I wasn't compairing the quakes with next years sounders. I was responding to when someone else said no other expansion team would be like chicago. Was just saying that the flounders would have a serious shot at it.
I can't sepak for others but I personally think I am not being harsh or unrealistic. All I am asking for with this new team is making games competitive. We do not go down without a fight. That is the spirit. I expect reasonable effort. Digging a hole for yourself by making costly mistakes not just one game but almost every game is not reasonable. At professional level, I expect the players to be able to do a few things even in MLS. I am not expecting La Liga or EPL, but technically I still expect better first touch and stamina. I would not demand the same when I am watching the kids playing at half time. Currently it is disappointing because the minimum requirement is not met consistently yet even with the starters.
You see lower division clubs around the world all of a sudden become pretty competitive when being promoted to the 1st division. Not always, however. In most cases, most newly promoted clubs remain towards the bottom half of the standings unless they purchase quality top class players. Obviously, the teams that get promoted and perform well and stay up at the top flight will not do so with their same core group of 2nd divison players. Usually in Europe anyway, thru purchases, trades and the advancement of youth players, clubs can get an UEFA CUP spot or even in the Champions league. The bottom line is you can't do this with journeymen players. It takes money which is what so far anyway, I don't think Lew, John & Frank are willing to do.
You can't compare expansion with promotion. With promotion, you have an existing team of players who have already jelled together and fought hard to win a championship of the lower division. With expansion you have a bunch of guys who were rejected by their old clubs (left unprotected anyway) and pulled together in a new home and trying to get to know each other's ways. It takes a while for those kinks to be ironed out. Plus, we've played a lot of games against the First Division (aka Eastern Conference) this season so far. We've done better against fellow Second Division (aka Western Conference) teams, and hopefully will continue to do so. And since the schedule is skewed in favor of conference opponents, that will only help as the season wears on.
& now you are this beautiful QuakesBabe! Are you our next new Shaker??????..... I was making sausages on April 6th 1996 at Spartan.......got to speak Italian to Tony Meola & Alexi Lalas...I felt like a kid...... You said it Goodsie are we getting old or what?