San Jose Earthquakes - Austin FC (Saturday, 10/18) pre/in/postgame thread [R]

I expect Austin to kill us. Even if they rest some starters, those guys will be on the bench, should they be needed. Austin will want to start the playoffs on a winning streak.

We are doomed.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

I expect Quakes to win.

 

Could get interesting if we're tied late. It would be a redux of 2017. Bruce will put in 6 forwards (if we have that many). Heck I'd put Rodrigues in at forward if he's on the bench and we're in that scenario.

 

I love your optimism!!

I’ll be shocked if Bruce changes his lineup, even if we’re down two to nil with twenty minutes to go.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

He's already done it a bunch of times - put in a bunch of forwards when we're down late. He's a lot more Frank in that way than he is Dom (whose go-to move was to add an extra dmid when we were down).

 

Expect to see stalwarts Buck and Harks in, pushing for a winning goal, when we're tied in the 85th minute. That is the Bruce way, sadly.

 

I believe there have been times when we’ve had Josef, Chicho, Judd, Bouda, Espinoza, and maybe even Skahan in all at the same time. Or close. If we’re protecting a lead we might see Buck :-(

 

Do we really want to make the playoffs the way we're playing?!? To go on the road and lose? I guess some of our fans are gluttons for punishment. I'd rather we shut this shit show down and hopefully start our defensive reconstruction for next yr. I've seen enough of this version to understand we're cooked even if we "sneak" into the playoffs. Only reason the Quakes even have a chance is because of the pathetic playoff format....hey let's include pretty much everyone even if they have a losing record! What a forgiving league.

 

Yes. Let’s sneak into the playoffs.

2010 NFL playoffs. Seattle with losing regular season record against defending champs New Orleans. Oakland's (and Buffalo Bills draftee) Marshawn Lynch.



#nflexplainstheworld

 

The play-in game is a one and done. Anything can happen in one soccer game, and it will be against an essentially equally weak opponent. And then if we win that, we'll have a least one home playoff game.

 

Love ya Don.... But c'mon. You and I both know that ain't happening. Dreamers will dream. Nothing wrong with that. I prefer reality and actually backing up my thoughts on the actual season. NFL doesn't compare to any other sport, much less fútbol.

 

Sounds familiar. Almost like we've been through this same scenario,no?
How did that one play in game go?

 

So what do you suggest the team do? Forfeit the game? I can see similar complaint on missing the playoff, being bounced in first round, second round and losing the final.

 

The last 2 times we've been in the postseason in a one-game playoff we lost on PKs. If you get to PKs it should be virtually a toss-up but both of those times we faced Tim Melia, who had our number.

 

My point is even if we make the MLS participation "playoff" game that'll be it. Are we so delusional that we think we hang with Lafc, Miami, philly, Charlotte, nycfc, Nashville and that's on the east side. Then there's Vancouver, Minnesota, SD, Seattle etc.
Really? We haven't shown we can hang with any of those teams yet our defense will magically turn into a monster and we'd make it to the MLS cup??
Ok. I'm sold I guess.
I'll follow blindly into another pathetic off-season.

 

Quakes beat San Diego in their own casa two weeks ago. They also split the series with Vancouver, and they have won two of the last three Heritage Cups against Seattle. Quakes can hang if they get in.

 

Even though our home record has been crappy this year, I feel like we'd have a chance to beat any MLS team at home. Heck, we tied Miami at home and were a bit unlucky not to win it. And we beat Vancouver at home. We also beat San Diego on the road. Unfortunately we would probably only have one game at home in the playoffs, and that would be in the first regular playoff's round, which is a 3-game set.

But again, in one game, or in a 3-game set, anything can happen. Atlanta eliminated Miami last year in the 1st round 3-game set.

 

If we get in and wind up playing a top seed in the 1st round of the regular playoffs, our secret weapon with be to get an early lead and then our opposition starts to choke as in "Holy crap, we parted heaven and earth to finish on top and we might go out in the 1st round to the Quakes?? Do they know who we were!!!??"). Seriously, I have no problem believing that this psychology was at work when Atlanta beat Miami last year. It was chokes-ville 100%.

 

They haven't shown it since '08 but.....
OK! This season will be different. I'd love to be easily swayed but unfortunately we've had over 30 games to show us otherwise.

 

Quakes upset the Henry-led Red Bulls in their own building in the 2010 playoffs.

 

And how many times has that happened since '08?
Again I'd love to see our Quakes be amazing fighting for MLS cup every yr.
Unfortunately reality and history has shown us otherwise. I don't want to take your guys dreams of Quakes making MLS history but I haven't seen it not only this season but many many others. Dream on my dreamers....

 

C'mon Don...
Quit the over the decade debate. MLS 1.0 has been left behind just like our Quakes.

 

The 2 times the Quakes went into the playoffs as Supporters Shield winners, they went out in the 1st round. So there you have that "top seed choke" phenomenon again, only this time we were the chokers.

We've only been to the postseason I think 5 times since 2008, and we went to the semifinals in one, where we lost on a flukey extra time goal, got ousted in the 1st round as the top seed by one goal in the home and home series, got hammered in Vancouver, lost on PKs to Melia twice.

So we've only been "blown out" in the postseason once out of 5 appearances.

 

Are you listening/reading yourself? You're trying to come up with best case scenarios. "Blowouts"? No one mentioned that. I'm just asking realistically. A few of you truly think we have a real chance if we get lucky and win on the road then get a home game then go on the road the rest of the way maybe into the east coast in winter? I'm not that delusional.

 

Are you reading what I'm writing? I'm not "trying to come up with best case scenarios". I'm telling you - our record in the postseason since 2008 is not that one-dimensional. We had one trip to the semi-final, we had one year where we were top seed (and by your logic we should have been a shoo-in playing all of the lesser teams! But we lost in the 1st round), we've had 2 on-the-road PK losses, and we've had one first game blowout.

You just can't write off the games on paper. You have to play the games, and anything can happen in the games, especially in tiny sample sizes of 1, 2, of 3 games. This shouldn't really be that hard.