Glinton headed to Germany…for surgery

Count Gavin Glinton among the latest athletes to head to Germany for the dreaded sport hernia surgery. According to San Jose head coach Frank Yallop, Glinton will head to Munich, site of the famed office of Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck, early next week and will have the surgery performed. The recovery time is expected to be a couple of weeks.

Yallop added that Glinton would be available as a sub this weekend, but that recent acquisition Peguero Jean Philippe would get his first start of the season.

Mystery Brazilians ID’d; Doyle hints at future plans (updated)

The two Brazilians that have trained with the Quakes on Tuesday and Wednesday have been identified as Morelia duo Marcinho and Wanderson. The two spent the past season playing for Morelia’s entry in the Primera ‘A’ division, the second tier of Mexican soccer.

Marcinho,  also known as Marcio Batista, is a smallish (5-foot-8) forward who scored three goals in 11 matches for Morelia’s ‘B’ team in the just concluded Clausura.

[UPDATED] Marcinho is also the player that scored against Houston in the SuperLiga last year, although I will say the goal owed as much to Zach Wells’ incompetence as it did Marcinho’s composed finish.

Wanderson is a midfielder who is listed at 5-foot-7 on the league’s web site, but after observing him at Thursday’s practice, he seemed taller than that. He also scored three goals for Morelia’s ‘B’ team but did so in 14 matches.

It was Marcinho who scored against Stanford on Tuesday night, while Wanderson assisted on Marchinho’s goal as well as another tally by Julian Nash.

The pair’s Mexico City-based agent, Jose Garcia, indicated that they each have two years left to run on their respective contracts.

After Thursday’s session both Frank Yallop and John Doyle said they were impressed with both players, but that they would not be offering them a contract immediately, and that the two would be returning home on Friday. Doyle added that the Quakes will be bringing in a parade of players until the transfer window reopens in July, at which point they will make a decision on which players will be added to the roster.

“We have the window coming up and we have different agents that we like and trust that bring players our way,” said Doyle. “[The players] have good resumes, so we don’t need to see them for long, we just need to see them. So we’ll probably have a steady stream of guys every week, two or three guys. And then through the whole process, we’ll start to say, ‘Okay, who’s been the best? Who fits us the best? Who fits under the cap?’ And then we’ll make a decision on one of them.”

Or two?

“Maybe five,” Doyle added with a smile. “Who knows? I wouldn’t think that it will just be one. I would think by July, there will be three or four new players that we’re looking at. We’re slowly trying to get more quality as we go, strengthening the whole squad. But who knows. It may be none.”

Quakes reserves best Stanford 3-2

A side comprised entirely of reserves beat Stanford on Tuesday night, 3-2. I was not present, but I’ve been able to glean the following:

– San Jose dominated, going up 3-0 before coughing up a few late goals.

– Goalscorers were Jamil Roberts, Julian Nash (remember him?), and “some Brazilian trialist.”

– Another Brazilian also played. I will get the skinny on both of them when I attend practice on Thursday.

– Peguero Jean Philippe (I’m still not used to that) played about 30 minutes of the second half.

I asked a Quake spokesman why I hadn’t seen Nash at training. Apparently Nash has a day job, doing what I’m not sure. That pretty much illustrates the plight of developmental players in MLS.

Ayres surgery set for this week

Not much news to report on from Tuesday’s practice, other than the fact that Frank Yallop said defender Jay Ayres will have surgery some time this week. According to Yallop, the operation will involve “pinning and plating” in an effort to repair facial fractures, primarily to Ayres left cheekbone, that he sustained in San Jose’s 4-0 U.S. Open Cup loss to Real Salt Lake. The Quakes’ defender is expected to miss about eight weeks, although it could be longer.

Practice observations…

A veritable passel of media types was at practice today to check out the new stadium. I will say the venue looks sharp. Apparently some SRO tickets will be going on sale some time today, so if you don’t have a ticket, time is short.

As for the game, expect Yallop to limit his changes to the back and keep the midfield intact. The back line will look like this:

–Riley–Hernandez–Garcia–Denton

Also, Peguero’s knee is “a little sore” according to Yallop, and he’ll start Saturday’s game as a sub. I’m still of the opinion that his insertion into the starting lineup is only a matter of time. Gavin Glinton. You are on the clock.

I managed to have a brief chat with Ryan Cochrane. Incredibly, you’d never know he’d been involved in the incident described by Yallop as one of the worst he’d ever seen. Just a small bandage near the hairline to cover the 21 stitches (over 3 layers according to Cochrane.) Cochrane complained of some headaches, but said he wishes he could play. Sounds like one of those situations where the trainer is - quite rightly - saving the player from himself. Cochrane will be evaluated next week. It sounds like people are optimistic that he’ll return for the Columbus match, but I wonder if even that is premature. We’ll keep you posted.

