Post-match: San Jose Earthquakes - Minnesota United FC (Saturday, 3/7) postgame thread [R]

On my Direct TV there were two different channels listing the game. One had a later start time than the other, and it was scheduled to follow, I think, a Warriors game. So it may be that the Warriors game ran long and thus chopped off part of the EQ game (and that EQ game was later repeated on the same channel at midnight or 1 AM). The second channel did have the entire Quakes game from the beginning.

 

The Quakes signed Espinoza using some of the money freed up by not resigning Godoy.

 

i want to see who is on the quakes discovery list because it's either nobodies or nobody...

 

lol quakes gonna quakes

 

Win or lose, rain or shine...always there for our club! pic.twitter.com/83rGleOCsA

— San Jose Ultras (@SanJoseUltras) March 9, 2020

Rain or shine, win or lose. It’s nice to see the @SanJoseUltras support for the @SJEarthquakes pic.twitter.com/EBSBzfdXLW

— Suddle D (@SuddleD) March 8, 2020

 

Late to the party, but ...

In this game against MNU, it looked a lot more like last year's 4-5-1, except that we're playing Hoesen out left and Rios up top and Vako at CAM. Magnus as one of the d-mids, but he kept moving upfield to play like a #10, as he did last season. Which is not good.

Hoesen not good on the left.

How did the Loon player not get a card for the foul on TT that led to our PK? Tripping in the box?!

We're getting too cute with our corners, but I like that we're trying something different.

We engaged in some ticky tacky little fouls, which is fine, because Baldo's going to let that shit go. He did call a lot of fouls by the Loons on us, which really pleased me. I hate getting jobbed by the refs in our house. So that was a nice change. He let's too many fouls go, but he was pretty even-handed about it.

Poor defending by Lima early and often. He missed some assignments out wide, at least I think those were his guys to cover, but it could be that someone should have had that guy. I did see Danny get back on defense a lot, but that's not the best use of Danny's skills.

36th minute, Rios hauls a Loon down in their box by putting a hand on the back of his neck.No call.

TT fouled in the box, 37th minute, no call.

Did Eriksson huddle the guys at the end of the first half? Looked like it on TV.

Two subs at the half, probably a good call by Almeyda.

Our second goal was well taken. That might be the weirdest corner kick I've ever seen, but our guys worked to pull the Loons out of position and eventually it worked. Sure, the goal was a little lucky, but the strategy of pulling their guys out of position worked.

MNU beat our left-back consistently, whether it was Lima or Shea. They've worked out a way to get a dude isolated out there. Other teams will copy this tactic.

Yeah, Vako selfish again, but when you're down, all players have a tendency to try to do too much, take more responsibility on their shoulders.

Rios with a good play in the 63rd minute or so, but then after the nice pass, he just walked toward goal. He needed to hustle there for the return pass, to occupy other defenders. There was way too much ball-watching by many on our team. Especially on the Loons PK.

One of the reasons that Cade Cowell looked good is that the rest of our guys looked like crap.

Minnesoda's last goal probably should have been called back. Boxall ran into Vega before Vega could play the ball. (Um ... maybe not.) Not that this makes any difference. But still ...

Magnus plays hard. Love his attitude (so much better than '18). However, he's too slow of foot and too slow on decisions.

Our throw-ins have gone back to shit.

In general, we were too sloppy, too slow, too disengaged, and too disjointed. Crap game.

We need to show some dramatic improvement right away.

Go Quakes!!
Fisher OUT!!

- Mark

 

Well, my usually positive wife turned to me during the game and said "It's going to be a long season."

This team doesn't look ready for the season. That is the coaching staff failure. Add the team collectively making too many mistakes and you get this result. It's unacceptable to have both Magnus and Yuell ball watching on the PK only to have Minnesota knock the rebound into the goal.

It's pretty obvious that this team can't function without Judson in the middle covering the ground and protecting Yuell. If we are looking for Yuell to step up, it ain't happening.

Forward
Rios was better (at least checked in a couple of times), but is too slow on defense to pressure and just too slow in general. He should have had an assist on a pass to Vako in the area late in the game. If you are going to have slow, you might as well play Wondo.

Midfield
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Other than Espinoza having an average game, everyone sucked.

Defense
Vega was at fault on two of the goals. Just not good enough. After a decent first game, Keisha was horrible. Only TT was average, but doesn't have the ability to go a full game. Lima deserved to get pulled, but so did the rest of the team.

