Chicago - San Jose (Saturday, 5/10) postgame thread [R]

It wasn't me, I swear!

 

Waibel sucks....he's a defensive thug who's skill, or lack thereof, is a complete mismatch with the rest of the QUAKES team.

 

One of the things required for any Quakes team is an heir to the legacy of JD. We must have such a player at all times. So far, this policy has been successful.

 

Ugh. Okay, but I still don't like it. Frank might as well have just kept Jimmy Conrad. I really don't see the trade off here...Waibel couldn't be cheaper than Conrad (monetarily speaking ), could he?

Ugh, again.

 

Re: A good point on the road

Yes, his stance was very noticeably different. He actually had a look of brute determination instead of dimwitted befuddlement.

I hope he doesn't need lousy weather for this side of him to emerge.

 

IMO, Waibel is better at his job than Conrad ever was. Kicking the sh!t out of the opposition.

 

It is true that Waibel does bring that crushing brute strength and intimidation to our back line. We've already seen him headlock and take down Kamler in the NE game...this week, he rag-dolls one of the Fire players. I'm just waiting for the day when piledrives someone and the ref comes flying in, lands on his belly and counts the poor sap out! It may not be artistic but I do appreciate the toughness.

Our back line is really getting it done this year. One communication-related screw up coming out of the locker room on Opening Day in Colorado. If you look past Pat's miscue vs. KC, the Quakes are that close to being completely perfect this year, to date.

Personally, I can't believe that Onstad and the guys have strung together 3 straight stymies--with two of 'em coming on the road!! Amazing. Keep this up and Pat's nickname before long will be "Standing O."

Truly unfortunate for DeRo and Conway that their replacements have come in a shined. What do you suppose will happen when they both get healthy? *Sigh* What nice problems to have. I think it would be criminal to sit Onstad after what he's accomplished. His GAA is microscopic and he even doubled it HIMSELF! How could anyone possibly think of shelving him?

 

Re: Re: A good point on the road

Not to worry, C. B.

 

HA!! Could you imagine?!?! The ref part that is.

 

While I would have given a lot of the credit for the low GAA to the defense in the past, Onstad has now contributed his share. An amazing match against a pretty good Fire team.

The conditions in Naperville were bad. That artificial surface doesn't get any easier to play on with rain and wind. Still a very entertaining match, but it was kinda sloppy. The combination play didn't happen for either team.

Off games for Lagos, Corrales, and Donovan. Mulrooney also failed to impress. Actually, I agree with those who've pointed out that our midfield was absent. Very little quality service to Ching and Donovan. Unfortunately, the only guy feeding them balls consistently was Onstad!

Well, we take the point and run. I still smile when I think that that we have more than twice the road points in three games than the Gals have in five.

 

Never gets old, huh? (The gag, not you!)

 

Well, Im glad Onstad is gaining confidence and looking good now. He was awful to start the year, but its good to see him fitting in well. A lot of us I guess were more impatient then we should have been.

 

Instead of looking at it as Conrad for Waibel, look at what they did with the draft pick they got-Arturo Alvarez. Then this deal makes so much more sense. This guy has the potential to contribute in a big way. And since Landon won't be here forever, Alvarez could help us in the future soooo much more than Conrad ever could.

Waibel is growing on me. As long as he doesn't try to do too much, he's not that bad. That being said, when Eddie's at full strength, I think Waibel to the bench, Eddie and Jeff in the middle and Todd and Troy out wide, and we've got the best back line in the league.

 

If this is just a friendly and Conway's not back, then Yallop would be a fool to release him. Club before country when it comes to friendlies. IMO.

-KMJvet

 

Robinson might get a shot at right back, but no way I'd mess with the central defensive pairing of Dayak and Agoos. It won us a championship in 2001, and it's got us leading the league today!

 

True, but I think Dayak's better at bringing the ball forward, which is crucial in Frankie's system. Eddie's just barely a little better than Ibsen/Waibel in that regard. Now, maybe he'll improve his passing/dribbling-he's still young. But for now, he's got to play somewhere and I think inside, where he can learn from one of the league's best, makes a whole lot of sense. Especially grooming him for the future when Jeff's not around.