Post-match: Sporting Kansas City - San Jose Earthquakes (Sunday, 5/27) postgame thread [R]

Meh. Figured we werent going after this one full bore based on the Ring and Pizarro substitutions.

Ah well, at least we'll be back to full strength after the break.

I don't understand Yallop...

For once our backline was overmatched. Couldn't stop them from getting shots off one-on-one.
Getting overrun in the midfield happens from time to time.
At least we were the better team once they got tired.

Can you tell us precisely what lineup you did want to see?

The moves he made helped, but this should be seen for what it was. Tired rotation game with players missing. San Jose turned a depressing first half into a second half that we can be proud of. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!

Not a big deal really, a well rested team beat our exhasted team that was minus some key players. If we meet them at full strenght it's a different story.

great teams lose from time to time also, we are right now one of the BEST most consistent teams in MLS tbh, we lost our 3rd game, after a 3 game week, with half of our starters missing(thanks NYRB/U.S NATS) that proves that we have better players since a few are off to national team training etc.

manchester united/arsenal/barca/real madrid etc etc always are top fighters and even lose some games.

if KC was as great as they say they are, they would have decimated our C- team in no time flat. but the fact is, they kind of didn't. not to say they didn't out play us, but we are a much better/deeper team if we can hold them off 2-1 with a weak team vs a team full of starters....

so, onto LA, i think we will kill em 3-0 easy and regain top spot in MLS in no time. time for this earthquake to rumble on.

I had a feeling they wouldn't win from the outset. The Quakes have been coming back for the last 3 games and are playing every 3-4 days with replacements each game. With Wondo & Lenhart out, Gordon can't play a full half. I like the way they fought back and started wearing them down but I mean 3 games in a week will kill anyone.....Good thing there is a 3 week bye.

Given KC's big fast 4-3-3, I wonder if a 5-3-2 wouldn't have been a better choice early.
Something like.
-------------Gordon
------------Moreno
Dawkins Cronin/Ring Chavez
Ramiro Morrow Ike Jason Beita

with Beita and Ramiro pushing up frequently.
Beita and Ramiro were getting owned by the size and pace of the wingers.

Yeah, but MLS Cup is hosted by the Supporter's Shield winner now....

Well I don't normally find solace in moral victories but they salvaged some dignity out of a game that look predetermined based on the circumstances.

Especially when you keep fighting back to score in stoppage time.

Could have been much worse. They earned a much needed break.

The defense isn't really that special without Bernardez.

I expected a loss, given the circumstances. But at some point, this trend of coming back late to salvage a point, or three, needs to end. Win the game in the first half and give the opponent no hope, rather than needing to fall behind before you finally wake up in the final 30 minutes. It's the one negative trend that has carried over from last year.

Shouldn't have started Ring in his 1st game of the year against a good team like KC.
Also, is Jason Hernandez the worst passer on the team? Maybe the league?
Half the time he just hoofs the ball up field. It is really frustrating. Someone needs to tell him the Quakes now play sort of a possession/passing game. This isn't 2011.

If Yallop felt he did not feel this game was important then why would Garza be left out? Why not just throw all the reserves out? Because if he is not going to do that then it means he feels he can get something out of the game. That is why the lineup choices made no sense to me.

-If Cronin can't go for whatever reason, why not just play Ramiro as the D-mid and put Opara at CB again with Morrow on the left? Ramiro is at least match fit and is a decent distributor. While Ring hasn't played at all.
-Baca out wide again, explains itself really. Without Lenhart, why not just play a 4-3-3 so you could have Baca at his strongest position? Then have Chavez and Dawkins on the flanks so that Gordon actually had multiple people to lay the ball off to.

It is clear to me Yallop thought we could get something out of it. His lineup just made little sense.

the biggest questionmark for me was where was Garza?? he needs to be at least on the bench if healthy, especially in a depleted squad

in the end, KC is a good squad. no shame in losing to them in their house on a short week with a depleted roster. Theyre expected to win their home games, much like us.

I'd love to hear all these questions asked, but MLS hasn't figured out these complicated media entertainment bits that would help build the damn league. No post game videos, I swear if I get a job in SJ I'm gonna try and do it myself. The youtube replays are good at least.

A Well rested Corrales let that sleeze Kumara slip in for second KC goal.

Rams stunk things up until he was pushed up. I'm in the Rams-at-D-Mid-or-L-Mid-or-on-the-bench party now (having moved over from the Ram's on the bench or scouting new talent party). He's better then Ring.

Hernadez and Busch keep hoofing it, we keep losing it.

Not sure if it is Frank or Jon, but our defense does not even attempt to open up for a pass, just pass it back and drop there heads, waiting for the "thump" as the ball takes off, over their heads, to be won by KC's defense.

I also agree, KC had to work pretty damn hard to break us down though.

As others have said, not really a surprise result. KC had their entire first team except Convey, and I'd argue that Sapong did better than Convey would have. I can understand the arguments against the starting lineup, but I can also see the idea that Ring being fresh and covering a lot of ground and Baca on the wing should have provided a stronger defensive midfield to help shut down KC. It didn't work, but it might have. And trying Dawkins at forward makes sense, Yallop wanted to see how he would do playing with a target forward instead of alongside Wondo.

The Quakes were a bit unlucky on the first goal, it was a great cross and great finish. Maybe Beita should have done better, but he had pretty good position and coverage. On the second goal, Corrales should have done much better and anticipated Kamara's run and bodied him off the ball, instead of just waiting for the ball to come to him. Busch should have been telling Ramiro that Kamara was there, as well. Overall, KC played very well and it's hard to be too upset - the Quakes did a good job in the second half fighting back. If that Chavez chip goes higher and over Nielsen, maybe the Quakes pull out the draw.

The team should be a lot better at playing games in a week after they get the rest of their starters back - with Salinas and Wondo and Lenhart and Bernardez all available, then you can play a lineup with some reserves that would be a lot stronger. The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is getting Bernardez back, as the defense needs to get back to getting some clean sheets. I was disappointed to not see him in the lineup today, but hopefully he's fully heathy and does well with the Honduran team so he comes back ready to go in Denver on June 20.

I know... it was brutal watching him make pinpoint passes directly to KC's midfielders when time was running out for us, and when we really really (really) needed to keep the ball and get people forward. He kicks it well... it's apparently the "aiming" part that gives him problems.