and Frank Yallop— editor.

FRESNO — Neither rain nor sleet nor CBA could keep the game from happening. In front of about a thousand fans, San Jose dominated play but held off a late charge to win 3-2 against The Fresno Fuego. Goals from Bobby Convey and trialists Omar Jessey and Javier Robles gave the Quakes a 3-0 lead in their first regulation exhibition before the hosts pulled back two goals in the last ten minutes. Read more…

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