I’m glad that I could help. Yes. In fact, tonight’s MLS Wrap-Up is now archived and you can still go in there and start watching the interview at about the 33:28 minute mark. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
It is a series with 4 regulars and then one special guest. I saw a two-parter with Landon Donovan as the guest and it was very interesting. Kickin' It CBS Sports "Kickin' It" is a weekly soccer show not only about soccer. Led by Kate Abdo, Clint Dempsey, Mo Edu and Charlie Davies – the goal is to showcase a more personal and relatable side to the biggest stars and celebrities in and around the sport through unfiltered and organic conversation. Kickin' It is part of the CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+.
Whose trendy ersatz (“organic”) loft? I guess that’s exactly the sort crib Il Bruce likes to kick back in to maintain his hipster chops.
Actually, the whole interview (which takes a little over three minutes) is now available to view on its own in the San Jose Earthquakes Supporters’ Section of MLS Season Pass. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
lol "It's certainly going to be a challenge in San Jose... I'm pretty confident in support ownership and the management have given me in San Jose." "It's hard to make a lot of changes quickly... we're going to focus on internal improvements (like a team dining facility)". "... the immediate goal is to improve the current roster and bring in MLS experienced players, we're not in a position to recruit elite players internationally" Yeah... nothing is changing other than Bruce's will to make a bad roster play better.
Yeah I notice he was very careful to manage expectations. I remember both Luchi and Almeyda talking about winning championships when they were hired by the Quakes. If Bruce can turn this team around it’d be perhaps his crowning achievement, though he did it with NE also.
Surprised that no one mentioned his comments on the players he thinks they will add. He said "MLS experienced players", and that "I don't think we're in a position to recruit elite players internationally". Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez, welcome to San Jose!!
I’m a little surprised that Bruce was desperate enough to take this job. Maybe we did hire him on the cheap. Not in a position to recruit elite players internationally? Translates to: CL signed bad players to long term contracts and Fisher is a cheap bastard so we can’t buy them out. Forecast: we will continue to suck. Go Quakesfans!!
BA is an anachronism which fits perfectly because the Earthquakes are the Island of Misfit Toys of MLS. We're getting close to 20th Century Red Sox/Cubs levels of futility. Somewhere in San Jose a goat must have traded Babe Ruth...
No matter who the coach is we have a giant albatross on the payroll in Gruezo's contract... he's guaranteed 2025. What do you do with him? For me I can't see a role for him and would like to see him moved. But maybe a guy like Bruce knows how to get the last few ounces of performance out of him, like David Justice in Moneyball.
Pretty disheartening to hear Bruce say he's looking to acquire MLS guys, not elite intl players (because we are not "in position" to do so, he says). I mean maybe *one* elite intl player if we can move Gruezo? I consider Bruce's take on Gruezo to be kind of a Quakes rorschach test. If one of his first priorities isn't to try to move him to open up a DP slot, then he failed the test. And then what about the U22's? MLS guys? He seemed more focused on the player facility "niceties" than he did on the changes needed in the roster. I suppose if we get just the right MLS veteran players it can help us. At least it's low risk - you know how the guy plays in MLS. He did also say that our academy has been "good" for many years, and that we need to give guys some opportunities. We'll see how that goes, or if it's just going to be a spot start here and there for Verhoeven. Another Quakes rorschach test - can Bruce get Niko to work on his right foot. We'll see what happens, but we may be in for another bottom 4 finish.
Managing expectations is saying that you think you can improve on 21 points, which he did. Saying that you are not in position to acquire elite intl players and that it's going to be MLS veterans - that sounds more like a specific plan.
Yeah, one of the things he said in the interview is that the first step is to try to make the playoffs. So he's not coming in talking about championships, he's talking about one step at a time. Might even take 2 years to get back to the playoffs, if we're lucky.
Yes, it's a plan, but a plan to deal with the fact that we are the worst team in a second tier league. Why would an elite international player join us right now? It's rather go with proven, cheaper MLS veterans than keep trying to find players that only arguably fit the lowest level of "elite" international talent. I'd rather be realistic than pick up another expensive, useless longer-term contract. Hopefully he is open to any real opportunities to improve the roster as well.
You mean like Hernán Lopez or Cristian Espinoza? Maybe they aren't considered "elite" by intl standards but they are "elite" for the Quakes. We're not going to try to get at least one more player at that kind of level, and just going to instead go with MLS veterans? What I hoped would happen is that we dump Gruezo somehow and use that 3rd DP to acquire a striker who is more on the level of Espinoza / Hernán. Or, what about all those U22 slots? We aren't going to try to fill them with promising young intl players?? That said, there are players like Espinoza and Hernán in the league who might become available somehow. You just have to find the right ones, and if they are available that means that their current or previous team is not all that super high on them, and that is usually for good reason. Someone like HH comes to mind.
Well, Hernan has great promise, but I wouldn't say he is elite. I hope he will be. He wasn't easy to land either and frankly I was surprised that rumor became a reality. I agree that he is a star signing for us! I'm not sure we could land Espinoza right now. We got him as a loan five years ago who had yet to really break through. I like these types of moves. I hope we will bring in promising young players, domestic or foreign. I just don't think it is a great model to serve up an MPG, Vako, Magnus, Pellegrino, etc. as elite players. This is the good list by the way. They all had some good games but were expensive and inconsistent. Proven MLS talent will likely be cheaper and make a more immediate impact.
Proven MLS talent is fine, and you can eschew the "mid-level" intls like Pellegrino. But you still need more talent on the level of Espinoza and Hernán. I qualified my "elite" label to explain what I meant. Not "elite" in an intl sense, but elite relative to the Quakes level. BTW we've tried "proven MLS talent" a lot in the last few years with CL at the helm and it hasn't gone well: Calvo, Gregus, Morales, Gruezo, Remedi, Yarbrough, Judd, Akinola, etc. - all poor. Only Monteiro and Jebo have been pretty good IMO, but that's a very low hit rate. Il Bruce would have to do a lot lot better for this to be a winning strategy if we're going more or less exclusively the MLS route. Don't shoot me, I'm just the messenger bringing the facts!
I get you and you're pointing to the right level of ambition. I'm not sure that Arena meant, but feel like he was saying we can't get a Messi, De Bryne, etc. I'd rather bring in a promising player like you're pointing to than the golden boot of (insert Scandinavian league here) and pretend we got an elite European player. I took the MLS veteran remark as where he will be looking to make an immediate impact.