A result is possible if Quakes keep their shape

The word of the day is SHAPE, SHAPE, SHAPE. If the Earthquakes learned anything from the performance against Columbus, I believe it can be described in one word. Yep you guessed it. Now repeat after me: SHAPE. Read more

I bet you’d look good on the Buck Shaw

It’s been a few days since the news has emerged that former Norwich City star Darren Huckerby is being pursued by the Quakes, and the rumors seem to be heating up.

The fact that Huckerby is leaving the Canaries at all has come as a shock to the club’s fans, who have responded by lobbying for a testimonial match and creating YouTube tribute videos (the Arctic Monkeys soundtrack is a nice touch, we think). As for the tribute match, Huckerby’s former teammate Iwan Roberts is all for it, according to the Pink’Un. (The Pink’Un story also makes liberal use of quotes from stories from Center Line Soccer’s Jeff Carlisle and Elliott Almond of the Mercury News.)

Speaking of Yallop, he’s quoted quite a bit in a story by Ipswich Town correspondent Mark Armstrong on MyFootballWriter.com:

Yallop, who won the Player of the Year accolade from the Portman Road fans 20 years ago, said: “The league rules say that Toronto have first refusal on Darren but I am sure he will be aware of our interest via his agent.

“I must stress, however, that we will only be able to do something if Toronto decide, for whatever reason, not to pursue their interest in signing him or if Darren turns down the chance to go there.

“We are next in line and I can’t deny I would love to have Darren here. He is a player I have admired for a number of years and I have always liked the way he plays the game.

“Darren is pacy, he goes straight at opponents and usually past them, plus he has a number of tricks and a decent scoring record. He’s exciting, a potential match-winner and the fans over here would love his style of play.”

“I have been looking at DVDs of him playing for Norwich in the season just ended and I can see he still has plenty to offer, but I cannot say any more than that at this stage.

“I think Darren intends to come out here, visit Toronto and then depending on how he feels he might come and give us a look in San Jose. I suppose things should be a lot clearer in a week or two.”

Considering the fierce rivalry between Ipswich Town and Norwich City, it probably seems a bit odd to those in the UK that a Tractor Boys legend like Yallop would speak so glowingly of Huckerby. Bearing in mind Yallop’s last place of employment, however, it’s not something Quakes fans would likely have a problem with.

• • •
In other news:-Oakland A’s GM and Earthquakes executive VP of Sports Operations Billy Beane’s efforts to quantify the various components that make up the Beautiful Game are drawing more attention in England, according to this story on Bloomberg.com.

- The Earthquakes’ weekly update is here.

- Joe Cannon shares his thoughts on Mothers’ Day in his latest blog for the Quakes.

Das Auto = Dollars in DC

Looking around the league…

The Big News in MLS recently is DC United’s 5 year, $14 million deal to have Volkswagen as their jersey sponsor. According to Reuters News Service, it’s the second biggest jersey sponsorship contract in MLS (after Herbalife’s deal with the Galaxy) and means that now 9 of 14 MLS teams have such sponsorships.

This, like the stadiums coming on line, is very good news for MLS. Doing the math, the VW deal pays for the entire DC United roster (yes, including Marcelo Gallardo’s designated player contract). Nice. My favorite part of the deal: at future United games, the first 50 Volkswagens to enter a certain RFK parking lot will get to park for free. Better and better.

Meanwhile, down in Santa Clara, the Quakes have a “Colonel’s Corner” at the Buck Shaw Stadium, sponsored by KFC. But with all the food booths, I couldn’t find any fried chicken at the game. Am I missing something? Or is KFC?

The LA Galaxy traveled to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on Tuesday to play the USL1 Vancouver Whitecaps in an exhibition game. 37,104 came out to see Dave Beckham (Landon Donovan was not even on the bench) and a Whitecaps 2-1 win. Now, get ready for Alexi Lalas (or some other Galaxy suit) to start whining about how tough their schedule is, and how much they have to travel, etc., as soon as they’re done counting the money.

The Galaxy has defined “success” not as winning trophies, but as becoming a $100 million franchise, so as I see it, everything’s going according to plan. This is fine by me, if it weren’t for all the whining (they’re the ones scheduling these games in the first place) and the fact that one of their starting eleven, midfielder Brandon McDonald, is being paid an intern’s stipend of $12,900 for the season.

The MLS brass defends such low “developmental player” salaries by saying they’re on par with what entry-level baseball players make in the Class A minor leagues. OK, but when a baseball player makes the majors (even without starting in 6 out of 7 games like McDonald has) he gets paid a major league salary. I hope Beckham (or Lalas) at least gives McDonald a ride to and from the games. With gas prices so high, that $12,900 doesn’t go as far as it used to.

With the Premiership season over, my Saturday mornings are suddenly empty. The season ended on an up note, as it was great to see Fulham survive the relegation battle, sparked by the return of Brian McBride (the most underrated, under-hyped, and under appreciated American player going) to grab four wins in their final five games. McBride scored the opening goal in two of those four wins.

