Post-match: FC Dallas - San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday, 2/24) postgame thread [R]

so who do you start at #10 Saturday, assuming Niko is still not ready? And what about LW?

 

I think we have to stick with Jack. There isn't another good option, and I think he can do better. Besides he's fast enough, maybe he can slow down Puig a little bit when Puig comes back deep for the ball. Honestly I'm a bit worried about the LAG game, but the team could surprise me. I remember feeling not very confident against LAFC at Levi's and we won that one, so... Somehow we have looked better against LAFC than LAG though the last few years even though LAFC has been the better team. Matchups, I guess.

 

hmmm, I worry that he won't be able to find Jebo at all and Jebo will just be out there game watching again. And what about LW for you, who gets the start? Go with the hot player and sub in the new guy or the other way around?

 

We will stick with jack until Niko or our new guy is ready. I want to see Skahan with someone other than Jebo up top. He may play better in a 4-1-2-3 type of formation with more speed with Pellegrino able to run into open space where he can play the ball.

With that said, i don't think Jack Skahan is good enough to be a regular starter long term.

Finding the right combination of guys to compliment each other is the chess match every coach plays. Thats why some teams we see some 'lesser' talented guys per say starting day in and day out but the team wins.

We don't have much evidence with such a new roster to really make any harsh judgements other than towards Jebo.

Even Kikanovic without Cowell on this roster and Marie behind him looked a lot better. I'm a little fearful whats going to happen when Costa starts regular matches though. Over working BK is when we lose him.

 

I think the Galaxy are going to over run our midfield, so we need to eliminate every single passing lane, and NOT allow Puig to run into space. If he's allowed to run into space and has Yueill or Gruezo chasing him all game we're gonna get over run real quick. Miami didn't figure out how to cut down the lane and space until late in the game when they started pushing Busquets up higher to defend. Puig was running circles around Busquets, and he's for sure going to run around Gruezo.

 

I would start Benji again and bring in Pellegrino at around 60-65'. Can't sit a guy who scored your goal and almost scored 2 more.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Pellegrino - Judd - Espinoza to start, with Benji at #10 but I think you're probably right, Skahan gets another start, I expect Jebo too (with Judd as a sub although this is his former team, he might have something to prove, might make sense to start him in this one)...that leaves LW...I'd rather see Benji get the start, but I don't see how Luchi keeps Pellegrini out of the starting 11 given all the hoopla about his goal scoring ability.

 

Yes! And had a decent preseason which should count for something.

 

Pellegrino had one decent scoring opportunity in the game and went for his trademark looping ball to the upper 90 of far post. He also had Judd sitting there at the far post. I guess it was a shot and not a pass, but it was wide and too high for Judd. I worry a bit that Pellegrino's looping ball to the upper 90 of far post will get saved most of the time in MLS. If you watch his goal highlights it seems like over half his goals are that same shot.

But the guy literally just got off the plane from Norway, and that was his first shot. Not gonna judge too hard on that. [But in his highlight video, he always scores on that shot!! ] And I liked his movement and he looks very fast when he opens his stride.

 

You probably right, I'm going with the Quakes actually playing very good. Only because it's the 1st home game (home crowd going wild) and we're coming off a heartbreaking last minute loss.
If that doesn't get the team fired up against our most hated rivals.... nothing will.

 

It wouldn't surprise me at all if we go with three def midfielders and leave Jack on the bench.

 

Luchi had a look at that in preseason, with Jackson playing the frontmost spot, which is not a bad option. We also did it in the Dallas game when Skahan went out. We know Jackson is a good passer, he has a decent longish shot, and he has a little bit of an ability to take guys on 1v1. He is not the worst option for a CAM. But I think we'd miss Skahan's speed a bit.

 

Initially, I was gutted like most of you. However, the next day, I felt better and actually like the Quakes went for win. I thought the new players were fine for their first game and coming off the bench. So, one game on the road where we just lost one point.

Still, there are warning signs from last year and some poor individual play:

• Yuell and Gruevo were average at best.
• Rodrigues didn't have a good game and Beason went to the ground on the first goal which allowed the ball to get threw!
• We struggled with the press...and worst of all...
• We are terrible on set pieces.

JP and Benji had decent games on the left side and Espinoza did his thing. Otherwise, we were average at best which is not good enough long term. Let's see how we play against LAG who had our number last year.

 

Who's JP? "Jamal" Pellegrino? Jpaul Pmarie?

 

Jean-Paul Marie?

 

Has Benji played the #10 spot? Not for the first team, yeah? So why would we do that?

I think we’ll see the same lineup mostly. Possible changes are Wilson in for Beason I think is likely. Maybe Costa in for Marie, maybe not. Amahl will probably get more minutes, but not start. We won’t see Benji at the 10.

I’d like to see Judd in place of Jebo, but that’s not likely.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

snipping this and putting it in the LA Galaxy pregame thread where it belongs.

 

I think Luchi maps out positions for players and that’s how they train and prepare. Too early in the season for a big change like that. We need to accumulate more failure for him to consider outside of the box moves . Plus I don’t think Benji really has the qualities for a CAM. He’s not a dribble in traffic guy and not necessarily a great passer. His strengths are goal poaching and using his speed to run behind the defense. I’d be nice to see Benji and Pellegrino on at the same time, but I think right now tag team is OK. Skahan wasn’t necessarily bad. We don’t score if he doesn’t force that spilled save, and it was just one game. Benji did the easy part, Espinoza and Skahan the harder parts. Skahan’s looked a little better in other games at the same position.

 

You were more impressed with Skahan at #10 than me. I don't want to see that again. I don't think Benji is best suited either, but would he be worse? I don't think so. When your choices available for #10 are Skahan, Benji or TT...it's a toss up. And who knows, TT or Benji might be able to find Jebo.

*again, maybe better for the SJ/LA pregame thread?

 

As I said Skahan has played there a few other times and looked better. We shouldn’t base our impressions entirely on one game or just the last game.

 

I'm not. Skahan joined the Quakes in 2020. We've seen him plenty over the years.

 

Not really. He's had 700 career minutes, most of them last year, when he looked most promising and like he'd gotten over the hump. We can't laud Benji for his tap-in goal w/o also lauding Skahan for his one-time shot off of Espinoza's cross that led to Benji's tap-in.

 

again, I think you’re more impressed with Skahan than me. I’m fine with him getting another chance or two as a late sub in a game where we’re trailing but as starting CAM, he’s nowhere near the playmaker we need.

Of course we don’t have the playmaker we need. In the meantime I’d be fine mixing it up between those three.

but he’s a part of the reason Jebo was a no show last game. Our attack was completely disorganized.

I expect Luchi starts him again anyway, maybe he has a better game this weekend.

 

Being impressed with Skahan had more to do with his performance at that position last season. He started against LAG in the classico and scored, then played in the center in the next game against LAFC and had an assist. Then started again the next game against Seattle (not sure if he was central or on the wing in that one) and we won that game 2-0. Then started in the center again the next game against Portland and we were absolutely killing them until he unfortunately got injured in the 23rd minute and left the game. We didn't look the same after that. This year in preseason and last week he's looked fairly meh but there's enough promise from last year that I'd want to see more.

 

I think those are valid points and I’m confident you will get your wish. Let’s revisit this after Saturday. We can’t really afford “fairly meh” so hopefully he can shake that off for this big test/opportunity and rise to meet the occasion.