The only times Bernardez looked really bad were when we were playing three in the back. He just isn't fast enough to play in a 3-back system. But if we're going to play a 4-4-2, where speed is less of an issue, I thought maybe he would stick on the roster, albeit not as a starter. We need at least four center backs (for two starting spots) on the roster, and it seemed like he could have been a solid, veteran backup. I guess they wanted to go younger/cheaper at that spot, though. Hard to argue with that decision, but it's still sad to see him go. Unlike some players, he always gave his all for the team.
He put the Quakes into the playoffs with his assist but also made costly mistakes. In the end, his time was up.
The one thing I always liked about Muma was when he went for a ball. The opponent had a choice...either get the hell out of his way, or get hit by a truck. I always HATED playing against CB's like that, but really liked having him in our side!
He could absolutely toy with strikers, especially the wimpier ones. Freddy Montero comes to mind. Muma could make him look like a little kid, and he'd repeatedly steal his candy.
OK you guys, make yourselves useful! Send Jared Shawlee an email or tweet or something. 935884917069586435 is not a valid tweet id
Based on all of the "thanks Muma" material on the Quakes web site, I think something like this is already well in their crosshairs. For example, this story goes into how Muma said goodbye and hugged everyone in the office, etc. https://www.sjearthquakes.com/post/...s-say-goodbye-thank-you-victor-muma-bernardez Doesn't hurt to send messages though, just in case!
Present Vic with a Quakes Hall of Fame jersey, and then someday when he's no longer with us, he should be muma-fied.
I realize the timing is what it is, but still it would be nice for fans to be able to say goodbye and thanks to favorite players when management decides to pull the plug. Same thing happened with Busch. One day we woke up and the FO told us he'd gone to live on a farm.
well if we look at history, how many players have the new quakes recognized in a stadium? 1. Ramiro Corrales when he left 2. Huckerby i think when he left 3. Joe Cannon in 2017 my memory sucks, so the above might be wrong... But who else?
"At half time of the match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Chicago Fire on September 29, 2010, Cerritos became the second player inducted into the San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Fame."
Oh man, he would make a great bobblehead subject. Why hasn't it been done yet? It's gotta have the scowl! Best scowl in MLS, bar none!
These "academies" (e.g. Red Star, Thorns, Barcelona, Liverpool, etc.) are popping up like mushrooms after a rainstorm. I'm not sure if they are particularly efficient at turning out elite youth players, but I believe that they are all incredibly adept at separating parents from money. The major change I've seen over the past 25 or so years in the youth game is the amount of coinage it takes to have a kid in competitive soccer. I'm not really sure that the level of play and skill possessed by the players has increased commensurate with the cost of participation. To me, it's sad, and an indictment of the past several USSF administrations - which have all focused exclusively on the "elite" levels of the game to the great detriment of the grassroots. I would love to see the new adminstration commit to taking some of the money that is currently flowing to MLS, ODP, etc. and invest it in fields and leagues for urban kids, and other things like that, instead of almost exclusively focusing on the narrow end of the funnel. I have not had a kid in youth soccer for ten years, so my observations come as a dispassionate observer (i.e. referee) and not as a participant. <rant mode off>
San Jose could use more than 50 additional recreational soccer fields according to a now nearly decade-old study.
Yet, registration money collectetd from families with kids in USSF-affiliated leagues (e.g. CYSA, US Club, etc.) is still funelled up to the top, with precious little being spent at the local level which is, apparently, uninteresting to the lords of US soccer....
Our AYSO league charges $150 for a roughly three-month fall season. The level of competition is decent, and the coaching at the higher levels pretty good, as volunteer coaches are required to take a lot of training. Unlike club, they are coaching their kids and kids' friends, so they learn the names and care about the players. Nonetheless, there's been a steady migration of AYSO players, not just from us but all regions, to clubs. Even the daisy pickers, who would be better served by our program, are heading there for the "prestige." Palo Alto alone has five club leagues, competing with one another and all charging thousands of dollars a year. Where it will all end, I do not know.