The Official 2026 San Jose Earthquakes preseason games thread [R]

i think it could be more like a 4-1-4-1...viera as a sole 6, but i'd prefer Timo paired with Beau under Judd...i like Niko actually as a tucked in right mid creator...i'd flop Bouda to left mid in front of jones I think Timo needs to be central slightly ahead of Beau for max flexibility.

 

Same look as Charlotte but Roberts and Beau off for Romney and Harkes. Thankfully Viera has the armband instead of Harkes.

Ricketts, harkes and Romney need to pick it up.

Niko looks good on the ball...teammates need to get him the ball more. Judd was fortunate to score on a 2 v 1, but we need a better 9. We really miss Beau's savvy upfield...harkes isn't the answer.

crap, Benji lax on blocking the acute angle shot...1-1

 

Defense looks way looser than last game...Jones rounded...and the entire Quakes defense is overcommitted near post...clown car D...Bruce is going to chew some major ass. Left side D...Ricketts, Jones and Romney struggling to sort things out. So far this game is a step back...looks poor and stretched out.

 

We're not playing that badly overall, but some clown car defense. Niko has looked bright again, and Vieira also, who hit the post and hit a scorching on-target volley off a 2nd ball on a corner. Bouda's shooting has been atrocious. I'd like to see Ricketts be a little more aggressive in attacking but he hasn't been bad. Pretty sure he's the guy that comes out when Timo is here.

 

Super Portland homer announcer. Niko had a pretty good shot on goal early in the game and the guy ignored it because he was too busy yammering about how tall their GK is. :facepalm

 

Wholesale changes...immediately looks better with more possession players on....energy level is better.

 

Yep, 2nd team is playing better. Jonathan Gonzalez looking pretty good. We didn't see how that 2nd Adimabua shot came about because the camera was for some reason zeroed in on their favorite subject - their 6'7" GK. "facepalm

 

Costa and buck marginal...looks like gonzalez is playing as a deeper D mid interesting look pretty good...switching a bit with Buck
55 at the 9 is out of his depth. We desperately need to get Fernandez on the ball...it's the only hope to score... hopefully combining with Skahan and Marie...pretty much garbage time...at least Roberts and Floriani are getting game experience....and the new RB looks pretty good.

edit they called 98 cano...but pretty sure it is gonzalez

 

Yeah, Cano was not in the game. Edwyn Mendoza from Next/Pro did get in the game though late, maybe his first appearance with the 1st team in any game. Finally! He did pretty well.

Adimabua could have had at least 2 goals, but he did a good job with that 1v1 against the defender in the box. Assist to Jasinski - he also played a good ball in the Charlotte game that should have been an assist (I think Amidabua headed that one wide).

Was Buck even in the game? Seems like he hardly ever got on the ball. Jonathan Gonzalez looks a lot more useful than Buck.

Marie looking bright - good speed, and he's always dangerous with his right foot on those cut-ins. I don't think he's gonna be loaned out this year.

Fernandez didn't get on the ball as much this game but still did some good things.

 

did adimbua's goal come from a Jasinski ball? the portland defender made a hash of it....good awareness and pressure by adimbua, but he's wildly inconsistent...too bad.

Yeah, great to see Edwyn. he has a really solid feel for the game...I'd give him every minute intended for Buck. Buck doesn't move the needle in a positive direction at all...we have better players that need the minutes.

 

Yes, that was Jasinski's ball. He has a reputation for making plays with long balls. I think he led Princeton in assists as a RB, and also took their free kicks I believe.

That's Adimabua in a nutshell. Hot and cold, and blows lots of chances but still manages to score lots of goals. Bruce probably will like him because he's a big body.

 

I liked seeing Gonzalez drop back between the center backs and distribute the ball forward. He wasn’t perfect but his passes were crisp and easy to control. He keeps the ball on the ground and plays his teammates away from pressure and into space. His soccer IQ is higher then many of the players he’s competing against.

 

Caught the game late.

Niko looking better than last year, which is great because we bet big on him for this season.

Judd looks like Judd. I like him better as a sub.

