Post-match: D.C. United - San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday, 8/22) postgame thread [R]

Amarikwa looked like our own version of Romario out there.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/video/2015/08/22/goal-shea-salinas-slides-it-far-corner

 

We played well, rode our luck, and took our chances. It's straight out of the book 'How to Win Away'.

I'm already buzzing for next Friday, we've been owed this for a few years...

 

Wow!!! Who'd have thought? I guess it makes some of the previous months performances so frustrating.

 

I dont know if we played well.. but we got the lead, and we definitely didnt go all out after that. Not entirely unexpected from the 2nd road win in a week though, team did as well as it needed to, no more.

 

Amarikwa was a huge acquisition. It's like we loaned him out for a few years and not called him up to the first team, he's creating so much more than we were before. Mutually beneficial for both. Ditching the single striker up top also helped big time. A crazy good stretch of games no one saw coming.

 

What a difference a week makes.

 

Holy crap! Not just that we won, with another shutout, on the road, against the best team in MLS, in the 3rd game in 8 days (when the team is usually lethargic), but the the team has become fun to watch! Great ball movement and positioning, much less bunkering, lots of challenges won, good movement up and down the field, and less mistakes. Nice!

Quincy "The Hurricane" Amarikwa is a big part of this change, with his persistence, unpredictability, patience, and ability to hold the ball up top. But Kinnear is also finally using Salinas and Cato to best advantage. Amazing things can happen when you get all these players plus Wondo into the opposing box.

Saborio is all kinds of slippery, great job by Bingham and the defense to frustrate him and Arnaud.

Season's not dead just yet!

 

Anyone know the details of the team's return tomorrow? I would love to meet them at the airport in an unstaged display of fan enthusiasm!

 

HAHAAAAAAA!!!! Go Quakes!!!

DC blew some chances but Quakes deserved the win. Mid-season acquisitions making their mark!

As a chief Amarikwa signing complainer, I'm sorry and I take it back!

 

We are hot or cold...let's stay hot.

 

It's an [R] thread correct? Before I post any scores. Anyone keeping up with other teams in the league today? Two big games coming up.

 

Watching multiple games at the same time on MLS Live. Great day for the league, good games.

 

Missed posting to the in-game thread in the 2nd half, because I took Mrs. Bsman out to Paxti's where we had a pizza and I had a pint of Lagunitas while we watched. Came in just after the Salinas goal, but was aw it on replay.

Frankly, I don't understand how we can win the scoreboard and lose the possession match so lopsidedly, but I will take it. From my seat, we played a lot better in the 2nd half. We actually seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

Oh, and what everybody says about Quincy. He's done more for the team this month than all of our DPs put together! Friday is gonna be funnnnnnnn!

 

What a turnaround!!
What a week!!!

From worst to first, not in one season, but in one week. OK, I'm exaggerating (a little).

Somehow, this transformation reminds me of learning to ride a bicycle. You keep falling down until, bang, you got the hang of it, never to fall again.

The tactical change to a 4-4-2 is huge, getting Wondo more chances and opening up room for other players. Not so much tonight as on Wednesday, but I think tonight's win is more impressive. Hey, two chances, two shots, two goals, two to zero. Hard to beat that.

Amarikwa has become the target, hold up forward that Kinnear has been seeking, but couldn't have in Lenhart (done), Jahn (USL), Sherrod (PDL). I just thought Quincy was a guy who would dribble and shoot or lose the ball. Credit to Kinnear for molding him so fast.

Play like this and the playoffs are probable. A victory over Seattle at home is a must win, especially because total wins is the first tiebreaker and they have the edge.

Of course, the Godoy acquisition looks totally sweet. Some difficulties may await as Alashe will be with the U-23's for matches in September (3rd and 8th) so he'll almost definitely miss the September 5th Philly match and again in October for Olympic Qualifying (Oct. 1 -13). Kinnear tried to start the season with two holding mids, but neither Pierazzi nor Koval are good enough, so Godoy/Alashe it is. In Alashe's absence, Kinnear may try more of a diamond with MPG or Pelosi in front of Godoy. I hope he doesn't drop Wondo back to midfield like before this week. Few goals from that formation.

A deserved win with some good fortune. Hamid's absence helped a lot, Dykstra looked a little lost on both goals. Saborio missed one fairly easy chance in each half. Bingham didn't get punished for his two gaffes--the giveaway clearance saved by a DC handball and DeLeon missing his header when Bingham got caught in no man's land.

Looking forward to next Friday vs. LA. Beat them twice at home this year? Why not? Before this upswing, attending matches had become a chore, an obligation to obsessive fandom. For now, the thrill is back.

 

2nd road game in a week, where it takes you all of 3 minutes to get a lead, and 8 to start the 2nd half to double it. Game states play a big role in soccer, basically the entire game the onus was on DC to drive the game, so they get more possession/etc.

 

so nice to finally be playing with a proper two striker formation

 

Amarikwa was a beast in the 2nd half. I like how he wins long balls in the air, by just holding position, then just sticking out his foot to trap it. DC announcers were effusive. Only thing they talked about more than DC's impending goal that was sure to come was Amarikwa's play.

 

Understand, I'm not in your grille or anything...but I'm curious about your definition of "more" as it relates to this match.

 

The season was on life support, but not only is it not dead, it has made a miraculous recovery and is now training for one of those "ironman" triathlons...


This Friday's game against LA Galaxy is obviously going to be extremely important, but even after we get through that, we still have Seattle, RSL, Vancouver, and KC all at home, and then Dallas away. That's a lot of points to win or lose against teams we're directly competing with for playoff spots.

There is a playoff probability thread...
http://forums.bigsoccer.com/threads/the-quakes-playoff-odds-just-went-up-from-20-to-45.2023960/

 

Wow, 6 points on the road against KC and DC, anybody predict that...

Playoffs back in the picture, win our remaining matches at home and we look good.

 

Are we really giving Kinnear credit for developing Amarikwa when he came over to the Quakes and started playing well immediately, as in from his first game with the team? And it's not like he was totally useless before arriving here, he had 8 goals and 5 assists with Chicago last season. Amarikwa came into this league as a nobody and frankly a crappy player, and now after being a journeyman for years, he's turned into a very useful player despite various faults and limitations. I doubt coaches even bothered with him much as he was going from team to team playing 250 minutes a season and just filling out a roster spot for relatively little money. He seems like a very driven and hard working guy, I'm guessing no coach deserves nearly as much credit for his game as he does.

 

Quincy really broke out in Chicago, had some good times there but we all know where Chicago is at now, still bottom feeding under Yallop's leadership and worse ownership that we have..