The official Sam Garza thread

Maybe he figures because they don't have to pay him, he doesn't care. Kind of LIKE IKE!

 

His former college teammate, Michael Tetteh was also drafted by Seattle on a GA contract after the 2010 college season and after UCSB's debacle and/or pathetic display against Cal up in Berkley when he Garza among other chased the ref off the field. He never played one game for the Sounders and was loaned out to 3rd division sides Orlando & Ft. Lauderdale and is now out of the game and I believe is taking classes once again. I have a feeling Garza will follow his old mates footsteps.

 

Tetteh although a different type of player was more highly rated in UCSB Tim Vom Steeg's system and supposedly was to be a formidable professional but he made like $200k in 3 years (a lot more than Baca who went undrafted ever has) and played a total of 6 games in the lower tiers. Doesn't look good for that program if both he and Garza both fail.

 

Nic Ryan seems to have been cut also by USL's Phoenix after being drafted by the Houston Dynamo and is also back at UCSB.

 

Saying something like this publicly is a time-honored way of motivating players. Lots of "inept" coaches do it, such as Guardiola, Ferguson, Mourinho, etc.

 

This is true. Its not uncommon and I heard managers do it a lot when I lived in Europe. Frank is right though, this kid needs to wake up. I mean he is in his second year as a pro and its time to step it up by now.

 

There are ways to say this sort of thing to the press without running down your players. Not that Frank is anything like as bad as Loathsome Lothar, but this is pretty weak sauce for a coach.

And seriously, Garza was more threatening in his 21 minutes than Ramiro was in his 69. I want to see Sam (or Cato) get a lot more minutes. And we should be starting Shea and Chavez at the outside mid spots, with Ramiro sitting on the couch in Salinas. Garza and Cato for subs. (Or Martinez who seems to be MIA.)

go quakes!

- Mark

 

Maybe a shot of good whiskey before entering the field could help?

 

I think Salinas and Ramiro should go back to Salinas!

 

Not really. Frank is correct. Sam lacked confidence and it's quite apparent by his play. He was given a gift which he should have easily put away, but was caught in the mind of either passing or shooting and ended up tripping over his feet.

I'm sure Frank has told him in person...

 

I'm actually not in favor of Frank going public with this and here's why.

In order to play well and up to you abilities, you need to relax - play naturally and not press. There may be an underlying confidence there, but I think he is trying so hard to make a play that it is preventing his natural abilities to surface. So far the guy has had 2 great opportunities to make a play in games and he has blown both of them. The first one went way public because of Wondo's reaction to Garza shooting and not passing. The second one now is essentially the subject of a MN article.

How is all of this attention on his failures in these key potential turning points in the games going to help him relax and avoid pressing the next time it happens? If I were Frank I'd be telling him not to worry about it. He is getting himself in dangerous positions - he made a good move and intercepted the pass. The final ball will come.

Anyone remember the USOC game at Stanford against Ft. Lauderdale? Garza blew a really great scoring opportunity early, and someone (Lenny or Gordon?) mentioned that they told him to not get down - he's gonna score. And then he did - twice.

 

Wonder if his GA deal goes up in the end year?

 

The problem is that you don't know what Frank has been telling him in private. My guess is that this concern has been a progression over time. Initially, he did exactly what you are asking, but he still wasn't seeing the results. At some point, you need to be frank with him both privately and publicly.

Remember, Frank has always been known as a player coach. He is not one to air information publicly that hasn't already been dealt with in private. If anything, Frank is acquiesced of being too soft on his players on the board.

 

Yeah, but if you buy the idea that he's pressing, then I don't see how going public with it is going to help anything. You want to release the pressure, not amplify it. If you believe that it's somehow a motivation problem, like he didn't actually want to score the goals enough - he was thinking about the after-party or something, then yes, I think calling him out publicly makes sense.

I know Frank's known as a player's coach and is normally good about these things, and maybe he knows exactly what he's doing in this case, but I'm not convinced that he's not just frustrated, and that led him to a poor choice in terms of player management in this particular instance.

 

I think you suffer from SOS, "Salary Obsession Syndrome".

 

In a league that has a SACL"SALARY CAP LIMIT" of penny pinchers, its not too difficult to count beads!

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I beg to differ:
1. If you are implying that Sam was involved in the Berkley ref situation that is incorrect. Sam displayed exemplary sportmanship at UCSB during his career.
2. Sam was a very important fixture at UCSB... much more than Tettah. Tettah struggled with injuries his sophmore and junior year. Sam was an impact player who affected the game whether he was scoring or not. It would be better to compare him to Luis Silva or Chris Pontius in terms of his impact at UCSB.
3. Sam has all the ingredients to be a very good pro and IMHO should be part of the top 14 players on this team. If you've played with him or against him you'd know what I mean... he just a cut above. He was injured for most of last season so this really is his first healthy season... his rookie season per se, as the season progresses he will contribute more in Franks system if he's given the opportunity. He's never been your classic finisher... always a bit streaky in fact at UCSB... he spent time at both the midfield and forward for that reason. But he's a very good all around... athletically, skill wise, sees the field, and he's very good defensively... especially when he's closing down and winning balls... so he can always contribute even if he's not getting stats.
4. Sam might fit better in a possession system like Portlands than Franks current target forward type system. Sam is going to have to fight through some false starts, and learn to stay confident even when he not on the game time roster.... I still think he has a bright future in the MLS or abroad. He's not going to just fade away.

 

Garza is a great player. In many ways Sophomore year (even in pros) is harder than rookie year. The kid works hard and wants to contribute. It is just a matter of time.

 

Are we a little defensive? No I never implied or posted that at all. If anything after being at Berkley on that cold December afternoon, I can't remember Garza even playing too much but I do remember him arguing along with the rest of the team. I do however, recall Michael Tetteh chasing this Sunday's (far side assistant ref) Mike Kampmeinert off the pitch in a golf cart and seeing Tetteh throw a water bottle at him. Its no wonder that he a left school right after that as from what I recall, he was not allowed back at school. I guess it worked out for Tetteh because he signed a 3 year GA deal and played a total of 6 games for two different squads in the USL so he got paid handsomely to train and never play. Too bad he is out of the game. I hope he used his UCSB education wisely and saved his money because I doubt he will ever be a pro again and this is what I meant about Garza following Tetteh. You are right though, Garza is a great guy and I do like him as a person. Playing is professionally is another story though.

BTW, I've always admired you and your UCSB Gaucho faithful. I believe if you guys put as much energy and/or support into a professional franchise that you do into the college program ,you could have quite a team down in Santa Barbara. Maybe they can move the Chivas there? I also am very curious to know if Eric Frimpong has ever been released from jail after he was convicted of rape? Is there any news on him or is he still behind bars? Just curious....

 

Right. That's the way I see it, and is exactly what I pointed out earlier. Overthinking it, overdoing it.