With five Yanks on the Fulham roster (McBride, Kasey Keller, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, and Eddie Johnson), they’ve earned a spot in my heart (though I’m still a solid Liverpool supporter). It wasn’t that long ago that there weren’t five Americans in the entire Premiership – and four of those Fulham five came up through MLS. Sweet.

To finish this week’s round-up: I was surprised to see MLS Commissioner Garber (on his blog on MLSnet.com) defend the practice of fans throwing streamers on the field. He says it’s a “unique phenomenon that happens all over the soccer world,” (unique in that it doesn’t happen in sports like baseball and NFL football).

Sure, some jerks throw stuff on the field in other countries: streamers, coins, water bottles, baggies full of urine, and at least one lit road flare (launched from the upper deck of San Siro). Such behavior is one of the many “unique phenomenons” that plague the sport, like racist chants, violent battles between “ultra” supporters, and the occasional match-fixing scandal.

OK, throwing streamers is not anywhere near as bad as those other things, but as I see it, none of this crap has a place in the Beautiful Game. Yes, as the Commish says, the “fans are part of the game experience… and part of what will drive (MLS’) future success.” But go to a game at places like Anfield, and you’ll see that you couldn’t ask for more passion, intensity, or a better game experience. And there won’t be one piece of paper on the pitch.

It’s called “respect for the game,” and throwing streamers at players taking corner kicks (yeah “1906” supporters, this means you, too) is bush league.

Quakes second in line for Huckerby

San Jose G.M. John Doyle confirmed to CLS today that former Norwich attacker Darren Huckerby is “a player that we’re interested in,” while also admitting that Toronto FC “have 100% of his rights,” at least as they relate to MLS.

Huckerby was released from his contract at the end of the just-concluded English season, and is in the market for a new club. But TFC were the first MLS team to place a discovery claim on him, giving them the right of first refusal should the 32-year-old decide to cross the Atlantic.

If Toronto decides not to sign Huckerby, the Quakes, who filed a discovery claim of their own after TFC did, would be free to pursue the winger. Doyle added that working out a trade with Toronto is also a possibility, although he admitted he doesn’t know if that is something the Canadian side would be open to.

“I don’t know [TFC’s] salary cap all that well or what their plans are,” said Doyle. “I can’t read their mind. But if we had an opportunity we’d be interested in him for sure.”

Even if the Quakes were to jump to the front of the line for Huckerby, Doyle stated that a lot of leg-work would still need to be done. This would include determining Huckerby’s  level of form and fitness, his level of interest in coming stateside, as well as his wage demands.

“We can want [Huckerby], but does he want us? Does he want the MLS?” said Doyle.

When asked if there were other discovery claims pending, Doyle admitted that the Quakes had “10 discoveries out there” on file with the league, although he wouldn’t elaborate on who those players were.

Given that the Quakes are winless in their last four league and cup matches, there is a tempation to think time is of the essence, and that a deal needs to be done soon. Doyle feels that kind of thinking is a trap to be avoided.

“We don’t want to be impatient, [because of] one result, or one performance,” said Doyle. “Then you panic and you make poor decisions. That’s one thing for sure we won’t do.”

Quakes chasing a Canary?

Besides things we’d rather forget — like the fact that Columbus set a team record with 18 corner kicks on Saturday, and the Crew’s Robbie Rogers was named MLS Player of the Week after his brace against the Quakes — there’s one interesting item in the news, courtesy of the UK-based publication Pink’un.

According to their story, the Quakes and Toronto FC are both chasing former Norwich City forward Darren Huckerby:

The 32-year-old was axed by Norwich manager Glenn Roeder last week and is being linked with a whole host of new challenges after his four-and-a-half years at Carrow Road, with a move overseas looking the favourite.

Huckerby has already been rumoured to be heading for Toronto, who are in their second season in Major League Soccer, with reports at the weekend claiming San Jose Earthquakes are also interested.

However, Toronto would appear to have the advantage - they already have former Norwich team-mates Jim Brennan and Carl Robinson, who are currently captain and vice-captain respectively - on their books and, according to the report, have first refusal on the player.

Huckerby is primarily a forward but can also play on the left wing. His career stats with the Canaries show a total of 48 goals in 203 appearances, although his output dropped to just five goals in 37 total appearances in the recently completed 2007-08 season. His Wikipedia entry notes that he was named Norwich City player of the year in 2005 and 2007.

The Monday morning midfielder

Frank Yallop has clearly forgotten more about soccer than I, or most other media types will ever know. But in the aftermath of Saturday’s meltdown against Columbus, it’s clear that even for someone as astute as Yallop, the best-laid plans can sometimes go awry.

Read more

Ramiro Corrales Post-Game Interview

Ramiro talks to Center Line Soccer about his first MLS goal in almost four years and the heartbreaking result against the MLS leading Columbus Crew.

Post-game press panoply

Ouch. That one hurt.

