Thursday afternoon update

Yes, it’s another post for the blog today. And we thought two-a-days only happened in pre-season!

- Before we get to anything else, we want to let everyone know that the 1906 Ultras are sponsoring a road trip to the Earthquakes/Chivas USA match at Home Depot Center on August 23. The group has chartered a bus as well as discount seats in section 138, and total cost including game tickets and transportation is $70. If you’d like to have the 1906 Ultras experience but want to make your own transportation arrangements, you can do that, too. Full details are here. Make your reservations early — space is limited!

- We have confirmed with the Quakes that the trade of Ivan Guerrero was required in part to get the team down to the MLS mandated senior roster limit of 18 players, as we noted this morning. When the team acquired Arturo Alvarez, that pushed the number to 19, and with the sudden glut of left-sided players — Darren Huckerby, Alvarez, Ryan Johnson, and Guerrero all play left mid — Guerrero was the odd man out. It’s unfortunate, because he was universally admired as a model professional among the players and staff, but this was deemed to be the team’s best option at this time. (It did not help Guerrero’s cause that he was making so much money — $147,000, according to the MLS Players Union. That’s more than any MLS side can afford to pay a player who’s not in their starting eleven.)

- We mentioned last week that video from the Gary Radnich interview with Huckerby had garnered over 60,000 views on YouTube. Today, after a few days in the London Guardian newspaper’s list of “Our favourite things this week,” that total has nearly doubled and now stands at 118,380, due almost entirely to Radnich’s good-natured banter which was, sadly, also almost completely ignorant of anything factual about soccer.

Looking at the YouTube page now, most of the comments on the video criticize Radnich for his lack of knowledge and/or research. It’s too bad, then, that so few people will hear the following interview on KNBR from Brian Murphy of the Murph & Mac show. Our compliments to Murphy for conducting an informative, well-researched interview.

Kudos to Huckerby, too, for immediately recognizing the importance of Sunday’s match: “It’s a local derby, or as local as you’re going to get, so  I expect it’s going to be pretty intense.” That’s the spirit!

- There’s still no official comment from the Quakes about the potential acquisition of St. Vincent & the Grenadines international Marlon James. We’re hoping to have more information tomorrow — no promises, though.

From MSL to MLS?

We don’t know why people sometimes mix up “MLS” and turn it into “MSL,” but it’s a mistake we’ve heard more than once. (Usually from Britain, for some reason.) Turns out there is an MSL after all, though: the Malaysian Super League. And, as it turns out, it may soon have something in common with MLS, although we really have more questions than answers at this point.

Yesterday, The Star, a newspaper in Malaysia, reported that Marlon Alex James, the star forward for Kedah, a team that has dominated the MSL in recent years, wants to leave the team to join San Jose. (Kedah, by the way, is pronounced “k-DAH,” which sounds like a word Lieutenant Worf would have used to describe some obscure Klingon rite. But we digress.)

According to The Star, James said that he and teammate Cornelius Bernard Huggins “have received offers to play for San Jose Earthquakes … I have been offered a two-year contract and I have set my heart on a move and to take on a new challenge.”

Not long after that story appeared, this interview from what appears to be ESPN Malaysia appeared on YouTube, in which James reiterated his desire to leave Kedah as soon as possible for San Jose:

Kedah’s manager Azraai Khor responded quickly, telling ESPN Malaysia that he expected James to see out his contract, which runs through August 31.

So, what to make of it all? We haven’t been able to get the Quakes to comment on any of this but, since this is the Internet, we’re going to make a few guesses.

First off, when we interviewed Quakes GM John Doyle about a month ago, he mentioned that “we have people watching (Caribbean national team) matches that are sending us video on those guys,” and since both James and Huggins play for St. Vincent and Grenadines (the same nation of longtime MLS defender Ezra Hendrickson), it’s entirely possible that the team is aware of the players.

It’s easy to see why they would at least be interested in taking a closer look at James. During his time in Malaysia, the striker has racked up some serious numbers for Kedah. He topped the MSL scoring charts with 23 goals in 24 games during the 2007-08 season, as Kedah won the MSL championship for the second year running. In fact, Kedah has already won the Malaysian FA Cup this year, leaving the Malaysia Cup as the only trophy they need to complete a second consecutive treble.

