Post-match: San Jose Earthquakes - Los Angeles Galaxy Western Conf. Semi Game 2 (Wed., 11/7) postgame thread [R]

Opara is ackward on the ball. Add the fact that the ball from Wondo was just slightly behind which required him to stop his run. With more experience, he would have waited for Wondo's pass before stepping into the shot, but seriously, it would have been a slight miracle for him to score...

 

Would it be a bad idea to look at maybe making JM Alexandre a CB? We did it with BMac and he's the rock of the DCU back line. JMA has a the body, although that's all I have to go off from. It could be something interesting to try in the preseason.

 

24 hours later...still devastated.

However, nothing is going to take a way from a helluva season and how much fun it was. Going into the play-offs I felt we were a year away because of lack of experience in the play-offs. There is a reason teams like Houston and LA keep doing it year after year. It is a different situation. Being English I value the regular season more than anything, but, having said that how can I forget the joy of 2001 and 2003?

I haven't posted much this year because the Quakes seemed to win if I didn't post so I guess superstition took over...

Bottom line yesterday sucked, but, I am damn proud of My Quakes and look forward to next year. We do need to strengthen the squad, but, still have a good young nucleus.

-Richard

 

Now hear this!
Bingham no longer wants to be a replacement for Busch!

He either plays or he is gone!

 

later, David

 

Why? How much does Busch make vs Bingham? Bingham isn't bad.

 

Don't think so....

Daid Bingham Born: October 19, 1989 (age 23)

Jon Busch Born: August 18, 1976 (age 36)

 

Yea you're actually probably right.

I dunno, I've never been particularly impressed with Bingham's play. While we have this champion caliber team for the next couple years, I'd rather have Busch between the pipes, even if Bingham is likely the choice for the long run.

 

I'd say take a gamble with a keeper with upside so that you can improve the back line and the midfield. Busch makes a base salary of 155k. Bingham is at 71k. That is 84k you can use on another CB. Bernardez is only on 100k. Lower Ike's salary by 15k and you can get yourself a solid back line.

 

He will get more time this coming season with CCL and Open Cup.

 

Busch only has six years, so hopefully Bingham will be patient...

 

I toowas disappointed in Wednesday's result. Combine that with a Seattle win last night and i've got a tonne of crow to eat.

I was at the Portland game and there was something i noticed about Opara then...

He wins the aerial game just about every time.

The galactofilth didn't even bother with an aerial game (even if its not their style) because they know SJ has the defenders to get to the ball first if its swung in. Every time SJ got beat it was via the ground.

The Quakes had no passing game to speak of beyond longball and a prayer. Wondo's blatant misses were the biggest sign of trouble.


ugh. is it march yet?

 

again, feh! i gotta pick another horse... houston?

 

Six years? That will make him 42. I like Busch and all and I still think he has what it takes but 6 more years? That is quite a long time for any player to remain on the same club much less an aging GK. I don't foresee him here more than 2 more years, if that.

 

DCU.

 

ABLA: "Anyone but LA"...

 

That's what I was thinking. CCL will enable players like Bingham to get more real playing time and may be just what he needs to progress. If he's around and he shows well next year in those opportunities, he can start pushing for the starting job. Same goes for other young players like Garza, and even guys like Ring, who I think should be given more opportunities to play.

 

Apparently not many here were in the area where the teams head to the locker rooms and missed Gonzales getting into it with Asst. Coach Mark Watson. Gonzales started talking smack, and then tried to instigate a fight - essentially getting into Watson's face, and started pushing and shoving. Gonzales had to be restrained by at least 3 - 4 players from what I could see (was about 30 feet away when it started). It turned into a bit of cluster, and there had to be about 15 people (players and technical staff) involved.

 

This is the kind of stuff that makes my blood boil. The Gals are essentially saying that they turned it on when they needed to, implying that they weren't really trying in the previous meetings. Oh, and also that they were "obviously" and "certainly" the better team in every game that they played against the Quakes. The fact is that the games were for the most part close and competitive, and the Gals were fortunate to have things go their way at the end. I think if you add up goals scored for both teams in the 5 games, it is about even if not even.

“It's when it matters, isn't it?” said Keane, who scored in the 21st and 34th minutes to give LA a 2-1 aggregate lead. “This is when it really counts. Obviously, this year against them we were certainly the better team in every game that we played, but it's about winning games, isn't it? It wasn't to be the last few [meetings], but when it really matters, that's when it counts. And that was tonight.”

I want to see this team get eliminated as soon as possible.

 

I agree that it's just a crappy MLS Ref acting like a crappy MLS Ref. No surprise there, but it should have been a straight red, no doubt about it. And it was a lot worse than Bernardez's thrown elbow, which to be fair, could have and should have been a red card also.

GO QUAKES!!

- Mark

 

In response to bingham vs busch......all season i thought we were just gonna ease in to Bingham starting this next season. But then i see Busch getting all sorts of horizontal on a Beckham freekick from 20 yards out like our final match. He did it all season. Busch is still one of the top goalkeepers in the league. Busch is an absolute boss in the box, you never see confusion from defenders on account of him. In light of this season Im officially in the extend Busch for 4 camp, give him a solid contract. Hes shown no signs of letting up.

Besides......you KNOW in 3 years maximum we are going to homegrown MacLintosh, who is an absolute boss from our academy. And funny enough we have ANOTHER youth goalkeeper getting playing time with the U-17s after MacLintosh. My personal opinion.......but maybe we should look at trading bingham.

Perhaps Bingham for Feilhaber + allocation to take that hefty contract off their hands?

 

He sounds like a head case. Was this at halftime or after game was over?

 

Maybe a two year contract, with an option for more. At his age, a serious injury will take him out, and I wouldn't want to be on the hook for paying a player for two or three years who can't play at all. Go in lots of two years, but by all means, Keep The Busch!!

If there were any chance that we could make such a trade, I'd jump on it in a heart beat. Feilhaber would add a lot to our team. We'd be even more dominant! That would be cool.

GO QUAKES!!

- Mark

 

I am still stinging from the loss but starting to get over it. The positive comments from many here have helped remind me that we had a great season and have built something that should persist.

After all, the last time this happened in 2005, we were also abruptly eliminated by the same they-who-should-not-be-named smug team. The following year, that 'Quakes team (sadly, now in Houston), went on to win the first of 2 successive Championships. So, maybe history will repeat itself.

And on the topic of having a season's-end Tournament decide the league Champion, here is some fascinating analysis from our friends at Freakonomics. The context is Baseball and the World Series, but the observations apply to MLS just the same:

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/11/09/does-the-“best”-team-win-the-world-series/