I watched about 15 minutes of the Pachuca game and during that time, Cannon was stellar in goal......that's one guy I would welcome back for sure, LA notwithstanding.
Cannon in LA is so strange. I remember talking to him after the 2002 Open Cup game when we were beaten by a late goal by LA's El Pescadito. Jon Conway had been in goal. Joe said something like, "OMG to be beaten by LA. That's the worst."
Cannon wanted to be paid something like Tim Howard. He was just as good or better than Tim Howard at that time. I recall learning the two sides were around 20k apart and Joe was playing the "I could go to Europe card" and it sounded like the Johnny Moore and Frank (and presumably Hanley) said "Bon Voyage." But Joe always wanted to be HERE. He's made that very clear over the years. When he came back from France, the Quakes (Hanley) not only said we didn't want him, we didn't want anything FOR him. Retarded. I can only guess that Cannon's ego did not sit well with management and maybe some of the players cause every time milquetoast Onstad screwed up in years to come, Hanley and co. excused it by telling us what a great guy Onstad was and how team chemistry was ultimately the most important thing. Onstad mostly played like garbage for the Quakes. He won Goalie of the Year because: A. The normally robust GK talent in MLS suddenly looked pretty weak - there was no obvious choice. B. The Quakes were very good in front of him - as MLS Cup winner he was an obvious choice. Ever see a guy win an MVP award just for putting away the sole garbage goal/penalty kick in a game? It's like that. C. Everybody got on board the "What a nice guy Pat Onstad is, and wouldn't you like to see him recover from making our entire league look bad with that blooper reel that was all over ESPN SportsCenter."
Cannon wanted to be paid something like Tim Howard. He was just as good or better than Tim Howard at that time. I recall learning the two sides were around 20k apart and Joe was playing the "I could go to Europe card" and it sounded like the Johnny Moore and Frank (and presumably Hanley) said "Bon Voyage." But Joe always wanted to be HERE. He's made that very clear over the years. When he came back from France, the Quakes (Hanley) not only said we didn't want him, we didn't want anything FOR him. Retarded. I can only guess that Cannon's ego did not sit well with management and maybe some of the players cause every time milquetoast Onstad screwed up in years to come, Hanley and co. excused it by telling us what a great guy Onstad was and how team chemistry was ultimately the most important thing. Onstad mostly played like garbage for the Quakes. He won Goalie of the Year because: A. The normally robust GK talent in MLS suddenly looked pretty weak - there was no obvious choice. B. The Quakes were very good in front of him - as MLS Cup winner he was an obvious choice. Ever see a guy win an MVP award just for putting away the sole garbage goal/penalty kick in a game? It's like that. C. Everybody got on board the "What a nice guy Pat Onstad is, and wouldn't you like to see him recover from making our entire league look bad with that blooper reel that was all over ESPN SportsCenter."
Sorry buddy, but i have to disagree respectfully on this one, Onstad has been and still is one of the truly outstanding keepers in MLS. The Quakes didn't miss a beat after siging him, and that was after losing the guy (Joe) who i thought was the best keeper in the US. Joe is certainly more athletic than Pat but at the end of the day he allows more goals, admittedly he has a scummy defence in front of him now. Onstad belongs in the list of best keepers this league has ever seen, as does Joe.
My wife and I had some very nice conversations with Tim Hanley at the pub in Charleston after he went to Houston, and I think he's a great guy too. I hope this means we'll get him back. He could turn anyone into a great goalkeeper I don't think he had anything to do with decisions around personnel. That was AEG.
Pat Onstad won the 2003 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award the day before MLS Cup 2003 was played. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
No, not the Onstad debate again! Man, we need some new news. I'm staying out of it this time. I'd just say that over several years in the league Onstad has proven to be a good MLS keeper. But Cannon is right at the top of the list of players I'd like to see with the reconstituted Quakes. Any chance we could get Hanley and Cannon back together in San Jose? Cannon's a local guy, he's been extremely supportive of San Jose through all the relocation crap, he plays with passion, and he can win games for you.
