On the positive side in terms of evaluating the Ecuadorian national team's quality, Edmundo Zura did not make the roster. Actually, they do not appear to be chopped liver. In 2022 WC qualification they finished 4th, behind only Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay.
I’m not impressed. This signing gives me Almeyda deja vu. Seems like the guy should be TAM. Augsburg is 14th of 18 in the Bundesliga and have lost 10 out of 15 games. (So he’s coming to familiar territory) Of the 13 league games he played in this season (2022-2023), Augsburg lost 7 While he played 2000 minutes in 2020/21, he played <1,000 mins in 21/22 and 19/20 Under Luchi, FCD sold him for 2M in 2018, and he comes back to Luchi at 3-4M
Augsburg is ranked 119 in the world, far ahead of any team in MLS. The top team in the Bundesliga is ranked number one in the world. Quakes are ranked 750. Maybe we can use this dude?
It's different than a FOM because Gruezo has plenty of MLS experience. He's already proven to be a very good player in MLS.
Not only that but Luchi has experienced him in training and games against MLS caliber players. I'm not sure if scouting gets much better than that.
Yep. Luchi's comments about him were not exactly effusive - something something yeah had him for a few months and we got along well and I liked him and he'll give us more competition at that spot, etc. But he's gotta feel pretty good about it if we went ahead with a 3+ year contract for $3 mil transfer. Solid if not spectacular. Sometimes it's better to hit solid singles to center pretty regularly rather than swing for the fences.
I agree...imo, he'll play behind Yueill early in the season at the 6. We'd always have the option of subbing in Judson to play along side Gruezo if we need to clamp down late in the game...if/when we're up, especially on the road...that would be a nice pair to protect the backline if necessary. Imo, Luchi will assess how much continuity he has with his 8 and ACM. If it doesn't look good, Gruezo could slide up to a 6/8 instead of Yueill with Judson behind...just depends who we're playing and how strong he wants his central mids. If Cade has truly upped his game and the attack is clicking, Luchi can really clamp down the midfield...we actually have some quality depth and flexibility now. Gruezo, imo is a game changing addition for us.
I hope you’re right. Something like this? Cade - - - - - - - Jebo - - - - - - Espinosa - - - - - - - - - - - Jamiro - - - - - Jackson - - - - - - Greuzo Trauco - Rodriguez - Nathan - Akapo - - - - - - - - - - - - - Daniel Maybe Benji in for Espinosa, Espinosa slides back to midfield, and Jackson goes to the bench? And we play with just one d-mid? Go Quakesfans!!
That is probably the opening day lineup I would guess. Benji vs. Cade is a tough one. I hope they both get decent minutes this year. And Niko as well.
Gruezo is a defensive mid. No more, no less. He's not going to score or assist much. He's a destroyer and quickly facilitates his other attacking team mates. What he should definitely bring is stability not only in the midfield but more importantly to our defense. If he's able to help the backline and free up our attacking players then he's not only worth the 3 mill (which is nothing in today's footballing world) but hopefully we'd be more competitive and be able to at least fight for a playoff spot.
Un mensaje de Carlos Gruezo. 🇪🇨 pic.twitter.com/RHIjkTAdbH— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) January 31, 2023 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Strange to see so much optimism in this thread! Maybe times they are a-changing! (I, on the other hand, have a lot of jaundice about the Quacks to overcome… if that’s even possible.)
maybe times they are a-changing, but I'm reserving a healthy dose of let's wait and see. we haven't added any attacking players over the off season so for scoring we will be 100% relying on Jebo equaling or exceeding his goal production from last year along with Cade/Benji/Espinoza/Monteiro increasing their goals and assists (and we'll need some help from the kids Niko & Bouda). We still don't have a dangerous set piece taker and we're not going to be any kind of an aerial threat. Defense remains to be seen; the improvement has to be dramatic for Quakes to be much better... ...and let's make no mistake, Gruezo is a FoL,100%...so let's hope Leechi was smart deferring to Loochi on our one big time offseason (and biggest transfer of the fish-era) designated player signing. I'm glad he's here, we need all the help we can get, but I'm going to have to see how he fits in and how impactful he is before getting too excited.
A gentle reminder that if you score the same number of goals but the other team scores less you get more points! The Quakes were 6th in the west in GF last year, and we have all the same attacking players, with more Niko presumably, and a presumably improving Cade and Benji. So a panicked “Where are the goals going to come from!!” seems to lose its sheen in that context. But we were dead last by a wide margin in GA. Focusing on improving the defense therefore seems like a rational thing to do. That said you should never stop trying to improve. I’d like to see an impact attacking player added before the season starts but not hopeful.
Haha: You were the one clamoring for player acquisitions all offseason while I urged patience, grasshopper. Now we have them and you have flipped the script. "Hurry up . . . and let's wait and see!" -- @Quakes05
I think we’re done - not going to see any more signings, with the exception of draftee signings. Maybe a trialist signing? Wonder if that USL forward is still in camp. Remaining gaps that I see are depth at CF and depth at LB (and no, Tanner Beas(t) is not a left back!).
not true, grasshopper. I’ve been clamoring for a roster overhaul, consistently. We need offensive help too, that’s been obvious. D was most important tho as that was our biggest area of weakness last year, so we’ll see how much these moves help. Quakes have been so poor for so long some of us may need to see actual progress, on the field, before getting our hopes up… …here’s hoping the biggest signing of the fish era, and our first official FoL, works out!
So, it never mattered what Rick Astley did in the off-season, you were gonna be dissatisfied. Glad we cleared that up.
I can imagine a scenario where I would’ve been more hopeful, prior to opening day. We signed Ballisimo, Daniel & Gruezo. These are all defensive acquisitions. Might be enough to make us better but years and years of coming up short have left me skeptical - at this point I’m going to need to see progress to believe it, which is my tendency anyway but especially when it comes to our chronically underperforming small team. Like I said, a solid offseason attacking addition would’ve inspired more confidence - still could happen. Go RA!
Ah..... Leitch hasn't done much. Sorry Don, the only intriguing moves with hopefully upsides that I see from this window is Gruezo & our new Brazilian keeper. Time will tell but you can't actually think/expect for our Quakes to just stroll into the playoffs with the moves (lack of) he's made?!? I guess if his plan is to be ready for MLS cup by 2026 then maybe we might get more competitive over time while bringing in 2-3 players every fifa window. Doubt every player he signs will be a hit, more than likely we'll have a good amount of turnover until '26 considering most are coming in on the cheap ,without really spending.
You wanna get in on the beer bet regarding Quakes making playoffs this season. I believe it's @Beerking, @Replikait. And you? (I'll take a Quilmes).
I’m in on that action. I’ll wager a six pack, I’ll take the St Pauli Girl NA. I like the magical thinking though and the irrational optimism!