"Fioranelli doesn’t expect many transactions in or out of San Jose for the remainder of the window"

As I've stated in the past, I think our team last year was good enough to make the playoffs. We were (and still are) a lower middle team. The coach and little luck is the difference in the equation. Stahre was a major problem and, imo, the reason we went from middling team to the cellar.

I expect we'll compete for a playoff spot and that will be good enough for everyone to keep their jobs.

 

I hear that "luck" can be purchased by an owner with ambition.

Esprit de corps is the critical component. It's harder than luck to represent in a mathematical "equation," which is why the data heads always seem to overlook it.

 

My selection would have been: "No, but it's not unexpected and is not good enough."

As others stated, the Quakes management believe a few improvements and subtractions from the roster along with a new coach will improve on last year. We did score a decent amount of goals last year not playing well as a team. So, first step would be getting them to play as a team and then figure out remaining holes. Logical.

So, normally, I'm a logical guy, but at this point in my Quakes "fan" career, I'm emotional. I don't want to wait 5-10 years to develop youth and team to be consistent contenders. I'm not happy with just making the playoffs. I don't want to see a "hardworking Bob" team.

Sigh.

I'm not looking to bring on big name DPs. However, to get over the existing "hole" that this team has dug, we may need to overspend to get some quality and be competitive faster while driving the youth movement. Otherwise, it's hit and miss and all I'm doing is a bunch of players run hard for 90 minutes.

 

I recommend re-emphasizing the tailgating.

Seriously, there is only so much we can control as fans about the product on the field (actually, nothing), but we can take ownership of our own enjoyment.

 

Disappointing to hear we're pretty much done with the roster. We still have a lot of deadwood clogging up roster spots and no big time two way presence in the middle of the field. Our central D is still vulnerable.

Imo, It all points to a very pragmatic defensive approach by Almeyda to stay in every game and not get shredded on counters. At the first sign off any defensive weakness, he'll put something tactically in place to lock down the D...then build from there.

 

For most people, you are correct. However, I'm an "on the field guy". I go to the games because of the competition. Food, drinks, Crazy George, I don't really care. Good for my wife and my kids when they were young.

Hell, they could play in a high school stadium rather than playing in Avaya and if the quality on the field is the same, I would be just as happy. In fact, I have seen the Quakes play in a high school stadium (Central Valley) game and college stadiums.

 

I'm with you, except for the quality part. Just as happy watching the Quakes play a friendly with the Bay Area amateur all-stars at PAL. If I wanted quality, I'd watch EPL on TV.

 

looks like a full 88% of our board members so far do not find the current roster acceptable. I wonder if that can be extrapolated to the entire Quakes fanbase.

 

Besides if you get drunk enough you won't remember how bad the games was.

 

One of the things with the Earthquakes in the past several years is that we rarely made deals to get quality players within MLS. Most of the attention/coverage tend to focus on foreign signings, but I don't believe you can be successful in the league without players that have proven themselves in MLS.

Beyond Martinez/Almiron, I don't think Atlanta would have been successful without players like Larentowicz/Parkhurst. I mentioned it in a different thread, but what got my attention on LAFC last year was when they made a deal for Zimmerman.

Did the FO even think about snatching players like Waston (or even Opara, who's apparently open to a move)? We've definitely seen decent MLS goal keepers get picked up by other teams in the offseason.

The pattern has been, get some mediocre (at best) players from overseas in the winter, realize they don't measure up and do panic buying of mediocre (again at best) players in the summer.

I'd like to stay optimistic with a new coach, but I won't be shocked if the team is disappointing again this season.

 

I count 24 total votes. I'm going to guess that it's not a statistically valid sample size.

 

you might be right although it suggests that those who follow this team closely aren't that impressed with our offseason response to last years wooden spoon season. from what I can tell, our only hope so far is that Matias Almeyda is a legitimate miracle worker.

 

I think that this is valid. The Quakes best success was when they picked up Agoos along with a quality foreign signing in Ekelund. Add the best lower division signing ever in DeRo and getting lucky with Donovan. So, the equation is as follows:

MLS Cup Winner = MLS Veteran + Quality Oversea's Signing + Good Scouting + Luck + Team Attitude

Look right?

 

+ a good goalie (Joe Cannon/Pat Onstad!)

 

I was thinking about 2000 when we already had Cannon, but you are correct in general and about Pat!

 

By "follow this team closely" you mean BigSoccer regulars? That representative sampling of humanity?

For instance, there is an incredible dichotomy between the withering criticism of Avaya Stadium on this board and every other person in the Bay Area I've ever talked to about it. Believe it or not, people in the real world love Avaya. Love it. Of course none of them have probably had to endure the ignominy of the visitors' locker room, or noticed that part of the roof is missing.

 

Almeyda reiterated Jesse's thoughts.
https://translate.google.com/transl...47734681_263347.html?id_externo_rsoc=CM_US_TW

Those would be all the movements for Los Quakes facing the beginning of 2019. Almeyda made it clear. "I am very confident with the team we fear. There were very good players, "he said about the analysis of the template he received and with which he is just going to start working.

"We're not going to add any more, we're here. We are perfect, "he said with a smile. "At the moment we will start with these players that we have," suggesting that the transfer window in the summer will probably be more active after the first part of the MLS competition .

 

After Watson, Kinnear , Stahre and the four wins last year, there really is nowhere else to go but up. If they win 8 -10 games, they’ve improved immensely.

 

The Browns and [Hue] Jackson are starting from the bottom, so there's really nowhere to go but up.

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2016/01/5_quotes_that_stood_out_from_h.html

Subsequently, the Jackson-led Browns went 1-15 and then 0-16 in successive seasons.

 

They started winnning after Hue was fired. That’s a good sign for the Quakes.

 

I absolutely believe we have great cross section of knowledgeable, hard core fans in this forum including season ticket holders and old timers who go all the way back to NASL Quakes.
Who else would even seek out such a forum and spends countless hours debating everything Earthquakes?
I’d say the Avaya reviews here are pretty balanced, it’s a cool little stadium, not what some had hoped, missing certain features we expected but overall plenty good enough. Let’s hope Almeyda can work his magic and pack the house. Quakes are (again) suggesting there may be some player moves in the summer and taking a “let’s see how far we get with a new coach and a few minor tweaks” approach, hopefully that’s a strategy that packs the house, I somehow doubt it. Personally, it’s not enough for me to reconsider season tix, but who knows, maybe that changes come summertime, I hope so.

 

Of course we have knowledgeable, hard core fans on this forum, just as one would expect. But as a group we're also just a tad pessimistic because we assume the past is prologue.

 

Except that I'm the only one apparently unbothered about the visitors' locker room.

 

We're doomed.

2019 will be a live action replay of 2018. We'll probably eek out a few more wins. We might not look quite so dire. But by week seven against the Sporks or maybe week ten against FC Cinncinati we're going to start hearing our fans boo our team.

We are no where near good enough to compete in this league. No matter how good Almeyda is, unless some of the youngsters step up and take starting jobs from the vets, we're hosed. Success becomes a habit, so does failure, and we are in the habit of failing.

It's going to be ugly.

So very, very disappointed.

go quakes

- Mark

 

I think you’re right, Mark. This was such an important offseason and these guys have fallen short...again. It’s hard to see how Fisherball is even sustainable barring a Matias Miracle.