He's So Wondo! The continuing chronicle of Chris Wondolowski's career

Wishing Chris Wondolowski 'Wondo' a Happy 37th BD!

GO WONDO!

 

And that's only 27 in our years.

 

I'm still not really convinced that the beep test means a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. It's a very specific activity that doesn't necessarily translate into game time activities. I used to outrun pretty much every other player on teams I played with, yet players I regularly outran were far better players than I was. Would they have been better if they could have run as well as I could? Perhaps, but I would have traded their technical skills for my running abilities every day of the week.

In other words, I would not make any definitive statements (especially criticisms) from the results of a beep test done once a year in pre-season.

Edit: Forgot to include that Wondolowski has been an elite MLS player his entire career. It shouldn't be that surprising that he's able to do a thing or two better than other players. Stamina appears to be a key component to this and I'm not sure that it diminishes all that quickly with age, either.

What would you say if the team did a test solely designed to measure explosive speed? How well do you think Wondolowski would rate among all the players? Would your view of him be any different if he came in dead last?

 

Well let me answer that this way...

At the last SV foundation dinner where Shea was at our table (2012?), I asked Shea who was faster, he or Marvin Chavez. They had the most explosive speed at that time.

Now it appears that Shea is probably still one of the most explosive guys on today’s roster. So what does that say about our team?

So if either Shea or Wondo came in as dead last for beep test or explosive test, I would cheer. Because it would mean we are bringing in faster guys or guys who can run for hours. If instead they come in above average within the roster, then to me that’s a bad sign about the rest of the roster.

I don’t understand why this opinion is so hard to communicate. If you are 32 and you show up to your rec team and everyone is being outrun by a 50 year old, you might marvel at that 50 year old specimen, but wouldn’t the second thing in your mind be, “we must suck...” ???

 

I don't understand why a person older than me is engaging in ageism.

 

A Beep test measures a players maximum endurance, and Wondo has always had tremendous endurance, which is not surprising considering his long distance background. We have no idea who our fastest player is, maybe Fierro, or Espinoza, or perhaps Salinas. Jamie Vardy, at 33, is the leading scorer in the EPL, and perhaps his greatest asset is his speed. He is still running past and away from much younger players.
And here is an interesting tidbit, they have a way of measuring how fast a player can run in a sprint during a game, and the highest recorded sprint in the EPL this year was not a forward, not a winger, not a midfielder, and not an outside back. It was Leicester's Turkish centerback, Caglar Soyuncu, who has Leicester fans totally not missing Harry Maguire. And second fastest was 32 year old forward Shane Long.
The fact that Wondo out beeps everyone does not bother me, nor does the fact that Salinas is still one of the speediest players on the team.

And remember, Wondo's Indian name, "Bau Daigh", means "warrior coming over the hill", not "warrior that's over the hill".

 

You are equating stamina to skill. That's not what the test is for. It is to get a "baseline" on the players condition entering camp.

 

I think we all get what you're saying. I just think you're putting way more importance on the test than it deserves.

 

https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/sa...t-last-season-usmnt-mls-san-jose-earthquakes/

Wondo as a scout huh? That seems to be an area of need.

 

That article says Wondo finished 4th in the beep test, not first.
"After leading the Earthquakes in scoring last season and nearly guiding his team to the playoffs, Wondolowski knows that his retirement season can still be one of his best. He arrived to preseason in excellent shape, finishing fourth in the infamous beep test and beating guys half his age, and his teammates have noticed. It’s not simply about winning one for the retiring Wondo — rather it’s feeding off their captain’s energy and enthusiasm."

 

When I think about Wondo, I find some real parallels with the Green Bay Packers (stay with me, Niner fans...)

For 12 years, the Packers have essentially wasted the career of one of the greatest QBs of all time, just as the Quakes have wasted the career of perhaps the greatest US goal-scorer of all time. Yes, Mr. Rodgers has won one Super Bowl during his career, but the insane, terrible, and unfathomable management of the Packers during his tenure (focusing exclusively on defense, always having a substandard receiving corps and O-line) has vastly diminished his ability to elevate his team to the elite level.

