Post-match: FC Dallas - San Jose Earthquakes (Saturday, 4/9) postgame thread [R]

Personally, I thought Bernardez played pretty well as his OG would have been scored by the 2 guys next to him anyway. Bingham was excellent.

The real problem is Dom. Subs too little and too late.
Our "authentic" DPs suck. Wondo is our only true DP.

 

Take the draw away from home and against Dallas... Wondo goal was great. Hate to see a guy get clipped in the box going away from goal, but I don't think Francis is horrible.

 

I will take that. Pretty happily.

A point away at Dallas isn't to be sniffed at after their start.

Five games in and have suffered just one loss. Positives.

Could be better though if Dom wasn't quite *so* conservative and we went for the throat a bit more. (and could knock the ball around between ourselves more often!)

( I realise I am forming these judgements after having watched just four full 90 minute games, so feel free to shoot me down if I'm wrong! )

But it's 04:08 - so bed calls. Will read this thread in the morning. Adios, Quakes fans.

 

Dom played not to lose and he didn't. This team sucks man. No purpose in their play and with 2 DPs on the bemch and the first guy off the bench is Salinas says it all about what is wrong with this team.

 

Dawkins seems to be getting worse each game... I wonder if he's hurt.

And how the hell could Dom keep MPG out of the starting lineup, much less out of the game. I have to assume he'll be gone soon.

Francis also pissed me off all game (including the PK, with Dallas moving away from goal at speed)

This non-win is on Dom all the way.

 

Subs were way too late. Too many long balls. Looks like we are going to be a fast break countering team all year.

 

I didn't watch the game but from what I'm reading in the threads, it sounds like more of the same stagnant play. I think all that Dom and the Quakes really care about at this point in the season is getting a point on the road and getting the team in a position to qualify for the postseason. If they can accomplish their 3rd playoff spot in 9 seasons, all will be well in Dom & John's world. If not, I think someone aside from the fans, will start getting impatient. Last year the excuse was it was Dom's first year and this is supposed to be their stellar year. Guess we will all have to wait until October to find out....

 

Total mixed bag.

Road tie against a presumed top West team: good.

Giving up the lead twice: bad.

The Amarikwa to Wondo goal was on of the best, if not best, combination play between them. Right before that goal, I thought, "Is Wondo even in Dallas?" That's what makes him so great. He did like nothing in the game.....except score.

Quintero had an excellent game. Amarikwa--much improved from last week.

Dawkins is on course to be a wasted signing. Sort of like Jordan Stewart, but for way more money. He wasn't as good as people reminisce about him being in 2012. Good, not great. Now, he's not even good.

And play MPG, please. Did he sit because of his experience last season in Dallas? Otherwise, I don't understand the reasoning. Why not try him and Alashe in the middle and sit TT? It's not like TT is a star (he's a hope, third year running) and his role as primarily a holding midfielder in Godoy's place is not his strength. So sit him down and get MPG out there. No one else on the team can take a free kick worth a poop.

Left back is a problem. Again.

Godoy's return will help.

There are glimmers and there are problems. Just a poorly constructed team. Big money guys that don't have a place. And subbing after the 85th minute didn't help tonight.

So they'll grind out results with effort, but they'll lose or tie games they should win. So far, some West teams look lost and underachieving, so the playoffs will be there for the taking.

Hard to see the team as one of the best in the West.

Mediocrity. Maybe Wednesday will be the beginning of a breakthrough beyond that. Probably not. A .500 team.

 

Yes, we are mediocre. It'll be touch and go all year whether we are mediocre above the playoff line or below. If on the last day we make the playoffs, both JD and DK will be good for another 'successful' year, no matter how fast we bow out of the playoffs. Our ownership and GM have the small team mentality.

So here's the million dollar question - who made/is making the million dollar mistake? JD for buying Innocent or DK for not playing him?!

 

What is frustrating is we've scored some high quality goals this year. Ours tonight where way better than Dallas...but, apart from that we sit back, treat the ball like it's a hot potatoe and look clueless.. Then out of the blue beautiful football leading to a goal than back to 60 mins dross again.


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You know one thing that bugs the crap out of me? I'm sure you want to hear it...

How is it that our outside backs are professional players of many years and still cannot trap a ball? Neither Francis or Wynne can reliably accept a pass. I saw Wynne take a slow roller, with a defender coming onto him, and it pops up knee high and he has to take two more touches to bring it under control before he pushes it back further down field just barely before the other guys is on top of him. And balls to Francis bounce off him like a pin ball.

 

Good point on the road. Even game. I'm not complaining.

Our goals were great and theirs were A brain-dead PK and an own goal. But hey they all count.

