No worries Chickie, you are the perfect person for the job! There were many fine sights at the game today, if ya know wut I mean....
Its possible I've had enough.... Wooooowwwww San Jose....... Wooooowwwww San Jose... Wooooowwwww San Jose....... Wooooowwwww Hey Hey Hey
Wow, what a game!! I don't really think I was expecting to feel this good after the game. Ching And DeRo: This combo worked...for today. I don't know, I guess we needed a change in lineup but if my memory serves me well, during mid season I remember thinking that these two should not be paired together up top. However, DeRo really brought his game, he had some incredible runs. Ching seems a bit burnt out though. Hopefully he'll be back to form next week. Donovan: MOTM. He was amazing. I was wowed by him....he really gets to show his stuff in midfield and his presence there really helped the absence of Richie. Mullan: Had one (if not more) really good tackles, he made some nice crosses as well and battled hard for the ball. Corrales: WoW, he surprised me today. He really stepped up and made nice clean passes. Russell: Not too shabby; his speed combined with Dunivant really made the left side dangerous especially in the second half. Cochrane and Agoos: Really shut down KC's offense in the first half. Those two were terriffic! Dunivant: Good speed, got in the attack more in the second half. Made some nice runs. Onstad: Saved our butts at least 2 times where I thought it would have been a goal. Another clean sheet for Pat! Of course we can breathe a tiny bit easier with 2-0, but 3-0 would have made me more confident. I think our guys know better than anyone that it is so easy to loose that lead (November 9, 2003) so hopefully they will come with the same game face and get a couple early goals next week in KC! EXCELLENT game!! It's been awhile since I've been able to celebrate some LIVE Quakes goals! The crowd was rockin' and it was so nice to see the guys finally so upbeat after a game because of the way they played....they definitely came for the W!
Comedy gold for today has to be the fans bitching in the match thread in the KC forum about how Rob and Eric apparently discussed on ESPN2 whether the Quakes would rather play LA or Colorado in the next round... ...when there's a thread in their forum dedicated to whether they'd rather play LA or Colorado in the next round. D'oh.
Just in case there's any controversy remaining over DeRo's goal - shot or no shot, it was meant to be a cross, straight from the man's mouth: "It wasn't a shot, it was a chip. I was trying to make something happen and go to the back post with it, and then it caught a deflection and it was too hard for the goalkeeper to get." - DeRo My guess (before I read this) was that it was not a shot, because if it was, I think he would have broken out the "funky strut". He looked a bit more subdued and humble after the goal. I like how the Quakes seem to play like sharks smelling blood right after they score. They seem to get energized and DeRo came very close (hit the woodwork) to scoring again just after his goal. Last week was another example, where they got two within a few minutes. Have to agree that Donovan is playing awesome a-mid. Seems like in just a few years he's matured so much, and his game has changed to the extent that this is probably a better role for him than forward. When I first saw him play in 2002 he looked like a wispy kid who could fly but would get knocked around easily. Now he just seems a lot more centered, probably some more weight on his bones - still damn fast, and able to use his great vision and passing skills to better effect. There was a related quote from him in Ann Killion's piece today in the MN, "This city has been great to me,'' he said. "Coming here kind of turned me into a man.''
I had a good look at DeRo's goal, and I agree with him, it was deflected.... Saw the replay of it on Fox Sports World, and here's Rob Stone blathering on about how Garcia was the best 1-1 defender in the league, then it's in the back of the net. LOL!
Not much to add (agree that this was the best Quakes effort in a while), but a couple of things I noticed: Ian Russell dominated in the first half, creating all sorts of space, and leading to a sub in the second half by Gansler because the KC mid couldn't stay with him (Simutenkov?). Haven't seen that level of play from him in a long time. Ching was limping at the end, but I thought he had a solid game, forcing a good save or two from Oshonyi. Seems like he and DeRo and Landon are finally all on the same page. DeRo and Russell had some problems linking up though. Goos and Cochran were solid down the middle. Seems like KC threatened occasionally, but failed to test Onstad. Onstad really really screwed up a cross. Flashback of an own goal, but fortunately the ball was eventually cleared. And what was with the ref ending the game as KC was shooting? I've never seen that in a pro game before. That's a rec league move. Also, another tacky move was when Jimmy Conrad was knocked down by Onstad near the end, and Goos tried to kick it out of bounds, then a KC player tried to shoot. Idiot.
My grades for today's match: Onstad: didn't have much to do tonight, but made me nervous a few times. B. Dunivant: Good, but not spectacular. Didn't see any of his patented Western Union throw-ins. B. Cochrane: Stopped what would have been 1-on-1 against Onstad and a quite possible goal. Lots of other great moves too. Played like a seasoned vet. A+ Waibelinho: Best I've seen him play in recent memory. A+ Agoos: Solid. Played like a much younger player. Clearly he wants something for his other thumb. A. Russell: Couldn't pass the ball to save his life - I lost track of how many times I yelled "Pass it, Ian!" today. One very strange moment when his foot got caught in a drain grate. B-. Corrales: Best I've seen from him all year. No field goals - one shot that went a foot wide. Great passing. Ching had the field goals and Russell was the ballhog. A. Donovan: The Wizards couldn't even come close to catching him. A+. Mullan: A solid performance, but didn't stand out to me. B. Ching: Casbah sang "It must have been Ramiro" a few times for the Chinger. Failed to impress. He should have been subbed, not DeRo. C. DeRosario: His goal gave the team a shot in the arm, even if it was accidental. Always dangerous throughout the game. A. Walker: Ran like the dickens, but not sure I ever saw him do anything with the ball. B. Brown: Non-entity. C.
