Center Line Soccer

I’m back on American soil for the first time since mid-May, having returned yesterday just in time to see the Quakes nearly pull out a win against the dreaded Galaxy down at Home Depot Center. Thanks to a bit of a mix-up on our end, Center Line won’t be publishing a match report, but that hardly matters at this point because you watched the game on TV last night, right? If not, I’ve surveyed the staff here and we’ve reached a consensus: Going into the match, a draw would have been an acceptable result, but it’s tough to settle for a tie after taking a lead into stoppage time. Speaking for myself, it was odd dreading a late Landon Donovan goal so recently after one sent me and the rest of America’s soccer fans into revelry.

So, is Quakedom happy with the tie? I think the answer is probably yes, as long as the team takes all three points when the teams meet at Buck Shaw Stadium on August 21. The big question then will be whether or not Donovan is still with the team; it would take a ton of cash to buy out his MLS contract but Manchester City has more than enough on hand to spring him. It’s going to be interesting to see what his price tag is if he does move — if it happens, it will likely require a bigger investment than buying an entire MLS team would have required ten years ago.

In other news, Bobby Convey was named to the MLS All-Stars as a replacement for the injured Jonathan Bornstein. So, that big story on our front page right now? I’m pretty sure he doesn’t feel that way anymore, but we’re leaving it up for now to let you know how he felt before Bruce Arena called him in.