Our Last Best Hope . . .

It's crunch time.

07/03 - Fri @SaltLickers We will be lucky to tie.
07/11 - Sat Home Toronto FC We should win.
07/18 - Sat @Chitcago Almost certain loss.
07/25 - Sat Home D.C. Untied Likely loss.
August
08/02 - Sun Home Flounders FC We better win!
08/08 - Sat Home Crewless We might win.
08/22 - Sat Home Wiz We should win.
08/29 - Sat @CounterRevs Likely loss.
September
09/18 - Fri Home Crapids We might win.

I want to track our performance over these next nine games. We need six or seven wins if we even hope to be competitive. It's going to be tough. Let's hope for the best, and train hard. We might get some re-enforcements from July 15th on, but it is unclear how we will make space for them.

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

So given that our last lineup was a patchwork, and that Frank usually runs out the same guys if they win ... Who do you expect to get the start on July 3? and who do you want to get the start on July 3? And how much change is too much?

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

Interesting ideas.

We can sell Elliott to Wellington. He is not fast enough for this league, I don't care how he looked with his nats. He's not getting any younger. So we should sell him asap.

Corrales we proabably cannot trade. If we can, we should. Otherwise, I think we are just going to have to waive him. This is why I keep suggesting that we make him a youth coach, or scout. Let's move him to some other part of the organization if we can't trade him. But let's get him off the roster.

We probably can trade Pitch, but I'd like to keep him and start him next to Jason, at least until we can find a better replacement.

Ribeiro? I don't really care. Keep him, cut him, trade him, sell him, whatever. He doesn't make enough money that it's a big deal (at least this year he doesn't).

BUT, if Frank is not willing to part with Ramiro or Simon, then Antonio Ribeiro must go.

I think we should keep Convey because we will need him next year.

Zaher, Leitch, Jason we keep for sure, but we will need backups, especially for Leitch who is getting on in years. We can ditch either Corrales or Denton, but probably not both. Denton we can cut or waive at the end of the season and sign a much younger replacement. Denton is cheaper than Ramiro also.

We should try to trade Roberts. Frank is never going to play him, so it's a waste to have him on the roster.

Cochrane we need to trade or cut the instant he gets healthy. I'm not sure we'll get many takers. Probably he goes on a conditional draft pick basis. If he can stay healthy for his new team, we get a decent pick, if not, we get a warm case of Yoohoo.

We're almost certain to lose Hucks at the end of the season.

I'll have to wait and see who else I think should go, other of course than Frank and JD who I wanted to sack three or four weeks ago.

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

Over in the Gold Cup Callups thread ThreeApples wrote:

- - -
The final rosters were released and DeRo and Serioux are skipping to Gold Cup to stay with Toronto.
- - -

So that's going to hurt our chances against the Hosers. DeRo is one of their main men. Serioux is a starter for them, yes? In any case, it's not helpful and we need to be successful now.

It was weird hearing Wondo and Ribeiro saying that they thought our team was good. But their perspective is: 2-1-1 and 1-1 respectively. They only just got here. We're going to need to keep up that 2-1-1 pace if we hope to make the playoffs.

Go Quakes!

- Mark

 

It's crunch time. One down, eight to go.

07/03 - Fri @SaltLickers - 1:1 tie
07/11 - Sat Home Toronto FC We should win.
07/18 - Sat @Chitcago Almost certain loss.
07/25 - Sat Home D.C. Untied Likely loss.
August
08/02 - Sun Home Flounders FC We better win!
08/08 - Sat Home Crewless We might win.
08/22 - Sat Home Wiz We should win.
08/29 - Sat @CounterRevs Likely loss.
September
09/18 - Fri Home Crapids We might win.

We need six or seven wins in the next eight matches if we even hope to be competitive.

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

Sure, but we have not even heard any rumors that our brain trust are looking to sign anyone. They have cleared two roster spots, and as some are quick to remind us, depending on how many allocation shekels we have in our piggy bank, we may be able to sign one or two quality players.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed and pouring libations to the Soccer Gods. I suggest you do the same.

Here's a depressing thought. If our season continues to head south (and yes, we've been doing better lately) a new coach will get a "You Suck" allocation, plus plenty of roster spots and salary cap space when he sacks a third or so of our players. Oh, and a new coach will almost certainly get Huck's salary back because Hucks is going to go home.

go quakes!

