Post-match: Portland Timbers - San Jose Earthquakes (Wednesday, 9/20) postgame thread [R]

if only we could find that right coach.

 

If only the late season game versus Portland was played in San Jose.

 

yup, after 17 failed attempts at a win up there, there should be some kind of mercy rule.

 

I'm not saying the Quakes shouldn't play in Portland, I'm saying the schedule should not sequence the home-and-home such that Quakes host early in the season and Portland hosts late -- every f8cking year.

 

that's digging kind of deep into ye olde excuse bin, don't you think?

Quakes need to be better, no excuses. Every year we're looking around for excuses, while ignoring the obvious, simple truth...this team isn't good enough. A few good players...not enough.

Same story, different year.

 

Funny, it seemed so quiet in the RSL postgame thread after a good win, and now a loss and it's gone all Strum & Drang and we'll never be any good...

The season is still in the balance. We may wind up crashing and burning and doing only very slightly better than the Alex Covelo-led Quakes or we may end up in a decent position in the playoffs. We'll see. It's going to be a slog 'til the endl.

 

15 years of John Fisher and most of us are a bit salty, shouldn't be surprising at all really.

 

I dont doubt we make thr playoffs but it wouldnt surprise me.

We will win a wild card if at home, then be humiliated.

 

You said, "if only we could find that right coach." Sounds like an excuse -- according to your definition.

Luchi didn't cause the Quakes to fail to win in Portland year-after-year. Last night was his first MLS regular season match in Portland as a Quakes coach. He's only zero for one.

But the schedule quirk I identified has held since 2016. So, just maybe, it is a factor. One among others, perhaps, but a factor nonetheless.

 

OK, but we have a good win against RSL and you can't make one post in the postgame thread? And now after a loss, you're all over the thread like white on rice!

 

my bigger point really is that coaching is not the problem in San Jose.

 

true, its going to take a little more to impress me. I've been watching this sad movie for a looooong time...probably become a little jaded in the process.

 

Your bigger point was, and I quote: "13 wins for Portland, 4 ties and 0 wins for San Jose over 17 trips to Portland. Unbelievable."

This is either explainable or simply an anomaly. It cannot be explained by general suckitude, since the Quakes manage to win in L.A. and Seattle. So maybe there is an explanation related to factors peculiar to Portland -- like the unrelenting quirky schedule. Or, maybe it is simply an anomaly that has nothing to do with the quality of the Quakes.

Because the NFL explains the world, it's worth noting that the Green Bay Packers have never beaten the Bills in Buffalo. Not once. Zero for seven. HOF and Super Bowl-winning QBs Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers have each failed multiple times.

 

Portland joined MLS in 2011. How many coaches have we had since then? Lots. Same result. Now the results in Portland are (of course) particularly embarrassing but the Quakes have quite a few embarrassing on the road stats vs other teams, as well. Many coaches have tried, all have come up short.

Our problems are not related to coaching, our players or our FO. They stem from a chronic lack of investment in talent and routine misfires with spending the meager fishbucks that are available.

 

sorry, this was me being facetious.

 

Another road game in Luchi's 4-3-3 with his preferred attacking starters...minus Cade. Nice to see Hoppe, but he is miscast on the flank. Our attack is anemic with these starters in this tactical approach...end of story. We don't pose enough threat or score enough goals to make up or exceed the crap goals we give up...the goals we gave up were part poor play part unfortunate bounces, but that's all it takes for us to drop games and points...our base attack is poor, disjointed, one dimensional, and except for Espinoza we can't handle the basic trap and pass fundamentals under pressure...if you can't do that you will struggle, which is what we do...waiting and hoping Espinoza and Daniel can give us individual moments of brilliance.

Imo, our only hope to improve our attacking level is to go with a 3-5-2/3-4-3 with Espinoza in a predominately central attacking role.

 

The odd thing is, I think I heard Luchi yell to Cade at one point "Cade, 3-5-2, run in behind", and in the postgame they were talking like they went to 3-5-2 when the 3 subs came in. Hoppe was talking like he moved over to CM. Essentially I think the idea was that he had Monteiro's CM role. Hoppe said he played lots of midfield in the past - up until 16 he was a mid, so he feels pretty comfortable there. But didn't sound like he's ever really practiced there, and the Yueill-Niko-Hoppe CM group was a first time experience in the game.

But anyway the numbers for 3-5-2 didn't really work out. Who was the 3rd CB? Looked like Tracuo and Marie were playing their usual fullback roles, and Espinoza and Cade were playing their usual wide roles. So if anything I'd say we played our usual 4-3-3, with Hoppe in for Monteiro, or that it was really more like a 4-4-2 with Hoppe playing as a 2nd forward. Take your pick, but it didn't play like a 3-5-2 to me. But I agree with you, if we're going to play 3-5-2, make Espinoza one of the front 2, not a winger.

 

They were fun to watch from the moment we went down 0-2 for about 15-20 minutes... injury time was an opportunity that ended up more like a disaster.... best I've seen Niko play but as his shift wore on his passing seemed to get worse. Hoppe almost had another goal, that of course would have made a huge difference. And I'm not a Beason-hater but his offensive heading is awful. Almost to the point of don't bother sending him up for corners.

The Quakes have the ability to play much more exciting soccer, the way the the coach sets things up is very meh to me.

 

Poor first half and better second half for a change. Official didn't help with some poor calls (you can't let them play on, take a shot, and then call it back for a foul!). I can understand Espinoza's frustration towards the end of the game. Credit to Jebo and Espinoza on the call. Being in the right place was about the only thing Hoppe did well in the game.

Speaking of crap. PM from the start of the game (silly yellow card, poor positioning, bad passes); Yuell having another poor passing game (passing is pretty much the only reason that you want him on the field); Beason passing out of bounds; Monteiro being slow on crossing the ball which led to the counterattack and goal. Just not good enough.

I do give the credit for playing better after the goal, but they also could have easily given up a third goal with sloppy play.

Tired of Luchi coaching from the slidelines (I.e. telling players where to play).

 

In a 3-5-2 I’d rather see Espinoza as ACM or playmaking forward underneath Hoppe and Jebo…not crazy about Jebo at all right now… he’s pretty loose and dreary in combo play, can’t get behind a defense with speed and a mostly mediocre finisher…but Luchi rubber stamps him at the 9…which imo is a big problem for our attack, along with Montiero underneath him…the combination of those two players together brings down our ability to threaten the goal…throw in Cade losing the ball on 50% of his traps and it adds up to what we see…almost zero attacking continuity.