His play looks pretty solid, too, as seen on this YouTube clip:

That’s a nice turn and shot to score on the half-volley. On the other hand, James’ Wikipedia entry lists him as 6′ 2″, and he looks to be much taller than most of his opponents, and that’s not going to be an advantage he would enjoy in MLS, where center backs routinely top the six foot mark.  While James scored against Canada last month in a World Cup qualifier, it was reported that the first time the two teams met, James “was stifled by Canada’s Adrian Serioux, allowing him little space throughout the match.” Serioux, currently with FC Dallas, has played for several seasons in MLS.

The final item in the “we’ll believe it when we see it” category is the fact that Huggins, who James claims has also been offered a deal in San Jose, is a 34-year-old central defender, which is not exactly a position where the Quakes are lacking depth. The fact that Huggins did not catch on in either MLS or the USL after spending 2003 with the USL-1 Virginia Beach Mariners also hurts the credibility of that claim.

In any case, the situation will have to resolve itself quickly, since the MLS transfer window closes on August 15. Kedah’s cooperation will be required as well, since James’ contract does not expire until the 31st, and the club is still in the running for their treble.

Time will tell. We’ll pass along new information as we get it.

Guerrero sent to DC United

The Washington Post’s Steven Goff is reporting that San Jose’s Ivan Guerrero has been acquired by DC United for a partial allocation. The move allows San Jose to meet MLS roster requirements after the acquisition of Arturo Alvarez from FC Dallas.

Guerrero, 30, made 13 starts and came off the bench once for the Quakes, spending time at both left back and left midfield.  His finest moment in blue and black came when he scored the game-winning goal against Houston at Buck Shaw Stadium on May 22.

The trade is also being reported on DC United’s official blog and on Soccer by Ives.

Breathe….breathe in the air

Given that I’m about to head to China for the Olympics, the Pink Floyd reference seems apt.

Read more

The greatest rivalry in MLS rumbles again

If there was ever any doubt about the biggest rivalry in American soccer, it looks like it was settled today, when a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck Los Angeles. The LA Times reports that there “were no reports of major damage or injuries,” which leads us to believe that the damage from the Earthquakes won’t occur until Sunday, from roughly 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., and it will be confined to an area sized roughly 110 yards by 72 yards in Oakland. There will be no fatalities, but we hope that personnel are standing by anyway to treat the bruised egos and crushed hopes of the Angelenos.

The big news today, however, is the arrival of another prodigal son. This time, it’s Arturo Alvarez, now in his sixth year in MLS at the ripe old age of 23. Since he left San Jose in 2005, he’s developed into a dangerous attacker. “When we drafted Alvarez, you saw flashes of what he’s doing (now) in maybe three plays a game,” Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop told Center Line Soccer’s Jeff Carlisle for a story we ran in May. “I think now he’s doing it for 90 minutes. I think he’s worked out what it takes to do well in this league. He plays simple when he needs to, but when he needs that bit of magic, he has it. He’s dangerous. I think he was excellent last year for Dallas — if not their best player, one of them.”

Alvarez had a breakout year in 2007, as you can see on this highlight reel that FC Dallas put together. (Special bonus: a soundtrack from The Hives.)

As for the trade itself, we’ve been told that it came together quickly on Monday and was not on the table when Kei Kamara was dealt to Houston last Thursday. That trade, which gave the Quakes additional allocation money as well as Houston’s first round pick in the 2009 SuperDraft, supplied the Quakes with the additional flexibility they needed to land Alvarez.

Alvarez has been listed as a forward on the Earthquakes’ roster, so it looks like Yallop’s intention is to play him up top. He told CLS in May that being closer to goal helps the youngster, noting “his assets are around the goal.” However, considering Yallop’s recent interest in trying out a 4-3-3, there’s no telling exactly where he may end up on the field when the Earthquakes hit Oakland on Sunday.

• • •

In other news, it may be the end of the line for former Earthquakes great Ronald Cerritos. San Jose’s all-time leading scorer, now 33, was released by Real Maryland FC (yes, even Maryland has royalty now), a USL-2 team.