Bouda with some very poor fail-to-finish efforts, but he was active, he moved around a lot, looked like he was playing in the center and even on the left. We're going to need some good playing from Bouda. He'll have to be a regular starter this year.

Benji with a couple of defensive errors.

Munie is still easily our best defender.

Romney is still shit.

I'm still unimpressed by Vieira. We need an upgrade at his position.

Jasinski looks like the real deal. He should surpass Floriani, at least at the outside defender spot.

Speaking of Which!!
The "official" site shows us playing a 4-5-1, last game and this. I think that's a reasonable assessment. So points to @JazzyJ for saying four on the backline. In which case are Floriani and Jasinski in competition? I don't think so. I think it's Jasinski vs Benji. I'd like to see Jasinski at the outside right defender spot and Benji in front of him as the outside right mid. (Which pushes Jones to the bench? or left defender? or left Mid?)

Earl Junior still sucks.
I'm still nervous about Daniel as our 'keeper.

I thought Buck looked less shitty than last year, but still not actually good.

I agree with others here that Gonzales looked pretty good. Mendoza was also good in limited minutes. And Fernandez looked decent.

I like that, because I'm not sold on Niko. But, Niko did play better.

Nonso (because that's easier to spell than Adimabua) did reasonably well, but seemed to tire later in the half. As long as we use him as a sub, that should be OK. His goal was nice.

Paul Marie looked good too, but that was mostly against Portlandia's subs.

Go Quakesfans!!

 

Yeah, Jasinski is in the Benji rotation / sub at right back. Floriani is Munie's sub. Jasinski actually has a similar frame and playing style as Benji. Benji's just a bit more feisty.

This is the 2nd game in a row that Earl Jr. has gifted our opponent on a GK distribution, and we were lucky that it didn't cost us a goal both times.

 

Small sample size, but a few concerns.
How excited is Jones playing LB. Imo, he's better on the right, but he's basically played himself down the pecking order to LB at every club. We'll see what happens, but the leftside is going to be an issue defensively and maybe in the attack also.

If Timo does play under and off of Judd...will that drive him absolutely bat shit crazy. Judd is not the slightest bit technical...not great at combo play and calls his own number way more than he should...like when teammates are clearly in better attacking positions. I think it's only a matter of time before We sit Judd and play Timo up top...just to get a stronger 11 on the field.

The Bruce Harkes love...could be a big hinderance, especially if it sits Beau. Or takes minutes away from Niko, who is starting to assert himself in the attacking third. Beau has to be on the field.

 

Apparently Beau was a late scratch, and would have started otherwise. Right now, he's ahead of Harkes I think, in Bruce's eyes. The only other position Bruce switched from the last game is Romney for Roberts. I think Bruce is not quite sure about that one yet.

Not sure yet about Ricketts in front of Jones, because Ricketts, like Jones, likes to stay wide. Someone like Marie (or of course Timo) might be a better fit because they cut in more. Jones can then provide the width and cross the ball (which apparently he's capable of doing even as a righty though I don't think I've seen it yet). But right now it feels like Jones and Ricketts are too much trying to do the same things

 

Well, i sure hope he goes with Munie and Roberts. Imo, it's not even close, Romney is on his last legs...he's lost the ability to 1 v 1 defend around the box..especially on crosses ...completely loses his mark or gets ragdolled on the header...saw enough of it last season to know he's pretty much done

agree about Jones and Ricketts, they can't get out of each others way...the lack of chemistry and communication is really evident.

 

Other than Gonzalez, any trialists anyone saw?

We got a lot of open slots on the roster.

 

Haven't seen any other trialists other than Kaye, and Kaye did not get in the game yesterday against Portland. Don't know if he's still with the team. Edwyn Mendoza (HG who's played years with Quakes II) got those last 15 minutes or so that Kaye got against Charlotte. I don't know if that's a meaningful development or not.

 

I thought Kaye’s contract was not renewed. So he’s still trying to play for the Quakes?
Also was surprised to read that Jonathan Gonzalez is a trialist. I don’t know what happened to his career, he had a lot of promise what, 5-7 years ago?