The Official Sam Cronin thread

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by jetdog9, Jan 11, 2011.

  1. SJTillIDie

    SJTillIDie Member+

    Aug 23, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
     
  2. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    He's had some nice assists, but to actually score a goal - extremely rare. Don't get used to it :). His medium / long range shots are generally very bad. But I appreciate the great run and goal he scored on Saturday. Reminds me of Richard Mulrooney's brilliant run and goal in the 2003 MLS Cup.
     
  3. ColinMcCarthy

    ColinMcCarthy Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    San Jose, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    I don't agree with this. He hit the post in Sounders USOC game. He hits the ball well.
     
  4. elvinjones

    elvinjones Member

    Jul 4, 2011
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Great finish by Cronin.
     
  5. markmcf8

    markmcf8 Member+

    Oct 18, 1999
    Vancouver, WA, USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In warm ups, I've seen Sam rip the goal from distance. He's got a wicked shot when he's focused. But in games, he shoots more like Ramiro. :(

    That was a great finish though. He had a big GK bearing down on him, and he focused on the job and hand and jabbed it home. Clutch goal too.

    On the downside, it was his boneheaded play, running into Chavez that gifted the cheating SpiceUnderwearBoy that freekick and their first goal. Sam should have just left Chavez alone and continued running into the box to block Magee from in front.

    Oh well, we won!!

    GO QUAKES!!

    - Mark
     
  6. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    If by "hits the ball well" you mean he can kick it high over the goal then I agree with you. I think this is his first goal in 4 years or so, and it wasn't a medium range set-up shot. It was a sliding poke deal.
     
  7. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  8. SJTillIDie

    SJTillIDie Member+

    Aug 23, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Cronin's goal - view from the Ultras section:

     
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  9. KMJvet

    KMJvet BigSoccer Supporter

    May 26, 2001
    Quake Country
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm very pleased with Cronin's season thus far. He was a little hot and cold in preseason, but he's settled in to being a guy you can rely on game in and game out....just quietly getting the job done.
     
  10. markmcf8

    markmcf8 Member+

    Oct 18, 1999
    Vancouver, WA, USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Cronin and Baca Rule!

    Great article about how dominating these two are, and how well they work together.

    “I think [Rafael] Baca and Sam Cronin were great in the middle of our midfield,” Yallop said. “They bossed it. They made sure it was difficult to play against them, and they were clean on the ball. It was great.”

    “I thought our midfield won the game for us tonight,” said Wondolowski, who did his part with his first hat trick of 2012. “I wish [Baca and Cronin] had trackers on them. If you see how much ground they cover – they’re such smart players; you think you have [an open] pass and they cut it out."

    “Rafa pulls the strings, as you can see,” San Jose goalkeeper Jon Busch said. “He’s been fantastic so far this year.”

    “Sammy’s a little bulldog in the midfield,” Busch said. “You can’t count out the little guys; they’ve got a lot of bite to them. ... To me, he reminds me a lot of Logan Pause and Chris Armas, two guys I regard very highly that I played with in Chicago. Sammy fits into that mold. He breaks a lot of plays up, he gets in on tackles. He does all the dirty work that nobody else notices or wants to do.”

    Great stuff! and what have I been saying this season?! Baca and Croninja are the engine that makes our team go. (With critical help from Shea and Chavez, and Lionheart and Wondo, and Bernardez, JM, and Beta.)

    OK, so I just credited almost the whole team. Still, Rafael and Sam just rule the midfield!!

    GO QUAKES!!

    - Mark
     
  11. bsman

    bsman Member+

    May 30, 2001
    MadCity
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    No argument here. I've long thought that Cronin is under-appreciated!
     
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  12. ColinMcCarthy

    ColinMcCarthy Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    San Jose, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Can someone smarter than me tally our record when Cronin and Baca start at CM?
     
  13. sportsfan-quakes

    Mar 19, 2005
    San Jose
    The Quakes are 6-1-2 with them starting in the middle, and 6-3-2 with them in other positions or not starting. Not that much difference, but still pretty impressive record with them starting in the middle.
     
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  14. ColinMcCarthy

    ColinMcCarthy Member+

    Apr 2, 2010
    San Jose, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Given that we only have four losses, 75% have come when they do not start in the middle.
     
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  15. markmcf8

    markmcf8 Member+

    Oct 18, 1999
    Vancouver, WA, USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah. We're better with Baca and Cronin playing together in central mid.

    The fact that they are both young is great too. We could see this pair continue to own the midfield for years to come.

    GOOOO QUAAAAAKES!!!!!

    - Mark
     
  16. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  17. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. falvo

    falvo Member+

    Mar 27, 2005
    San Jose & Florence
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Italy
    I had posted last week that I really liked the play of Cronin. He is one of those players who doesn't standout, get accolades or score many goals but he is a midfield general and holds the entire team together. This team definitely has more than one hero but I think Cronin is an integral part of the group. I wouldn't mind him getting a national cap or two to see how he could do at the international level.
     
  19. nivla

    nivla Member+

    Jan 17, 2003
    Milpitas
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
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  20. markmcf8

    markmcf8 Member+

    Oct 18, 1999
    Vancouver, WA, USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    nivla, Thanks for that link! And nice company for Sam!! He rules!!

    GO QUAKES!!!
    GO SAM!!

    - Mark
     
  21. bsman

    bsman Member+

    May 30, 2001
    MadCity
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    That's good to see. I think that Sam's contribution to this season was unheralded but crucial. From my perspective, nobody worked harder over the course of 90-minutes and he provided a solidity to the Quakes middle that had been lacking in prior seasons. I hope he stays with us for many years to come, and since he's the type of player Frank seems to dote on (quiet, hard-working and reliable) I'm confident that as long as he remains healthy he'll be an Earthquake.
     
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  22. OWN(yewu)ED

    OWN(yewu)ED Member+

    Club: Venezia F.C.
    May 26, 2006
    chico, CA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sam was our most improved player last year, he was immense. He keeps the rate up he will be donning national team colors soon. Hes becoming a hell of a player and living up to the draft status he was taken at.
     
  23. nivla

    nivla Member+

    Jan 17, 2003
    Milpitas
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    Brazil
    I want Cronin to be our Xabi Alonso who can lay deep to hold the ball, start the transition to offense and provide killer cross field and diagonal passes on a dime. It is not the Xavi and Ineista quick short passes.
     
  24. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    IMO Cronin's longish passes may be the best part of his game. He generally does quite well with them. Otherwise, as a d-mid, I feel like he's OK, steady but unspectacular, and a little lacking in bite.
     
  25. hc897

    hc897 Member+

    May 3, 2009
    San Jose, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    I think it just looks like he has less bite. He actually was quite respectable in forcing turnovers. His small stature fails the eye test for sure, which should help keep him nice and affordable for a while. It seemed to me that Cronin's biggest issue was his relative lack of success in a system of tandem central midfielders. In a side-by-side system, I'm not sure there's anybody who bests him in the league. Of course, the side-by-side system means that who he gets paired with can change everything, but it worked more often than not for the Quakes.
     

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