San Jose Mercury News (Wednesday, 10/22/03)

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by Goodsport, Oct 22, 2003.

  1. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  2. Brad May

    Brad May New Member

    Feb 26, 1999
    San Jose, CA

    God, I hope that is Jeff's idea of a joke! Hey Jeff, "Supporters' Shield" -- ever heard of it? I guess not!

    If this is some scheme to "save themselves" for the playoffs, I'd wager it will backfire big time. Where's your pride, guys?
     
  3. Ringo

    Ringo Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Rough and Ready
    Club:
    Yeovil Town FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    supporter's shield? phhhhhtf.

    i'd rather win MLS Cup. Now, of course, Euro-snobs will remind me that the regular season matters most. But i don't wanna hear it.

    as long as they get it together for the playoffs, a three-game winless streak that gives the Fire a meaningless shield (which has quite possibly the dumbest name I've ever heard) is fine with me.

    Goose and the boys are just focused on getting ready for the playoffs. I hope. :)
     
  4. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not a Eurosnob, but I'd like to know why you'd rather be the best team in the last four games than the best team of the season? I'm just curious as to the reasoning behind why people keep saying "I'd rather have the Cup than the Shield."
     
  5. guamster

    guamster Member+

    Mar 30, 2001
    Winnetka, CA
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Guam
    Because in America, the champion of a league is regarded as the team who wins in the playoffs. It's just the mentality sports fans have in this country.

    Who won the Superbowl last year. Who had the best regular season record in the NFL? I don't remember the answer to the latter question but without thinking, I know Tampa Bay was victorious in Super Bowl.

    I would like both but in an either-or situation, I prefer the MLS Cup to the Shield.
     
  6. Ringo

    Ringo Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Rough and Ready
    Club:
    Yeovil Town FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    word.
     
  7. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But it doesn't HAVE to be that way just because that's the way MLS (joke of a league) does it. Perhaps the league would gain more followers if it was structured more like the other leagues around the world. I'm not trying to be a "eurosnob" here. But as much as the league trys to bring in long time soccer fans of other leagues, maybe it would be easier if it was structured differently. It has made some changes in that direction since its start (the biggest one doing away with the shootout as an example).

    My reasoning is that it doesn't have to be the way it is. I think it's a joke. And it would make for a better season than the current structure allows for - teams pushing hard to make the playoff spot and then sucking big time until the playoffs. And it just might lend more respect and a greater following to the league if it were done differently. Perhaps the best team takes the Shield and then a final between East and West, just as one suggestion.
     
  8. Quaker

    Quaker Member+

    FC Dallas
    Apr 19, 2000
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I actually thought the following observation from Chivas Coach Westerhoff was very astute--probably because it's what I thought when watching the Quakes run all over the field while Chivas controlled the match:

    After Chivas' 2-0 exhibition win over the Quakes last week at Spartan Stadium, Chivas Coach Hans Westerhoff was asked his opinion about the San Jose club. "They're physically strong,'' he said. "But they need to do a little less running and a little more thinking. Football isn't always about running. They do everything at a very high speed, but sometimes their technical level isn't as high as their physical level.''

    Saw Manchester United match repeated yesterday, and I couldn't help but notice they ran a lot less than the Quakes often do. But Man U certainly controlled the match with crisp passing and perfect positioning. More running isn't always the answer...
     
  9. BlueMeanie

    BlueMeanie New Member

    Apr 1, 2002
    EastSIIIIDE
    Likely because Chicago already won the Shield. There's still a flicker of hope for the Cup.

    I agree with Quaker and the Chivas coach about the way SJ plays.

    Speaking of not scoring much, anyone notice the team stats? It's pretty telling that after missing the last half of the season, Chinger is still third on the team in points. The Quakes still haven't figured out how to replace him, and it could bite us in the ass in the postseason.
     
  10. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Right. I'm sure that does have something to do with it. As does the fact that the team will be the "Champions" with the Cup. Can't be said with the Shield. I know there's a lot to it. But we have to look behind the shine of the cup and the sound of the word to see the reality of the situation.

    But I've been hearing that even when we had the Shield. Well, not in so many words. It was, we've made it to the playoffs, we've won the division, now we just have to focus on getting ready for the playoffs. HELLO!! There's still regular season games left! :D

    I'm not saying I don't want the Cup. I'm not saying I'd rather one than the other. I'm just looking at the reality of the situation, beyond the words and the shine.
     
  11. rcoull

    rcoull Member+

    May 18, 2001
    The Woodlands, TX
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    The argument that just because other sports in America do it is just the same as saying the regular season should count just because it does in the rest of the world. Same argument just from a different angle.