- Mark

 

I tried rooting for Chitcago once, but I broke out in hives.

Come on! I can't root for other teams! I can barely watch other teams! I find myself rooting for the refs. "Send him Off!!" "Eject their coach!" "Fine them!"

And I think that I have reached that stage where I believe that our season is done. We would need an epic run just to pretend that we might make the playoffs.

Maybe we get lucky and beat the Hosers. Then, we get a couple of new players in on July 15th. A center mid, and a central defender (because that's what JD and Frank are thinking). Our midfield comes together better, but we still lose to Chitcago because the new guys have only been in camp a day or two when we play The Wet in Chitcago. But starting on July 25th, at home against DC Untied, we go on an epic unbeaten streak that takes us all the way to the playoffs!!! And then ... And then ... my alarm clock rings. Oh Shit!

Nah, we're screwed. This is a hopeless mess and JD and Frank are getting sacked at the end of the season along with about a third to half of the team.

Woe is us.

go quakes

- Mark

 

Well, some of these guys at least better be good enough or we're going to suck for the next three or four more years.

First off, in 2001 it was a lot more than just two guys that came in.

We dumped: Abdul Thompson Conteh, Azziz (went home on his own), Harut Karapetyan, Mauricio Solis, Mike Burns, Jamie Clark (gone in 2000), Gio Savarese, Dan Calichman, Travis "Red Card" Mulraine, Ryan Tinsley (retired), Justin Evans, Gabe Eastman, Ryan Edwards.

That's a lot of guys. We had a good core of players to build on, but we traded or cut half the team.

We brought in: Agoos, Lagos, DeRo, Junior Agogo, Zak Ibsen, Dayak came back, Ekelund, Landon, and Eddie Robinson. Oh, and Wade Barrett returned from being injured nearly all of the previous season.

That's a good bunch of players to add to a decent core.

We have some decent players now. They might be a lot better if we had a few more good guys and better coaching. If we had two really quality center mids, if Convey can stay healthy and always play left-mid for us (I'm thinking of next year already), if we can bring in another really good central defender, we need someone to backup or replace Leitch because Chris is getting on in years, one more killer forward and Cornell Glen might actually be that guy!

The most frustrating thing is that we have a fair number of good pieces. We just need to use them correctly and inspire them. We wasted so many games early trying to make our team work with Corrales and Elliott or Corrales and Convey in the center of the midfield.

We still have a narrow chance to make a run for the playoffs, but realistically, I am just hoping to see improvement, and by improvement I mean wins. Not gritty ties, not games where we were close. I want wins.

We need to crush the Hosers this coming weekend. Let's hope!

go quakes

- Mark

 

That was just a mistake. Sorry.

- Mark

 

Some of the Nicaraguans play for rec league sides. Still, Guadaloupe has some decent players and so does Panama, and there may even be a decent Nicaraguan or two.

But we should have scouted these guys last season so that we could snag some in between seasons. Bringing in re-enforcements midway through the season is weak. We need to start the season strong. It's one thing to sign a player or two to bolster your side, to replace a guy who got hurt or sold to another league, but we are looking for essential players who should have been on our roster long ago.

So did JD scout the Costa Rica - El Salvador game? There are certain to be good players there. He ought to be scouting Honduras too. What with the political turmoil there, there may be some players looking to bail out.

And of course, we ought to be looking at their club teams. Anyone care to bet that there is at least one or two attacking midfielder types languishing on the benches of CD Olimpia, Municipal, Saprissa, Alajuela, and others who think that they ought to be starting in place of some aging vet who is clearly past is sell by date? That's what we need. Young guys hungry to prove themselves. Guys with chips on their shoulders. Guys who think they ought to be on their Nats, but aren't. And want an opportunity to shine somewhere so they can get a look with their Nats.

Maybe I should apply to the Quakes to be a scout? I could use a trip to Central America, or at least a subscription to Galavision, GolTV, and Telefutura!

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

<sigh>




You are so right.
We can only hope that when JD went to Costa Rica he actually looked for players and got some negotiations started.

go quakes

- Mark