Binghaam - solid
Wynn - solid
Imperiale - fine but I prefer Goodson when healthy
Bernandez - Felt bad for him on the own goal plays heart out, solid otherwise
Francis - bench player. Nutty PK. The attacker was going nowhere.
Alashe - his usual athletic self but a bit out of control could've had two yellows
Thompson - fine, nothing great, controls the ball well, a bit overrated on this board
Quintero - Great goal and fine active night
Dawkins - he is atrocious defensively
Wondo - typically invisible but pops up with one chance scores
Amerikwa - typical active bully self nice assist

Innocent - look awful and lazy in limited minutes
Salinas - i'm generally not been a fan but he's been Sparky and spunky this year with great defense effort and coverage
Jahn - didn't have enough time to earn a rating tonight

Kinnear - you all could be critical here but I think he's a very very good coach. Seems to me were missing at least three starters with Godoy (our best player in my opinion), Goodson and Pelosi all out.

If I had to pick 11 with the current injuries I would switch

Salinas for Dawkins
MPG for TT
I'd probably pull Francis for Silva, the SLO kid or the new guy from Houston if fit.

Expect some changes due to Wednesday night action.

 

Our future hopeful star......

Our great DP.....

Our million dollar man....

 

Actually, I don't know that we are mediocre. We have 4 more points and are sitting pretty if Kinnear wasn't so stubborn that he has to play his veteran LB over Colvey, merely because he's not a rookie, and despite what the two look like comparatively. So, we're rather only mediocre because of one player at present. If we get Godoy back and Kinnear pulls his head out of his butt regarding Frances, things could look pretty good.

Dawkins set up the first goal even if his assist was the easier of the two. I still think he'll come around. Tommy was good again....and Alashe wasn't again.

And I still despise Alan Kelly.

 

No DK should be congratulated for not playing him and not bowing to whatever pressure there might be to do so. Have you seen him play? He's awful. Maybe when he gets his legs back a bit more after the long injury he will be a little better than awful, but still not very good. I am feeling better and better about my assessment based on last year - he's not very good. He may even be awful.

 

We signed Innocent, he got hurt and is not the same player. Stuff happens. Doyle has made some good signings and trades too, like the Wondo trade, the Godoy signing and the drafting of Bingham and Alashe for starters.

 

Agree, I don't really get the Dawkins bashing. He set up the first goal. He is generally strong on the ball. He wasn't great but not bad. Had a couple of successful dribbles. A number of defensive plays. Distribution could have been better on the whole.

I actually feel pretty good about this game, and agree that we might be a little better than mediocre. We are missing our top two defensive players - Godoy and Goodson, and tied one of the best teams in the league away, and it wasn't even all that lucky. While the 1st half followed the pattern of "lucky" to have the lead for most of it despite giving up way, way more chances than creating, I thought the 2nd half played pretty evenly and I honestly felt like it was anyone's game, even all the way down to the last few minutes.

I thought TT had another excellent game, despite that howler of a shot. The numbers bear it out. He had the most passes of anyone in the midfield, and if you discount the 3 times he crossed dangerously deep in the box, his was up around 80% again. He held onto the ball many times in traffic and generally made good decisions with it and completed his passes. On defense:

8 recoveries
3 interceptions
2 tackles
3 clearances in the box

By comparison, Fatai had:
5 recoveries
1 interception
2 clearances

On offense, as I mentioned he went on penetrating runs three time deep in the box and got dangerous crosses off across the goal. He also had 3 successful dribbles. I think the only other player with any was Dawkins with 2.

Contrary to what spejic says, I think Tommy is the kind of player that does whatever he thinks he needs to do to help the team win. There was a Dallas counter in the 2nd half, and I'm thinking, where's Tommy, he's not in midfield. Turns out he was playing on the back line covering for someone who had not tracked back. When I went back to watch, you see him turn around and assess the situation as he's running down the field, and at that point he decided the best place for him to be was defending in the box. Baca used to sometimes take off running like a man possessed and run 60 yards to try to break up a dangerous counter. That's the kind of thing Tommy will do as well.

 

Nothing that major. Two things made me really mad. First was his long talking to with the rodent about bear hugging Muma on the corner kick. And then he let play resume and the rodent immediately bear hugged him on the play. So, I'm guess Kelly wasted all that "talking" just to get his ugly mug on camera since he had no intention of enforcing what had supposedly just been warned.
The the 2nd thing was the two fouls on Tommy in the penalty box that went uncalled. He had no trouble calling a penalty on us on a ball the was probably going out (which is fine) but didn't return the favor when there were fouls the other way, just because they were on the guy trying the assist instead of the score.
Oh, and I guess it pissed me off that he let Wondo take whacks to the head and neck all night and it took it happening a few yards from the AR for the AR to finally make that call. And then FCD coaches got their undies in a wad because they'd been allowed to do it all night and suddenly whack-a-Wondo wasn't okay.

 

..except that Innocent wasn't all that great even before getting injured.

 

No, you're picking it up pretty quickly. A tie on the road against a good team, when you are missing two of your best defensive players is a good result.

 

Over analysis of a player who was average out there.