San Jose Earthquakes - Seattle Sounders FC (Sunday, 3/15) pre/in/postgame thread [R]

I agree that it’s too early in the season to say the sky is falling. Also, the primary transfer window is still open.

As long as Bruce can get the guys back on track, we should be OK. By which I mean mid-table-ish.

We need to be more focused. We need to be less focused on getting the ball to Timo, that is, our attack needs to be more balanced. Our guys need to believe in themselves more.

But the schedule is pretty gnarly from here out.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Someone asked Bruce at the postgame if there are still plans to sign 2 more players, and he gave the ol' "we're always looking to improve our team", and "we're not going to add players for the sake of adding players". So, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

As for too focused on getting the ball to Timo, not sure I agree. Every time he had the ball I feel like we got some kind of chance out of it. I mean at least he didn't lose the ball maybe even once. He was always able to beat his man enough to get a pass off. Against a bunker, he is about the only one with the skills to do that. Bouda maybe sometimes but not as consistently.

 

Translation: "The boss is still having palpitations over what he spent for Timo and we have to wait until his pulse hits 110 again before I can go shopping again..."

 

https://www.sounderatheart.com/2026...re-than-numbers/?ref=tacticsfreezone.ghost.io

 

In his postgame Schmetzer admitted that we had them under pressure the whole game but then bragged “it should have been 2-0”. because of some missed chance they had. No. If you’re gonna play the “shoulda” game you don’t get to count your own missed chances but not the other team’s missed chances.

 

I'm kinda with Schmetzer on this... they had a strategy and executed it. They should have won.

I think this is a case of lies and statistics. We're really weren't all that dangerous except Judd's two misses.

 

Well xG is an attempt to measure this kind of thing objectively. Sure we had lots of lower percentage chances, but the fact is that lower percentage chances sometimes go in, and the more they accumulate the greater the chance that one goes in. And I don't see how you get a "shoulda" 2-0 game out of that, just considering Judd's 2 big chances alone. FotMob says it was 3 big chances for us (the 2 Judd ones and not sure what the other was) to 1 for them (Rothrock).

 

“Shoulda”?

Sore-winner Schmetzer forgets Quakes shoulda had a PK. Or that he shoulda been fired when his well-funded club missed the playoffs not so long ago.

Shoulda banned all Seattle fans after one shot up downtown San Jose the night of the Super Bowl. Amirite? Sore winner. It’s in the water, apparently.

 

Bruce says he told the team that the difference in the game was execution, and sure, that's really always the case. But how is that actionable? If you've got a chance at goal and you're thinking "I must execute!" that's generally not a good thing. You're gonna get in your own head, tighten up, and blow it. *Not* thinking and just reacting is the best mindset.

Of course you can also practice. Finishing practice, corners practice, all good. But in the game if you're thinking "I must execute!", it's not gonna be helpful. Of course you're always *trying* to execute. But pressing about it can only lead to bad things.

 

Yeah, I usually like to wait until about the 8th game to get a general gauge for the season. Of course, sometimes start fast and fade like the Quakes did last year or do the opposite, but generally, teams will have figured out how to attack you.

 

I was watching shooting warm ups and both Niko and Timo were really bad. Judd was ok and Buda was the best. They all sucked when it counted

 

I think Timo has only taken 1 shot that I recall and it wasn't great. Fairly high over the bar IIRC and the pace on it wasn't great. Seems like he's gonna be more of a setup guy than a scorer, which is a little odd because his reputation is as a goal scorer I think. But OTOH it seems like the main knock on him from Tottenham fans was his finishing (or lack thereof)

 

Lol, so, you are advocating the banning of all sports fan from a city because of the action of one nut job? Hmmm…., I seem to recall you being the one shouting to the rafters against collective punishment when it came to the Ultras.

 

Sarcasm. (And I knew it would yank your chain. Forza Italy!! )

 

My takeaway:

This a problem with reffing everywhere but I wish penaltys were given for shoves from behind in the box on breakways, full stop.

If Judd goes down, it's a penalty, but since he doesn't and fights through it: no goal. It just incentives diving.

Maybe we "can't afford" timo without the leitch/ Espinosa disaster but man imagine if we had Espinosa opposite timo...

 

Shoves in the back should always be fouls but refs often don’t call it. Drives me nuts to see guys trying to receive the ball back to goal and the defender shoves them at the last minute as they’re receiving the ball, sometimes the player receiving the ball actually falls down but usually bad touch because of the shove and loss of possession. Either way, play on! Used to happen to Jebo all the time. It’s not a soccer play.

 

I watched the Sounders shooting practice. I was impressed that EVERYONE did it, not just the strikers or the 1st team. And they had 2 lines going at the same time, and they made most of their shots.

Didn’t look anything like a typical Quakes pregame warmup

 

I usually don't get to the games in time to watch the warmups but I noticed at the Stanford game last year that the assistant coaches were out on the field in a small circle kicking the ball to each other. Why? Just bored? They don't have anything better to do? Gotta stay sharp I guess!

 

And even more revealing, but, probably not surprising, when the Sounder team bus pulled into Pay Pal Park, it was Schmetzer at the wheel. Had no trouble parking it.

 

"Let's say da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis Five-Hunnert. What would you predict would be da outcome?"

"How would dey compete?"

"Well let's say dey rode togeder in a big busss".

"Is Ditka drivin'?"

"Of course."

"Then I like da Bearss."

https://www.tiktok.com/@passdarocksports/video/7459494306450165038

 

Exactly. Shalrie, Ralston, and Sarachan do this every game. They don’t watch the players at all.

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

We're paying them to just kill time? Maybe they can get a game of Uno going on the sidelines.

 

I don’t believe we are paying the coaches to do anything, which is why quakes players don’t improve. There’s nothing to learn here but the ways of mediocrity and getting by, starting with Fisher and reinforced all the way down the chain.

 

Well, I think we're paying the coaches to coach. It's on Bruce to make the best use of them.