The Official Bruce Arena thread

Discussion in 'San Jose Earthquakes' started by Goodsport, Nov 6, 2024.

  1. Beckham7

    Beckham7 Member+

    Jul 10, 2001
    Northern, California
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
     
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  2. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I’m glad that I could help. :)


    Yes. :thumbsup:

    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!!! :cool:


    -G
     
  3. NedZ

    NedZ Member+

    May 19, 2001
    Los Gatos
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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+.
     
  4. don gagliardi

    don gagliardi Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    Feb 28, 2004
    san jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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. :)
     
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  5. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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!!! :cool:


    -G
     
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  6. SoccerMan94043

    SoccerMan94043 Member+

    May 29, 2003
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  7. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    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.
     
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  8. Goodsport

    Goodsport Moderator
    Staff Member

    May 18, 1999
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    1855674539549860187 is not a valid tweet id



    GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! :cool:


    -G
     
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  9. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    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!!
     
  10. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  11. Kaitlyn

    Kaitlyn Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    Feb 25, 2014
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Incoming

    Gonzalez
    Letget
    Altidore
    Earl Edwards
    Vrioni
     
  12. markmcf8

    markmcf8 Member+

    Oct 18, 1999
    Vancouver, WA, USA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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!!
     
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  13. bsman

    bsman Member+

    May 30, 2001
    MadCity
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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...
     
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  14. Kaitlyn

    Kaitlyn Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    Feb 25, 2014
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Paul Bravo
     
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  15. SJTillIDie

    SJTillIDie Member+

    Aug 23, 2009
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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.
     
  16. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    #141 JazzyJ, Nov 11, 2024
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2024
    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? :confused:

    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.
     
  17. don gagliardi

    don gagliardi Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    Feb 28, 2004
    san jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Bruce is managing expectations. Chill.
     
  18. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    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.
     
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  19. bsman

    bsman Member+

    May 30, 2001
    MadCity
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    He could double our points next season and still miss the playoffs...
     
  20. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    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.
     
  21. Seismothusiast

    Seismothusiast Member+

    Jul 14, 2006
    Modesto
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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.
     
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  22. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    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.
     
  23. Seismothusiast

    Seismothusiast Member+

    Jul 14, 2006
    Modesto
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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.
     
  24. JazzyJ

    JazzyJ BigSoccer Supporter

    Jun 25, 2003
    #149 JazzyJ, Nov 11, 2024
    Last edited: Nov 11, 2024
    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!
     
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  25. Seismothusiast

    Seismothusiast Member+

    Jul 14, 2006
    Modesto
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    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.
     

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