Hi! I have just started to watch American Soccer on TV over here and the team that has stood out most to follow has been your very own SJ.Earthquakes. I live in Oldham, England (a town in Manchester) I have supported Oldham Athletic FC all my life i go to more or less every game each season. I play for a local team in goal. Im hopeing to come over to the States in the next few years so thought I would start watching your team! just thought i'd say hi, so there it is and i look forward to contributing to your message board! Ric
Welcome to BigSoccer and the Earthquakes boards here, Ric-- glad you found us. We actually have a bit of an international contingent on this board-- Toffees_rule is also in England, we have me here in Australia along with my wife, and a group of Danes have joined us recently (inspired by Wade Barrett's recent signing with AGF in Aarhus, as well as wanting to follow Ronnie Ekelund's exploits with the Quakes). So when it's said that "the world is getting smaller all the time", I guess you've just gotta love the internet for that. But there are a lot of Bay Area locals here, too, of course, and we'll all help to make your experience worthwhile. Cheers, William (San Jose ex-pat living in Australia)
Hi Ric, I am an ex-pat Englishman, and San Jose fan. I am sure you will find the quality of football excellent and should really enjoy following the Quakes. I hope you get the chance to go to Spartan Stadium as it is an excellent experience, especially with the Casbah (supporters club) bringing a football atmosphere that you'll recognize from home. Unfortunatly my job has moved me to the other side of the States, so I can't go to any games in person easily, but like William said due to wonders of modern technology, cable and the internet its still possible to be a fan anywhere in the world. btw I am impressed that you support your local team, I always remember when Oldham did well in the cups a few years ago. I am originally from Hartlepool and am a life long Pools fan (look at Division three ) despite the fact I left there when I was 18...again modern technology makes it so easy to keep in touch and be involved... Good luck to Oldham and enjoy the Quakes in the upcoming (transitional) Season. -Richard
Thanks Richard & William! nice to be welcomed aboard! Oldham are having a good season since Iain Dowie took over in the hot seat! 1st Division football next season I hope! could explain to me the workings of the MSL please?! there is a western and eastern conference i know this much...each with 5 teams in.....who plays who, what happens when the conference is over etc? is there any cup competions like we have the FA & League cup? cheers
Welcome to the boards Ric. You should be able to find all you need to know at www.mlsnet.com as they have the rosters and league broken down by teams there. We may not have the best squad out there but, we have the best sense of humor:
Hi there Ric! What's your take on the MLS, how it compares to what you've watched in England? If you go here there is a pretty good overview of MLS' structure and history. This year, the playoffs have changed format, and if you click here, MLS lists the new changes. Glad you picked up on the Quakes -- they have played some terrific soccer over the past two seasons. Hope you make it out to San Jose soon! I hope I can too, actually, as I'm out in Boston
Hi Ric: We are glad to see your interest in the MLS. How many MLS games do they show in England? One a week? Is the game from an ESPN satelite feed? Are the announcers American or English? I feel that the level of american announcers is still very poor, but at the same time a bit amusing. The level of play in the MLS has drastically improved over the last few years. I enjoy watching EPL games and I am especially interested in games with american players like Keller, Friedel and Brian McBride. Most of the EPL and other world league games that we see are available on foxsports world http://www.foxsportsworld.com/world/ We also get news reports on FSW Report on the EPL and other english divisions.
my first thoughts on American Soccer...well i have to be honest here...nothing can compare to the English Premier League...the quality of football is A-Class! if you havent watched a Premiership match then it is a must! if anyone wishes im sure i can sort a video of a match out for you if you dont get any english games over there. but as i said in my initial post. I enjoyed watchin the Quakes and thought they stood out by far in the games i watched. over here at the mo there are two MSL games per week with American comentators. I enjoy the season ahead and hope that the Quakes have a good one!
make sure you chack out the multimedia bit on the mlsnet.com site, you'll be able to see a few of our quality goals... and just in case, you can also check out the team's website www.sjearthquakes.com to get a better feel for the squad.
The 2003 Earthquakes are participating in: MLS Cup (regular season record & playoffs), the US Open Cup (compares to the English FA Cup I believe), the CONCACAF Champion's Cup (poorman's Champion's League), and the La Manga Cup (low-profile pre-season tournament in Spain).
the closest thing we have to a league Cup is MLS Cup because we go from league stage to playoff format at the end of the regular season... But if you're looking for a league cup comp. where all 10 (and probably soon to be 10-12?) teams there isn't one as of yet or many never be...depends Oh, and their's no Charity shield either...anything I missed?