At the same time, since 2010 the Quakes have essentially squandered the career of the all-time MLS scoring champion by trading away key supporting cast members (Beita, Morrow for example) spending DP money on unknowns from obscure leagues, etc. Yes, we won the Supporters Shield in 2012, but that was more the result of an almost magical set of events (look how many points were gained in the last minutes of games during that season) than by management triumph.

Both Wondo and Rodgers have had incredible careers more in spite of than because of the (mis)management of their respective teams. This makes me sad.

 

Since you like to beat records, we challenge you @ChrisWondo to beat this one. We'd love to spend our pensions on season tickets to see you keep scoring! pic.twitter.com/6gIsKQITeS

— San Jose Ultras (@SanJoseUltras) January 28, 2020

I saw Yokohama play live (at Tokyo Verdy) back in 2018.

 

But did he win the beep test?

 

“Squandered” is right, Wondo epitomizes everything you would want in a player; the skill, the loyalty, the fight, the desire, the connection to fans and community...there was so much there to capitalize on with a player of his greatness.

Not that the teams record of hopelessness and futility diminishes his accomplishments one iota in my eyes, nor those of anyone here, I’m sure, but it really pisses me off that more effort wasn’t made to build a team around him that could showcase his talent and give him what he so obviously deserves, a title or two under his belt.

 

Rodgers would have gone to a second Super Bowl if one of the reserves had recovered an onside kick in Seattle, as I recall.

 

Wow, that's hilarious. I have to quote you on twitter...

I'm just being honest. Successfully aging doesn't mean denying aging, it means adapting to it. But Earthshaker's examples of other athletic outliers above, and his clarification that Wondo came in 4th, not 1st, are very helpful. Certainly Wondo is one-of-a-very-rare-kind.

 

Our 2020 patch is a tribute to @ChrisWondo and his Kiowa heritage pic.twitter.com/242g7n6gqU

— San Jose Ultras (@SanJoseUltras) February 13, 2020

 

dang, that’s sick. https://t.co/ulizNdFkaK pic.twitter.com/U2cEoCt0W7

— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) February 14, 2020

 

Looks like an effort afoot to rename one of the streets around the stadium, "Wondo Way."

San Jose Planning Dept. auto-generated email posted on thread on Quakes' reddit:

Dear Subscriber,

During the last week, the City of San José Planning Division received the following development application(s) in your selected geographic area of interest. Council District 3 Ref: ST20-001 Project Location: 1123 COLEMAN AV Minor street renaming from "Champion Drive" to "Wondo Way" Project Manager Alec Atienza, (408) 535-7688, Alec.Atienza@sanjoseca.gov. If the project requires a public hearing, residents within a 300-, 500-, or 1,000-foot radius of the project, may be notified by mail. For more information about an application, click on the Project Reference (Ref) link or contact the Project Manager using the listed phone number. You may also speak with a City Planner by calling 408-535-3555 (visit www.sanjoseca.gov/planning for Planning?s phone service hours) or in person at Planning' Offices at San José City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara Street, 3rd floor tower from Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m.- Noon and 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.

Development applications may change after initial application submittal. To check on the project's status, retain the Project Reference link for future use.

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That will cost our penurious owner much less than building a statue.

 

well let's face it though -- Champion Drive was a terrible misnomer

 

Awesome News!

A street with a name: @SJEarthquakes planning a wonderful tribute to @ChrisWondo. @mercnews found out with city permit filing: https://t.co/UcKQwavKgP @MLS @SanJoseUltras @CityofSanJose @jwondo @sjwondolowski @coachhoytski @SalinasSJ11 @JaredShawlee @DaveKaval @JesseFioranelli

— Elliott Almond (Original blue check) (@ElliottAlmond) February 22, 2020

 

They should pave the road before the naming ceremony. The inevitable picture on the Mercury front page won’t look very good otherwise.

 

Will fans chant , "follow the Wondo brick road"?