State of the League: Growing

Don Garber’s state of the league address at the All-Star Game showed why the man makes Designated Player money. Don’t you wish your annual employee review session would go as well as his speech did?

For anyone who’s investing their money and/or passion in MLS, all the numbers are trending positive. ESPN’s ratings are up 20% from last year at this time, Univision’s up 10%, and DC United’s TV ratings are better than those of the Washington Nationals. 16,000 season tickets have been sold (not pledged) in Seattle for 2009, 5,000 more in Philadelphia for 2010, and there’s a list of cities competing to join the party.

In his speech, Garber said MLS would expect to expand to 18 teams in the “next couple” of years, and that the league was in “no rush to expand.” By the time that statement found its way to my laptop, I had heard the announcement that MLS had agreed to add two more teams in 2011. Garber mentioned the following expansion possibilities: Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, a second team in New York, Portland, and St. Louis in the U.S. and Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver in Canada.

Let’s take a look at our contestants:

Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami – fuhgetaboutit. There had been some sort of discussions in each city, but nothing much came of any of them.

New York? A good bet, one day, as the original MLS plan called for two NYC teams. But if MLS is hoping the Mets’ owners will build a stadium out in Queens, they’re kind of busy doing just that for their baseball team, so they might be a little cash poor these days. And, how much would the Red Bulls demand for a chunk of NY territorial rights?

Portland? Good idea. A good soccer city, and it also fits on the map nicely between Seattle and San Jose. But since some millionaire sent his kid up there to figure out a stadium plan a few months ago, I haven’t heard a thing.

Ottawa? A latecomer, but after seeing how the team in Toronto is working out, suddenly MLS is a very popular topic among possible Canadian investors. But these guys are a little new to the game, and Garber & Co. really want to see a workable stadium/business plan before they’ll say okay.

As I type this, St. Louis, Vancouver, and Montreal have what it takes to be good to go in 2011. The first nod has to go to St. Louis, where the potential investors patiently sat on their checkbooks as they watched Philadelphia get The Call to be franchise #16. If they don’t get a team, I’d be shocked. Forget all that noise about the long soccer history of that city, they have the money and the stadium plan, and the team would give both Chicago and Kansas City a (much-needed) natural rival.

Vancouver is my choice for spot #2, based on the deal the team signed with the British Columbian government to move into BC Place in 2011, after that stadium’s dome is replaced with a retractable roof (and, please, please, has its turf field replaced by natural grass). Seattle is a long way from anywhere and everywhere in MLS, and the Sounders need somebody in the league closer than a 2-day drive away. Having Steve Nash walking around Toronto All-Star week wearing a Whitecaps jersey didn’t hurt Vancouver’s chances, and those of us who remember the NASL days will tell you Vancouver might come close to equaling Seattle when it comes to season ticket sales.

Montreal is a deserving city with a nice new stadium and a lot of games versus the Rochester Rhinos in their future. Like Portland, the city would fit in well, and they have the money and fan base to be a good addition to the league. And, like the Timbers, I could see the Impact join MLS some day, just not this round.

So, St. Louis and Vancouver? Sounds good to me, if the league realizes they’re going to have to spend a bit to make two more teams deserving of being called “major league.” Listening to Garber’s speech, one thing that still bugs me about the Commish is, in his five central factors essential to the growth of the league, he gets things in the wrong order. He says he wants to “turn North American soccer fans into MLS fans,” then he says he wants to “continue to improve the quality of play.” That’s backwards. To win over those North American soccer fans, MLS will have to continue to improve the overall quality of play. But that’s another column. Today, it’s cheers to Don Garber.

And, yes, I did enjoy watching him getting pelted with streamers during his ESPN interview at BMO Field. “Embrace the passion and electricity that makes soccer the world’s most popular sport,” Don!

Huckerby consigue su primer gol en un empate 1-1 con New York

Darren Huckerby celebra después de anotar su primer gol con los Earthquakes contra los Red Bulls de NY el domingo 27 de julio del 2008. Foto  por John Todd - isiphotos.com/centerlinesoccer.com.

