Post-match: Sporting Kansas City - San Jose Earthquakes (Wednesday, 8/19) postgame thread [R]

He may not even be considered a DP next year, is there a chance of this? He's making in the 200k range. Letting pierazi go should keep him on the team, theoretically.


A triangle midfield with Godoy-Alashe and MPG up top and interchanging would possibly own the midfield. May lose speed on the winds, but man. They could boss the midfield in this league.

 

I think we have to be careful, on the basis of one game, about anointing the players who did well in that one game to positions of great honor. Yes, Salinas and Cato had great games. But they have also (especially Salinas) had many bad ones, or they are generally hit and miss in the context of any one game.

I think just about any player, MPG, TT, Pelosi, etc. was going to do well last night sitting in front of Godoy / Alashe and running at a horrible, tired legs KC defense. The team should be thinking about how to work the more possession-based players into the mix and make sure that they can be successful as well. Gotta be multi-dimensional or they will be too easy to address tactically.

 

MPG did just fine in our system up until the whole team tanked in July (and he was playing hurt a lot). He was devastating against Seattle and then LA at stanfurd. And yes on the counter attack with pace too. I loved Cato and Salinas last night but the fact is they have been poor most of the season. I foresee MPG displacing one of them when he gets healthy unless they both really go on a tear.

 

Cato at right back is one thing, but, the left is another thing altogether. It's tough playing a naturally right-footed player in that spot. I would still play Francis ahead of him there, and even Pelosi. Cato was serviceable, but, not great when he had to fill in there for a short while.

 

I'm a big MPG fan, but how many minutes can he play on the wing? Can't see him making it passed 60 without being gassed. Definitely want to see him over Cato and Salinas when healthy though. Will be a good chance to see if he has it in him. Hopefully he shows that he's more then capable. Him and Innocent on the wings next year with Godoy and Alashe in the middle would a a really dynamic midfield, both ways.

 

I see MPG as a very important player for us going forward...once he's healthy. He's not slow...he can create separation even in tight space. We absolutely need his soccer IQ and savvy on the field...tucked in as a flank mid.

He could be devastating finding pockets cutting into space ahead of Godoy and below Wondo and Quincy. He's more versatile than Salinas/Cato and Nyassi...especially against a compact D

His set piece delivery and crossing alone practically gets him on the field...he can drop that wicked bender on a dime...the dude is pure class.

 

I really like his feisty attitude. He wants to win in the worst way.

 

Healthy MPG is going to see plenty of the field. What about when Innocent comes back...

I think I've watched the highlights for this game about 100 times.

 

Only thing about the inverted winger is that if he is strongly one-footed (like MPG is), he is not that useful attacking on the wide side of the defender. They just kind of get stuck. You can address that somewhat by playing a good-crossing fullback behind him to overlap. Even if the fullback doesn't overlap he can be there for a pass back from "stuck on the outside" inverted winger, and then diagonal cross in.

With that in mind, either Wynne or Cato behind MPG on the right would be good. And then TT as inverted winger on the left with Salinas or Pelosi behind him :--). I think this is kinda how Quakes 2012 were set up, at least on the left. Dawkins was an inverted winger but Morrow would overlap to provide width. On the right Beita would overlap Shea or take passes back for diagonal crosses in.

Hucks was an inverted winger but just capable enough with his left foot that he could attack on the outside and sorta hit a cross. Salinas is one of the few wingers who can cross decently well with his weaker foot, so he is a threat cutting in (if he could only shoot better!) or going wide. Gotta give him credit for that.

 

I don't know, based on what I've seen I'm not sure I'd even start Innocent on this team. He didn't look all that great on the wing or as forward. I wouldn't start him over Quincy based on what I've seen so far. You don't start guys based on their salary (and Innocent is 10x over Quincy!), you start them based on their production.

 

If Innocent were healthy, for the million dollars they are paying him, he would in fact be starting regardless if he deserved it or not unless they were going to release him. I don't see how or why he wouldn't be playing and I'm almost thinking Dom wouldn't have traded for Quincy had Innocent been healthy.

 

I think it is VERY unfair to call MPG one-footed. His left is much better, but he uses his right in games all the time. That's one of the things that has impressed me.

One-footed would be Arturo Alvarez.

 

He is not as one-footed as Alvarez but I'd say he favors his left quite a bit. I'd be surprised if he can run down the right sideline and cross accurately with his right.

 

I would hope that he'd have to earn the playing time. If you are not playing the lineup that you think has the best chance to win, i.e. if you start to worry about other things, then you are going to be tying yourself in knots. There have been many examples in MLS of DPs not starting. I'm pretty sure Dom's DP Landín found himself on the bench at times and probably became a regular on the ibench by the end.

It's possible that they wouldn't have traded for Quincy if Innocent was healthy. Depends on whether or not he was producing :--). But now that they have both, when Innocent is healthy, I'd hope they would play the guy who gives you the best chance to win, whichever one that is. It would be hard to imagine Innocent having more impact on the games than Quincy is having right now.

 

Although this 0-5 blow out win at KC was nice, its only a start. This game is history and let's see what happens tomorrow night at DCU before we (myself included) all get carried away. We still haven't done or won anything yet.

 

I'm not getting carried away, but the Quakes won a game convincingly against a quality foe in a venue they had never won before. That's something.

 

Of of course. This was a great win and hopefully its the start of great things to come.

 

This is the first really good game we've had in a long time, and already we're thinking playoffs? That we can somehow be a "lethal" team?

Our team (and leadership) are deeply flawed. We caught a great team when they were exhausted, short handed, and drained from a recent emotional come back. Let's see how we do over the next two or three games before we go counting our chickens. M'kay?

Go Quakes!!

- Mark

 

Lets be honest. Wondo has way more 1st team experience leading the forward line than Quincy.

go back and check the highlights. On the cutback passes from Salinas to Cato, where is Quincy in the attack?
OTOH, the later cutback passes that led to goals, where is Wondo?

Bottom line. Quincy is not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination & there are things Wondo can teach Quincy on how to open space up for his team mates.

Wondo is acting like a true team captain if he does (occasionally) pull Quincy to the side to teach him.

Edit:
for those who do watch the highlights, please be kind because I'm going off my memory now so I'm probably only 99% accurate in my recollection

 

Cato hasn't reached his peak yet .. so hopefully he can push one of the other guys to the bench.

Personally, I like how Cato is learning how to time his runs better (down the center of the pitch).

 

I went to the game in 2012 and stayed at the Raphael in Country Club Plaza, on the Missouri side. Was impressed by the great museums; I visited the Negro baseball museum and jazz museum (in the same complex), the Nelson-Atkins art museum (one of the nation's finest), the World War I museum, the local history museum, and a Civil War house museum in Westport. All were fantastic. Also had BBQ at Oklahoma Joe's across the Kansas line. And spent a day in Lawrence, KS, too.

Also, Sporting Park has the best tailgates in MLS. Get there early and walk through and meet all the KC fans, who are uniformly hospitable.

 

I agree .. perfect example of a one footed player.