    The regular Season success should have more prestige attached do it. The MLS Cup IMO should a seperate competition for the best regular season teams with also a different prestige attached to it.

    The one rule, being European, I don't like is where the positioning is based on the seasoN series between the teams. IMO a couple bad games (like we had vs Chicago). It again should be on a complete schedule and be based on goal difference. In our case it would mean we would still have a chance to win the shield if for example Chicago lose by 3 goals this weekend and we win by 2....

    -Richard
     
  12. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I thought this was the case. :confused:
     
  13. guamster

    guamster Member+

    Mar 30, 2001
    Winnetka, CA
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    Guam
    Re: Re: San Jose Mercury News (Wednesday, 10/22/03)

    First tie-breaker is head-to-head results. Chicago would win that tie-breaker that since they have the 1-0-2 series edge over the Quakes.
     
  14. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  15. Ringo

    Ringo Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Rough and Ready
    Club:
    Yeovil Town FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    show me one person who would be a fan of MLS if the playoffs and/or postseason tournaments were structured differently. I don't buy it. You may enjoy it more, which is cool, but if it was that easy to draw in fans it would've been done long ago.

    I can show you many more who would be fans if MLS put a better product on the field. The rest is just window dressing.

    :):)
     
  16. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I'm not saying they'd would or would not be fans just because of that. But it may make the league more attractive to casual fans who may follow other leagues. That's what I'm getting at.
     
  17. Ringo

    Ringo Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Rough and Ready
    Club:
    Yeovil Town FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    and the playoffs make the league more attractive to casual fans who follow other sports.


    either way .... at least we agree that the quakes should just go out and win the damn thing. A second MLS Cup trophy would be mighty nice.
     
  18. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I didn't say other sports. I said other leagues. I meant other football/soccer leagues.

    It's like when you go to a college soccer game and they stop the clock. And you're looking around going, WTF? This is crazy. This isn't soccer.

    It seems the league is trying to attrack SOCCER fans that aren't MLS fans. As they should. And I'm just saying that SOME (definitely not all) might have an easier time if the league was more like what they're used to seeing. Though I do agree that the quality of play would be the biggest draw. But small little changes don't hurt either.
     
  19. Ringo

    Ringo Member

    Jun 10, 2002
    Rough and Ready
    Club:
    Yeovil Town FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know you didn't ... I did. :D
     
  20. BlueMeanie

    BlueMeanie New Member

    Apr 1, 2002
    EastSIIIIDE
    I posted twice already in the past couple days that we lost the Supporters' Shield. I was serious. We did. MLSnet.com even says so in their recap of the Flamers' last match. Here's a different article from MLSnet.com that confirms the same.
     
  21. Albany58

    Albany58 Member+

    Sep 14, 1999
    Concord, CA USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Re: Re: San Jose Mercury News (Wednesday, 10/22/03)

    I'll take it a bit more positively. These guys don't let defeats bug 'em.
     
  22. TerremotoFan

    TerremotoFan New Member

    Apr 23, 2002
    San Jose, Ca
    It has nothing to do with the NFL, being American or being a Eurosnob. With 80% of teams making the playoffs the Supporters Shield is a more difficult and significant achievement than the Cup. San Jose is over due for one and now have failed to score a goal in their last four games and so have lost the momentum and confidence the Shield would have given them going into the playoffs.
     
  23. sj_quakes_fan

    sj_quakes_fan Member

    May 18, 2001
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I knew that in LA after the game. Trust me I knew. I cried. Not in LA. I drank too much to care. But on Monday I was pretty darned upset. I just thought it was that the differential was impossible to make up.
     
  24. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    Yeah, I'm not too alarmed by Jeff's comment here either. I think they're really just focused on the next game. (Sort of an athlete's cliche, "take one game at a time".) That may be the best approach considering that thinking about a past result doesn't really help in the next game. Obviously they care a lot about the results but the most important thing for them, I think, is how well they play. Sometimes they play pretty well and don't get a good result and sometimes the reverse happens. Probably the best thing they can do is keep trying to play better every game and let the results hopefully take care of themselves.

    The one time I watched the Quakes in training, I noticed that Frank kept saying "good play...unlucky" when someone did something good that didn't turn out right due to bad luck, etc. I took that to mean he wants people to focus on the process / execution more than the results. The results will take care of themselves if the execution is good. I'd like to believe that this approach has allowed them to have the best record in the West, and will give them the best chance to win the Cup.

    I'm hoping that the recent scoring drought has more to do with being "unlucky" and less to do with really poor play. I think injuries have been a factor as well.
     

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