One other thing: Bo Oshonyi is an amazing shot-stopper, but his distribution sucks! No coincidence that both goals today looked like they were accidentally knocked in rather than a coordinated attack.
Great game by the Quakes. I knew the boys would bring it. They have the heart of a champion. What other team in MLS could have dominated a match like that missing their starting central midfield combination? Awesome effort by all. The crowd sounded great! Loved the singing! Especially the ooooohhhhhhhh San Jose! ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh San Jose! .... Gives me chills. Loved it.
Good job Quakes, as always they delivered an exciting match (especially after the boring Rapids/Gal game Friday). I thought the ESPN2 coverage centered too much on Landon leaving SJ, but Landon IS the best player in MLS. Did anyone else hear Rob Stoner's comments about Cleatus and Kasey Keller going to Real Salt Lake? I didn't realize that Stone was such a genius. Where did he learn that info? Also I thought it was funny how Waldo and Stone were talking about Bo's chances with the expansion teams and with Coach Ellinger looking on. 2 seconds later Dwayne scored in him. Great job impressing the new boss. Good luck in the next leg Quakes, I'm rooting for you!
Funny you should mention that-- at this very moment, I am watching a DVD of the USA vs Panama WCQ from a couple of weeks ago (sent to me by another loyal BigSoccer poster), and Rob was teasing the information about Keller going to Real Salt Lake in the opening stages of the broadcast of the match itself. SO it's by no means any new information, being a rumor or otherwise. In fairness to Oshonyi, and I'll give credit to where credit is due to AndyMead on this factoid, but I recall reading on these boards that Bo's had a fantastic run with his form over the previous couple of months or so. So much so, that his play and his stats are better than the marquee keepers in MLS, such as when compared against Joe Cannon or even Pat Onstad. Whether that's due to being the beneficiary of playing in a defensive system like Kansas City's can be the point of some debate, but the fact of the matter is that he has played well in lieu of Tony Meola. If Oshonyi goes in the expansion draft, it'll be because he's already impressed the powers that be. But having said that, he made a couple of fine saves in the match today that really prevented the Wizards from falling into a three- or four-goal hole against us for the second leg.
The espn2 broadcast ocasionally showed shots of two guys in the stands who painted their faces (one blue, the other silver) with a seismographic line running in the middle from one side of the face to the other. That was a nice touch, reminiscent of fanatics from other sports who also paint their faces for games. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Thanks, everyone. We had a great group yesterday, and they deserve all the praise. It's funny, the smaller crowds tend to bring out the more dedicated fans. I'll take yesterday's atmosphere over the one's we had for the last two 20k+ games. I wanted to end the last home game of the season will something different, so I cut the drums so that only the voices would be heard. Glad you liked it. (Don't worry, I'm not ending the drums) As for the "It looks like more on TV/live" discussion, I have my own theory about that. I think the unique shape of the East stands has a lot to do with it. By having a semi-circle shape and having only one "deck", it creates a nice visual impression when you sell tickets from the middle (the biggest sections) out. The west side has a more standard configuration and looks more sparse (it's also the side you don't see on TV). Maybe it's something to be considered in the design of a new stadium.
One more point the Spartacus touched upon here. Especially after seeing all the other playoff games. The field looked f-ing beautiful. Not only were there no football lines, but considering the downpour we had the night before, it drained wonderfully. The Spartan Shops field crew (but only the field crew, and a couple individuals I know personally )get much love from me today. The Krafts get the gas face. You had to be a f-ing eagle to find the soccer lines on the field, they couldn't even be bothered to use yellow! D***heads!
Great effort leading the Casbah again yesterday, Guy. We enjoy your dedication, enthusiasm, and leadership--even when you venture up to yell at us to increase the volume. I agree that the atmosphere is better when there's a higher concentration of dedicated fans like yesterday. Still, a sell-out crowd is very inspiring in its own right. Fantastic effort by the Quakes. Back is the team that made a run through the playoffs last year. I'm not sure the Quakes have lost a game by two goals (let alone three) all season, so I'm pretty optimistic about the return leg. But certainly not counting any chickens yet. I was very impressed with Corrales in the center. Best game of the year from him. His lack of speed isn't such a liability at d-mid. And of course Donovan was as inspired as we've seen him all season (with the Quakes). Brought his A game. We really fielded an offensive line-up with DeRo, Ching, Donovan, Russell, and Mullan all taking it to the KC defense. I was a little disappointed that we let off the gas with 30 minutes to go. The Wizards were shell-shocked on their heels, and a third goal would have sealed the series, I think.