The Quakes’ defense had been relatively solid so far this year. Sure, there were some mistakes that led to goals, but giving up an average of a goal a game is going to get you pretty far in MLS. So, after shutting out the highly-touted offense of FC Dallas last week, following similarly decent defensive results against New York, Colorado, and Chicago, more emphasis was placed on offense. Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop told us that he wanted his players to have the attitude that “I’m going into this match looking to score a goal,” and it worked. The Quakes scored twice. The bad news is that they let in three, thanks to an ugly 11-minute span in the second half that saw Columbus slice open the Quakes defense with the deadly combination of speed and diagonal through balls. (Full credit to Columbus, though — that’s the best team we’ve seen in MLS so far this year.)

What makes this loss more challenging is that it brings into question the team’s depth. Last night’s performance looked like someone trying to cover a bowl full of leftovers with a piece of plastic wrap that was just a little too small. If you cover one half, you leave the other half exposed. Stretch the wrap to cover both sides and you may open up a hole in the middle.

The easy way out would be to say “they’re just not good enough,” or “they need better players,” but we think that sells the current roster short. The Quakes have talented players all over the field, guys who have already proven themselves in MLS. What they’re lacking is the intuitive understanding of their teammates’ play — where they’ll be at any moment, how they move, and what decisions they’ll make in a certain situation. Soccer at this level is a game of collective improvisation, and that kind of understanding doesn’t appear overnight.

This is a difficult loss and it’s sure to test the team’s resilience. But if they remain committed to each other and to the direction of the coaching staff, they can turn this experience into a new resolve to dig a bit deeper to find ways to succeed.

Here’s today’s media roundup:

- Center Line Soccer’s Jeff Carlisle turned in three stories for MLSnet.com last night: a match report and post-game wrap-ups highlighting the Quakes and the Crew. MLS also provides video highlights of the match here.

- Game coverage is also provided by the Mercury News, the Columbus Dispatch, and the Associated Press (provided here by the International Herald Tribune).

Shea Salinas Post-Game Interview

Shea Salinas reflects on his role as a “super-sub” and compares Buck Shaw Stadium to the Oakland Coliseum.  Apologies for the audio problems during the first two questions.

San Jose bonus quotes: Quakes vs. Crew

Quakes head coach Frank Yallop:

“Disappointing to lose the match. You score two at home, which is what we’d talked about all week, we score two goals in the end and end up conceding three.”

“I think Ronnie’s chance at 1-0 was a good chance for us to maybe get a good lead in the game, and maybe we would have gone on to win it, but it wasn’t to be.”

On whether the Quakes’ substitutions hurt the team’s defensive discipline:

“I don’t think so…we were under the kosh before I made the change. I felt that Columbus were coming on to us, getting  a lot of set plays, and I think you try to make a change a to make a difference. It sparked us a little bit. Ryan [Johnson] ended up scoring. Shea [Salinas] didn’t do badly. They’re not at the back, but the defending starts with the whole team.”

“We didn’t play particularly well tonight. It didn’t feel like we played well…It was an unusual game. We stumbled a bit with the ball.”

On the reason for the O’Brien substitution:

“He’s not been training fully the whole time. He’d come out the last time around the 60th minute or so. I felt that putting Gavin up front…and I felt that Ned was playing fine, I felt he could last the game a little bit better than Ronnie.”

On whether the team missed Ryan Cochrane:

“I wouldn’t say the back four were horrendous, but in the end, we conceded three goals, and that’s hard to take. I don’t like to make judgements because I want to look at the tape again, see where the stuff comes from and go from there.”

“I don’t think anyone was really terrific and I don’t think anyone was really bad tonight. Team-wise, we just looked loose.”

Defender Nick Garcia:

“We made Robbie Rogers look very, very good tonight.”

On how Columbus were able to get in behind so easily late in the game: 

“A mental lapse for us, maybe not being as compact from the back line into the midfielders. It gave them more of an opportunity to win some second balls and be a little bit more adventerous. We were a step or two behind closing the ball down, tackling. In turn, it wasn’t just one play, it was a succession of plays where maybe we could have broken it up in the midfield, made a better pass. It was no one individual. It was multiple guys, but hey, we’re a team, we win and we lose together. It was disappointing.”

On how much this hurts the team’s confidence:

“It hurts a little bit. Whether it’s game five, or game 15, or game 45, a loss is a loss. ”

Ronnie O’Brien:

Was this a game you let get away?

“Yeah. We got lucky a couple times. They hit the bar and they came close a couple of times. But then we went up and scored, and at the end of the half we were controlling the game and I thought we were doing pretty well in the first half.

“In the second half we had a couple of chances. I had a chance I should have put away, and then they start controlling the game, they put in a few good balls behind us, they take their chances and they win the game.”

Was fatigue a factor?

“No. I think we’re a pretty fit club. It was just one of those things. Three good passes. Whether we were in bad positions or gave them too much space in the midfield, those are things where we have to do better. You don’t blame individuals. It’s not one individual mistake. As a team we have to do better.”

Next Page »