I posted this on another thread, but now that I'm reading through this one it makes more sense here. From Andrea Canales' blog, Joe Cannon says he'd like to come back to the Quakes: Link: http://sidelineviews.blogspot.com/2007/08/cannons-conundrum.html
I think that sometimes people see the more acrobatic keeper as a better player, which is not true. There is no doubt that Joe Cannon is the more acrobatic of the two. That being said, I do like Cannon.
OK, he's now moving down on my list of players I'd like to see back with the Quakes. "I really wanted to be part of the history for this incredible [Gals] club – one that will probably become incredible again and start winning again."
Every time someone quotes a former Quakes player saying something positive about his current team, the hackles rise. But I can only applaud the players for their diplomacy. There is just no way that they could bite the hand that's currently feeding them without seeming petty and juvenile.
Fair enough, and it's totally unrealistic to think they would dis their current club. But I think he could have been diplomatic w/o calling the Gals an "incredible club!". Still, now that I think about it, he should be given credit for talking about playing with the Quakes again while being interviewed as a Gal, for presumably a Gal-oriented blog.
Yeah, I don't think it would go over too well with the league, the club or the fans if the guy says "I really want to be somewhere else". These guys are making a living (and in most cases, not being paid all that much) and they really must be nice to their employer, MLS.
He he. "Incredible" is one of those double-edged adjectives because it is neither bad nor good. So it can be read as a subtle and devious slam against the club in question. We know Joe loves us. Which means he hates the Gals. And somehow I bet that every time he goes into the locker room and looks at himself in the mirror, he feels a little bit like throwing up. But self-loathing won't get him anywhere, and unless he's got the Cobi curse, he knows he won't be there for long.
Not to suggest that this is one of those times, or I'm one of those people. If you want to talk goalkeepers we can talk goalkeepers. Circa 2002/2003 Onstad and Cannon (and Howard!) could all be cited for suspect timing and positioning - but in that case, reflexes and acrobatics can help. And just to show my eagerness to accept when I'm wrong, I must commend Goodsport for tagging me here: I'll change my remark to "As an MLS Cup Finalist he was an obvious choice, given that a weak Zach Thorton was in the other net, and the Fire had insultingly swept all the rest of the awards." I'll also admit that, from the little I've seen of his Houston seasons, Onstad has become a decent MLS goalkeeper - despite my prediction that he'd just get older and slower. The standard of MLS goalkeeping has dropped dramatically the last few years though. Remember when: Friedel was shutting out everyone? Ravelli and Zenga were here? Mark Dodd was fighting for his job? Zach Thorton ate the league in 1998? Meola, ditto, 2000? Ian Feuer was a backup? Cannon was, really, second only to Keller and Friedel and getting better? Howard was plying the nets for NY/NJ? Hartman's only weakness was crossing - and bad turf? Matt Reis couldn't get a game? Paul Bunyan was in goal for the Revs? Johnny Walker first joined the league? Jon Busch still had his health? Guys like Nick Rimando and Troy Perkins were good? Guys like Hahneman, Countess, Conway, Jordan, Conway and Campos were exposed for being just not good enough for MLS? Now the league has little to brag about between the pipes, IMO.
Bingo. Don't you think the former Quakes players and coaching staff got together at some point early on in L.A. and convinced themselves, "If we did it once, we can do it again" ? This may be a sign of loyalty to his former EQuakes Crew now stranded in Never Never Land.
I was just going to mention that! Thanks for the reminder. Tim will always be remembered here with reverence.
You know, Tim Hanley might even be a candidate for head coach. He's been an assistant in MLS for eleven years (he sat out the '00 season). He's been a part of great teams and terrible teams. He has seen good front offices, and bad front offices. He has over 20 years of coaching experience. I think he has been the head coach at Foothill Jr. College? Is that right? But in any case, he knows MLS inside and out, he has tons of experience, he knows the player pool, he is better connected to the Quakes than almost anyone else. It's a thought . . . GOOOOO QUAAAAAAKES!!!!! - Mark
Man, I could kick myself for not thinking of this first! I see no reason why he couldn't (shouldn't?) be given a chance.
If he's interested then you would have to consider him. He's been a superb Goalkeeping coach, absolutely wants to be here, and knows both San Jose fans and the MLS. I'm a little ashamed not to have thought of it.