You can sticky this if you want.....If the Quakes don't address one or both of their weaknesses(right mid and back) through a trade, we will not win the MLS Cup 2002 and anything less than that is failure. I was the first last year to say we would win it all.....I predicted a sweep vs Crew in the playoffs and I predicted 2 of 3 vs Fusion and right here, right now I predict that the Quakes, with a slightly better team than 2001, will not win the 2002 MLS CUP unless they wake up and make a Deal. I have been pushing Ralston and Mastroeni but that is an un-likely wish list....there are other players that could do the job out there, just make it happen. If not, say bye bye to the (City Here) Quakes.
No. But I agree that I would like to see some improvement at outside mid and outside back. Yet I cannot think of one team with no real chance who will trade us what we need. Instead, it's time for the Quakes to crack down on their road performance to get the confidence they'll need for road post-season matches.
I don't think failing to win a championship will force a move and I don't think winning a championship will prevent a move.
This depends on the health of two players: Dayak and Conrad. They get better, no prob. If they are going to stay out, I agree that we need some outside help at both those positions. Anyone have any updates on Conrad or Dayak?
Conrad hasn't been hurt, though he is suspended for the DC game. Dayak is still out as far as I know. If Russell and Lagos can improve their games, the Quakes will be in better shape.
I was thinking that Russell was my immediate worry as far as health goes. If he IS healthy then he is worse than I thought. Corrales is ok but not the answer.
If he doesn't consider it a demotion I think it would be nice to see Dayak go back to his old right back position. He still has good speed and can overlap and hit a decent cross. Conrad and Robinson can compete for the other inside spot alongside Agoos. Russell needs to get healthy otherwise I think right mid will continue to be a problem.
That is actually not a bad idea....Agoos and Eddie or Conrad in the middle and the Beast on the right. Sometimes the answer is right in front of you. It's worth a try.
Hey wait a second, this is actual earthquakes soccer talk. Doktor, you bring up an interesting idea, but I'm not sure if Dayak is quick enough anymore to play right back for 90, particularly recovering from an injury. But what your post brings up for me: 1) longer term how will the Quakes backline change when Dayak/Agoos aren't around? and 2)If Dayak and Agoos don't fully recover and the Quakes head to the playoffs without them, who would you like to see in the center of the backline? As terrific a year as Corrales is having, if Russell/Lagos are healthy, I guess my first choice would be (L2R) Corrales-Barrett-Robinson-Conrad). However, a backline with that little experience, relatively, would also make me awfully nervous come playoff time. go Quakes T
I think you made a good selection. Corrales I think is doing really good. Barrett is about are best bet in the back. Robinson is proveing that he can be worthy of playing in the back he has been doing great in the air....he really needs to watch the cations though. I also think Conrad has being doing great this year. You know what though it is kinda scary not having any of our really expericed players like Troy and Agoos.
Barrett is not nearly as effective in the middle of the d. Leave him outside. My choice for the back four: (L-R) Barrett, Agoos, Conrad, Robinson Robinson and Conrad could switch and it wouldn't matter much, as neither one goes up the flank that often....
I also don't think Corrales has been as effective in the back as he has in the mid. Having the best left back in the league is a luxury - I wouldn't want to change that. I think FY is more than happy to stick with Conrad on the right with Dayak in the middle if healthy and Robinson if not. (I don't think FY would ever consider playing Dayak at right back). The other minor problem is that Lagos plays a lot better on the left, which is why Russell is so important. Finally, one other thing to ponder: Corrales has played well at d-mid - you could put him there and play Mulrooney at right back. But again, it's tough to break up a real strength of the team - Mulrooney's been one of the top d-mids in the league. Having said all that, I think the Quakes can still win it with a Russell-Conrad combo on the right, as long as all the key members stay healthy.
Barclay managed to be invisible in a 4-0 blow-out of Dallas at that position. DeRo is waaaaay more creative than Barclay and Russell combined......if he only had the smarts of Ekelund.
I like the idea of DeRo at right half especially after envisioning what he could have done last night had he had more time out there. Didn't it seem like he would be death on a left-sided defender with all that space and time? At forward, he seems to end up getting caught in traffic too much. But when he gets an early ball on the right wing, left backs would be shaking in their boots. Having said that, though, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to throw him out there against a team with a strong left-sided attack. It works against the Galaxy because they put their weapons on the right (Cobi, Ezra). DeRo didn't have to worry too much about chasing back against Victorine and Moreno - now if they play Glinton on the left, that's different. Russell's really good about tracking back; obviously I would expect Dwayne to be a lot more offensive-minded which could be dangerous against some teams.
two things lacking right now....finishing and defending. hmmmm.... Quakes are in sorts...hopefully this break will allow the boys to regroup and settle down.... Go Quakes!