At a minimum, we need to Judson and Flo back into the lineup. Possibly move Danny up top.

Looks like I'm going to save some money next year by not buying Quakes season tickets.

 

And you know all that how? Have you spoken with team principles? Do you have information that we do not have?

At the Fioranelli breakfast, I asked Jesse about that. They had been talking with Pulido for over a year looking to see if they could find a way to bring him here. The bottom line was that Pulido did not want to come to San Jose. Who knows why not? Jesse would not say.

But I do know, based on Jesse's comments, they they were in active discussion for quite a long time. It may have been that they could not get past the discovery rights or other issues.

But to say they were not trying to work something out is an incorrect assumption.

 

Looks like I've riled the resident apologists with some cold hard facts. Time to take the red pill boys.

 

Thanks for that! And I'll take your word for it.

BUT, assuming that we could not get Pulido (which I take as a given), then we should have looked for someone else.

As it stands right now, we need for Cade Cowell to be our savior, that or get one more good season out of Wondo. (Wondo having one last good season is a whole lot more likely.)

We are weak.

Go Quakes!!
Fisher OUT!!

- Mark

 

Our defense sucks, we need to make a change on the back line or goalie. The offense has not been terrible, they just can't keep up with the bad defense.

 

Put JT in goal. Put Flo at CB. Put Kashia on the bench.
Hoesen to #9. Rios to #10.

See how that works.

Go Quakes!!
Fisher OUT!!

- Mark

 

In lieu of win pins.

 

JT will not be available - Olympic qualifiers.

 

Minnesota scored 5 times.

Vega got a hand to either 2 or 3 of them but they still went in. He got beat at the near post for the one he didn't touch (it was a great shot, but still near post).

Either he was unlucky, or he had a bad game.

Also, both Danger and some people on board have said Lima should have covered the 2nd shot better, I think that is ludicrous.

 

Then bring up Bersano. Vega has been shaky his last two outings. I want to see someone else in goal. Crappy performances should not be rewarded with continued starts.

When I screw up at work, I get benched. Know what I'm saying?

Go Quakes!!
Tenemos un olor muy malo!
Fisher OUT!!

- Mark

 

Was the second goal the PK rebound? We certainly were very slow to react to that one... not sure who was on that side but I guess Kashia and TT?

 

Kashia has been stinking it up the first two games so it wouldn't surprise me if he was the culprit.

 

No. The second goal was where Vega was either caught cheating to the far post or positioning for a cross. Instead the midfielder cracked a shot which would have gone right to him if he hadn't moved.

For the PK, it was definitely Magnus and one other Quake (Yuell or Kashia) picking navel lint.

 

On the PK, it was Kashia and Magnus. Magnus stood rooted like a tree, Kashia was very slow to react. But the Loons guy, Lod, was anticipating Vega only blocking the shot and not catching it. He took off as soon as their other guy, Amarilla, took the PK.

https://matchcenter.mlssoccer.com/m...s-vs-minnesota-united-fc/details/video/223663

I don't think that Kashia could have beaten Lod to the ball, but he should have been ready to sprint the instant Amarilla kicked the ball. Same for Magnus, who barely moved.

And Vega has to get better about catching the ball, or knocking it away where the enemy will at least have a bad angle on goal.

We suck, like a Dyson!

Go Quakes!!
Fisher OUT!!

- Mark

 

Before the kick Tommy noticed Lod moved around Guram and was ready to sprint. Tommy even pointed at him as if he's telling someone to watch him.

I have no idea what our players are trained to do, but it seems all they need to do is cover the MN players so they can't kick the ball in. At least pay attention to them.

 

I suspect they were shell-shocked by that point. Wasn't it already 3-1 late in the half when the PK was awarded? Not an excuse, but an explanation.

 

it was they were still pre-occupied with the penalty, because after giving up the rebound, magnus went straight back to the ref.

 

Honestly from my point of view, kudos on the PK save but the rebound shot was right at him and he had his hands on it. I know I'm being harsh but I also think it could have been saved.

 

Some individual errors on defending the corner kick goals by opara but some of the other goals were due to not having Judson in there. I don't think the 2nd or 3rd goals happen if judson is playing. Opara is such a beast. Everyone knows the corner kick is targeting him and he still scores.