Post-match: San Jose Earthquakes - New England Revolution (Saturday, 3/10) postgame thread [R]

Ives:

 

Great post.

Bernardez was so calm back there and Morrow looked solid. REALLY like Chavez and thought Shea should've taken the bench as he was gassed. Chavez looked to have been the better player to keep on the pitch.

The subs really showed Yallop's shortcomings, especially when he didn't use his final sub to waste a little time!!!

 

Rome wasn't built....etc. Major changes take time, at least we got him going that far.

 

Great way to start the season. Bernardez is a beast and a real leader. Chavez adds a spark this team has never seen. Especially great to see him track back on defense and disrupt the Revs. I was curious why he was subbed for Dawkins and not Shea. I loved Shea's energy and the steal was great, but his final touch is still off and he seemed to fade late. Dawkins is obviously not ready for prime time yet (understandable) and should have been left on the bench in this one. Finally, am I the only one that thought Baca was over matched at CM? He had energy and speed, but he was often ineffective on defense and his passes were inconsistent - especially in the 2nd half when possession was paramount. Bring on Moreno...

Nonetheless, looking forward to an exciting 2012...

Go Quakes...

 

Good match for the Quakes. Bernardez was good and I liked Baca, Morrow, Wondo and Lenny. Looking at Ramiro, he seemed to play hard also. Couldn't believe it. I fell asleep in the middle of the 2nd half compared to last year , they seemed really aggressive. I think they need to work more on their finishing but I'm hoping that will come...

 

I caught the second half last night, and then watched the highlights this morning.

I echo the comments about Bernardez. I thought he was man of the match: good positioning, solid in tackles, tough in the air, and rarely did we see the defense stretched.

I thought Cronin also had a tidy game. When things became more hectic, he took up good positions off the ball and provided an outlet for the backline and Baca.

Very pleased to see the win (especially since I don't catch many Quakes games out here in Boston!)

 

This is what I hope.

 

I really like the speed we have on the wings with Salinas and Chaves on this team, and that this team is applying pressure everywhere on the field. A high-work rate and speed is what I like seeing in a team.

 

They seem to have a lot more depth than they had last year with pretty decent bench warmers. They will come in handy if there are any call ups and/or suspensions. I hope Frank will utilize them correctly. One thing is for sure, it didn't look like anyone really missed Bobby Convey last night.

 

Stayed up late to watch the game in NC...

Nice to get the win, but a tale of two halves I think. Quakes dominated play and possession in the first, NE really seemed to control it in the second (even before the subs).

The first half was one of the better MLS games I've seen in a while: more flow and creativity than in prior years or from better teams.

 

His pases showed good vision. And on the defensive side, that's why we have Cronin. Besides, one of our shortest players was going up against the Revs Joseph

 

Well, we got the three points and that's awesome when you couple it with the filth losing big at home but there are a few things troubling me about last nights game, for example:

I noticed a downward shift in momentum when Chavez was subbed out in the 63rd. minute, we went from the new, free-style liquid attacking formation to the old, busted 2011 version, cohesion went right out the window. Dawkins was an anchor(not the good kind) last night but I'll give him a pass one game to get back into the swing of it. Stephenson just sucked the energy right out of our team, it's no surprise that when he came in the revs started to get looks on goal.

We were playing an abysmal New England side, a stronger team would have punished them brutally 3 or 4 to nothing for all the flailing they were doing on the pitch last night. So before we go awarding ourselves the MLS Cup let's just put this victory in perspective.

Lenhart is an extremely physical player, bordering on thuggish. I don't see him scoring a ton of goals for us this year but as long as he continues to distract the opposing players i guess he'll be useful.

If you want some unintentional comedy go to the Revs boards and read their in-game thread, it's hysterical.

 

Another sell out. Doesn't that make 7-8 in a row?

 

The pace of Chavez, Salinas, Baca, Morrow, and Beta is a stark contrast to the languid Quakes' teams of recent memory. They're finally exciting to watch!

The only disappointment I took from this match was Frank's use of Khari as a forward. Better attacking options have to exist on the bench.

 

definitely agree. we were marveling at how different Buck Shaw was last night compared to when the Quakes started up again there. it did feel a lot more professional and like a lot more effort is being made. this bodes well for when the stadium opens.

 

To quote Sven Goran Eriksson "First half good. Second half not so good."

Man of the Match : Shea Salinas

Chavez a close contender. Looked like he came off cause he took a pretty bad knock when he got taken out by a Revolution player. Putting on a midfielder to hold on to a 1-0 lead is a bit too much for me in the opening match of the season though.

Outstanding work from the Ultras all match.