San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame/during-game thread [R]

well you know what this means....attack of the trolls.

get ready to drink more beer.

 

San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

Since ya'll said Donovan got really tired by the end of the game against Chicago and since he's going to be playing with the U23's against Mexico on Wednesday night, is he going to have enough gas left to make the impact he needs to make against the Crew on Saturday?

 

Re: San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

I would figure so, considering for the Mexico match he only had the 48 hrs to recover, given the extra day he might have the fitness to recover and play a full match against Columbus at the weekend on Saturday.

 

Dammit, this game has the potential to be match of the year, and it'll be on neither ESPN nor FSW! Boo-urns!

On the plus side, with a win or a tie, wouldn't we clinch a playoff spot?

 

The Crew looked WAY good against Colorado--but then again, most kids teams would look impressive against Carrieri & Co... Seems the Crew play to the level of the opposition, an awful lot like the Quakes, I'm going to predict 3-2 to the Quakes (The Crew really hate Spartan I think). Goals from Donovan and Lagos (hey I can dream right?), maybe a brace from Cunningham or something silly like that. McHead got some decent service but didn't finish too well, maybe all those knocks he's been getting lately are affecting his footwork (and no I don't mean that sarcastically, I know when I take a good elbow my play suffers all the more). Cunningham was ferocious as always--if he gets a chance against slower defenders (which nearly everyone in the league is) he's in 1v1 on the keeper. If E-Ro is back, we should be just fine--if it's Waibel on the right, Cunningham will shift to expose him and then McHead is free on Goose and The Beast. Not a pretty thought.

 

The defense will do fine. It's well organized. If Cunningham gets by any of one of them, he's not 1v1 with the keeper, there are three or four more to beat.

I'm more concerned with our lack of finishing. At some point, we're bound to bust loose with more than 2 goals in one game. I think this would be the time to do it.

 

Did you see the USMNT match against Mexico? McBride had better footwork than ever. His dribbling into the box and goal against Colorado was textbook. McBride has always relied on service for his goals, lately, he has played a number of great balls with his feet- the first time I've seen this from his game. Everton did him some good.

This should be a great match. Look for SJ to take out Martino and McBride with tight marking. Crew may shake up their lineup a bit to increase speed on small field- insert West into lineup.

 

hey IBT why'd you put Chris Roner's mug up on the thread?

 

DISH Network shows the game on their schedule (link). However, InDemand and DirecTV do not show the game on their schedules.

Albany, you have DISH, right? Can you see if the game shows up in your program guide?

I think it's time to hook up the VCR to the other DirecTV receiver to tape the game off HDNet. I'm going to miss the game as one of my friends didn't check the MLS schedule before she set the date for her wedding.

 

San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

anybody have inside scoop on whether E-Rob will be back this weekend?

 

I thought he traveled with the team to Chicago, so he should be ready to go. The big question is: Will FY move Dayak to the right and Waibel to the bench in the face of the Columbus speed?

Maybe more importantly - Is Buddle for the Crew going to be back? When you take out Cunningham and replace him with Buddle, the Crew get a whole lot more dangerous, IMHO.

The Crew are the one team in MLS that would scare me if I were an opposing coach. They just have so many great weapons on offense. The only weakness is their D and thats been looking pretty good this year, too.

I wouldn't count on LD having a great game. Experience from last year has shown that he can get overworked. By Saturday, if he plays in Mexico, he will have played Sat, Thurs, Sat, Wed, and then the Crew. That's a lot.

I'm looking forward to seeing the two best teams Saturday! Kinda reminds me of the Quakes/Fusion match on July 4th two years ago - the day Serna became public enemy #1.

 

I remember that, that was the one I managed to drag the whole family to. Good old Ramiro, his first and only goal of that 2001 season if I remember correctly.

 

San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

OKay I have a question. How can a game not be shown on the shootout package? I mean, isnt that the point of buying the freaking thing, so you can see all the games??? I know that the MLS shootout isnt as expensive as other packages but I still would like to see all the games I paid for. Why do they decide sometimes not to show the game?

 

Re: San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

The Shootout package shows all the games for which there exists a local TV broadcast in one or both of the teams' local area. The Quakes have chosen not to spend the money required to put home games on local TV, so for a Quakes home game to end up on the Shootout, the visiting team must produce a local broadcast for its area. For whatever reason, the Crew did not put this game on its local TV schedule, so it doesn't end up on the Shootout package. When you buy the Shootout, you are not promised all of the games, just lots of games.

 

Buddle will not be starting for the crew so expect cunningham to get the nod. If Robbinson is 100% I say start him over Waibel. Our defense in front of Onstad has produced great results but with columbus's speed they could open up holes and leave Pat alone in a one-on-one situation. If our team plays up their potential we should get at least a point out of this match. With the galaxatives playing in Dallas, unless the Burn come up huge, we will need all the points we can get to stay ahead of the SoCal vermin.
Quakes-1
Crew- 1

 

San Jose - Columbus (Saturday, 5/17) pregame thread

All I can say is thank God Robert Warzycha is retired.

That said...we have a half-chance.

 

No game on Shootout package?

The most depressing news of the week.

Shite.



One key: Mulrooney's ability to bottle up Martino. Won't be easy.

 

I thought you were going to the game (hence the predicted low attendance)....

 

sorry to disrupt the HDnet lovefest.....

Quakes 2 (Corrales 48, Ching 88)
Crew 2 (McHead 12, Martino 36)

Crew are very good right now and will give the defense fits...