A pesar del dominio y el desenvolvimiento en el primer tiempo de San José, New York sacó la mejor tajada del partido con el temprano autogol y se contuvo con ese tanto, mientras los Earthquakes y los Red Bulls chocaron con un empate 1-1 en el estadio Buck Shaw en Santa Clara.

“Pienso que el primer tiempo fue probablemente lo mejor que hemos jugado este año”, indicó el técnico de los Earthquakes Frank Yallop. “Nosotros obviamente les regalamos un gol a ellos muy prematuro, pero había sólo un equipo en la primer tiempo… Pienso que el día de hoy estuvimos muy bien, y yo fui realmente feliz con el espíritu, la unión y todo la creación de posibilidades”.

“Definir es algo que no podemos hacer ahora, pero llegara el momento”. Read more

Los Quakes anotaron dos goles… ¡Pero Empató!

El estadio de Back Shaw fue el escenario del regreso de los Quakes donde se jugarían los próximos nueve de los trece partidos restantes de la Major league Soccer (MLS) Los Red Bulls 5-6-6 se enfrentaron a los Quakes por segunda ocasión. El primer enfrentamiento fue en abril en New Jersey con una victoria de 2-0 sobre el equipo azul. Ante 9,046 fieles aficionados los Quakes consiguieron un punto que los mantiene todavía en sotano de la Conferencia del Oeste. Read more

Quakes acquire Arturo Alvarez from Dallas

Arturo Alvarez returns to San Jose after three-and-a-half seasons with FC Dallas. Photo: John Todd, centerlinesoccer.com/ isiphotos.com.

Another former Earthquake is rejoining the club as  San Jose today acquired midfielder/forward Arturo Alvarez from FC Dallas. In exchange, the Quakes sent an undisclosed amount of allocation money and the first round draft pick the team acquired last week from Houston, part of the exchange for Kei Kamara. Read more

Today, it’s pureed tomatoes with a touch of vinegar

Or, in other words, today we’re playing catch-up.

(Sorry about that. A few days off and we’re resorting to puns to kick off the blog. It’s a sad state of affairs.)

We’ll start by rewinding to Thursday, when the Quakes announced that the trade of Kei Kamara to Houston for a first-round pick in the 2009 SuperDraft and allocation money. From our perspective, this looks like a decent deal for both clubs. Kamara, despite some evidence to the contrary, is a player with some upside, and he’s going to fare a lot better in Houston, where he will not relied on for 90 minutes every week. To draw a comparison from baseball, when Tony La Russa managed the A’s, his rule for developing young players was to put  them in situations where they could succeed. It didn’t matter how small their role was — just give them a task they could accomplish so their confidence could grow. Out of necessity, the Quakes started Kamara at every opportunity, and he was clearly overwhelmed by the situation towards the end of his stay in San Jose. A fresh start will be good for him and, if it provides the Quakes with the means of acquiring another player, it will be good for San Jose, too. The draft is a crap shoot, allocation money can always come in handy.

On to Sunday against Los Toros Rojos. (Yes, we’re still avoiding use of the English version of their name because we’re not big fans of the whole “build your brand by naming your soccer team after your energy drink” thing.) Our match report is here, along with our photo gallery and Harvey Rañola’s video interview with Scott Sealy. We’ve also posted post-game audio from Frank Yallop and New York coach Juan Carlos Osorio and forward Juan Pablo Angel.

Our impressions of the match? Well, Darren Huckerby played like a Rockstar, Francisco Lima is starting to look like he could be a real Monster in the midfield,  and we loved how the Quakes came out Full Throttle after conceding the own goal, with a display of Relentless attacking. Sealy demonstrated some speed, too — he can go, and Go Fast. Aside from not bringing home all three points, we really got a Kick out of yesterday’s performance.

Here’s the rest of the press roundup for today:

- MLSnet has a match report and post-game piece from our own Pete Ratajczak, as well as video highlights.
- The Mercury News and San Mateo Daily Journal have match reports as well. Our compliments to the Daily Journal’s Michael Erler for working in a Martin Heidegger reference, thereby bridging the gap between soccer and 20th century existentialist thought. We await his essay analyzing Yallop’s  team building and player acquisition strategies vis-a-vis Hegel’s dialectics.

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