I did not get a chance to talk to Jay Ayres, although Yallop said he looked like “he’d been in a car wreck,” which in a sense he had. No word either if surgery will be needed to repair the fractures. Yallop stated that Ayres left cheek had multiple fractures while there was a hairline fracture on the right cheek. I’m thinking that surgery will be necessary, but we’ll see. (And if you’re wondering how I became such an expert in this area, it’s because I broke my cheekbone once, so there you go.)

Head injuries sideline Cochrane, Ayres

Never mind the 4-0 score from last night’s U.S. Open Cup play-in loss to Real Salt Lake. The biggest concern has to surround the condition of San Jose defenders Jay Ayres and Ryan Cochrane, who endured what from all accounts was a sickening clash of heads early in last night’s match that forced both players to leave the game after just 15 minutes.

The prognosis is bad for Ayres and only slightly better for Cochrane. Ayres suffered a facial fracture and is out indefinitely. Cochrane suffered a concussion and a gash that required stitches to close, although I don’t know how many. He will definitely miss this weekend’s match against Dallas. His status beyond that will depend on the severity of the concussion.

So what do you do if you’re Frank Yallop? You’ll likely see Jason Hernandez drafted into the center of defense, James Riley moved to the right, and either Eric Denton or Ivan Guerrero put in at left back. If Yallop opts to put Guerrero in the back, that opens up a myriad of possibilities in midfield. Ramiro Corrales at left-mid and Joe Vide in the middle? Leave the central pairing of Corrales and Ned Grabavoy the same and put Ryan Johnson or Shea Salinas in on the left? Either way, this is not the kind of problem you want to face heading into the Buck Shaw opener.

Grabavoy takes knock; status uncertain for Sunday

The Quakes appear to be almost at full strength for Sunday’s match against New York, especially with the addition of forward Peguero Jean Philippe. The lone exception is midfielder Ned Grabavoy, who took a knee to the thigh at practice on Wednesday and may miss all or part of this weekend’s game.

The injury is not deemed to be serious, and despite sitting out all of Thursday’s practice, Grabavoy is expected to travel with his teammates to New York. There is even a chance that the Indiana University product may yet recover in time to play. If not, Joe Vide, who will be returning to his old stomping grounds this weekend, will take his place.

Quakes taking “wait and see” approach on Zinha

The San Jose Earthquakes’ interest in Mexican international Antonio “Zinha” Naelson has cooled somewhat in recent days, with G.M John Doyle admitting that the MLS side would be adopting a “wait and see” attitude.

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Speaking of knees…

When the Quakes acquired Ronnie O’Brien in preseason, it was reported that one of the reasons his former employers, Toronto FC, gave up on him was that they were afraid his tender right knee would break down again. Given what has transpired over the last several days, those concerns were turned up a notch.

O’Brien sat out part of  last Thursday’s session, was substituted after a very productive hour on Saturday, and sat out part of Tuesday’s session as well. So are the Quakes’ worst fears being realized? Not according to O’Brien. It turns out that the Irishman recently went off some anti-inflammatory medication he was taking, and what do you know, some fluid began to build up in his knee. As a result, O’Brien began a five week course of injections on Monday in order to combat the swelling. He added that he fully expects to train the rest of the week, as well as play in the Sunday matchup against New York. Still, it’s a development that will bear continued scutiny as the season goes on.

Jean Philippe lands; physical begins

For those of you wondering why there is still no official comfirmation of Peguero Jean Philippe’s signing on the Earthquakes’ web site, the reason is simple. He has yet to pass his physical. Exactly when the Quakes expect that to happen, no one is saying and that includes general managner John Doyle who said he wouldn’t comment on Jean Philippe’s status.

Yes, the roaring silence raises the eyebrows a bit. But my take is that given the severity of the knee injury Jean Philippe sustained back in 2006, San Jose is being extra careful to make sure that the Haitian will hold up physically, and the only way to know that is to watch him train for a few days and see how he recovers.

I will say this: Jean Philippe made a good first impression based on his performance at practice on Tuesday. He looked reasonably sharp in his movements, and didn’t look like a guy coming off major knee surgery. He also looks to be a different kind of player when compared to Gavin Glinton and Kei Kamara. Jean Philippe is bigger than both of those performers, and appeared to be a bit more explosive and powerful. Again, it all comes down to how his body recovers.

Could the Quakes back out of the deal? Since it was contingent on Jean Philippe passing the physical, I would think yes, but this is MLS, and things such as voodoo and phases of the moon often dictate how they make decisions. If nothing is announced by Friday, I’d say the deal is in danger of being scuttled.

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