San Jose v New England preview

By: Melissa | May 14th, 2008

Ok everybody, I think it’s time to finally admit that after last weekend’s game, we’ve hit rock bottom. And I can even say we hit it both literally and figuratively because our team is in last place and the fans watched the Quakes completely unravel at the hands of (or should I say, the feet of?) the Columbus Crew. Collective wound licking aside, I am still going to stand tall and hold my head up high because I get the sense that our boys can really use a huge heaping scoop of confidence right now. From what I heard, the entire team basically bolted from the pitch on Saturday right after the final whistle.

And this upcoming game is gonna be a tough one. The Revs are doing pretty good right now and to top it all off, their injured guys are ready to play again. So I’m crossing my fingers our back line keeps it together this time.

Last weekend threw me into a deep deep depression and I had to take a break from MLS. What did I miss? The Revs are in third place overall and coming off a 2-1 pounding of Chivas USA. Taylor Twellman is finally back and it appears he has stopped complaining about his bosses blocking a transfer to Europe. Possible overconfidence warning. As for San Jose, we are dead last and coming off a 3-2 pounding from the Columbus Crew. I would call this a possible underconfidence warning.

Any line-up changes? Ryan Cochrane is still listed as “questionable” so maybe Eric “That Guy” Denton won’t get benched afterall? Jean-Phillipe will probably get another start alongside Kei Kamara and the rest of us will wait somewhat patiently to see whatever magic our new striker can bring to the table. I’m sure he still has it in him, but my impression so far is: he is just not treating the game as a collaborative effort.

Who is out? Jay Ayers (get well soon). And the jury is still out on Ryan Cochrane. If he doesn’t start, I say he will sit this one out as well. Gavin Glinton is also “questionable” on account of the hernia. Did he already leave for Germany? If not, we may see him sub in again late in the game.

Who is gonna score? Facebook tells me Joe Vide’s birthday is this Friday so happy birthday internet friend! If he plays in this game, I say he should net one. Also, I love it that James Riley (my new new Facebook friend… hello!) often gets himself in on the attack and shoots and shoots often. One of these days, he will sink one in. Maybe against his old team?

Who is gonna shine? Besides our East Coasters (see above)? Joe Cannon started off last weekend’s game full of confidence and his performance definitely showed it. But it did appear he broke down pretty quick and if you saw the pictures I posted from the game, you can clearly see, in one of them, he is looking to the Ultras section for inspiration. Now, as far as I know, there won’t be any Ultras at the game against the Revs, but I would like to make him aware that section 101 is still going to cheer him on from, I believe, the Pig & Whistle in San Francisco. So Joe, if you are feeling a bit down, you should just call that bar during halftime and I’m very very positive the entire group will sing into the phone to you.

Predictions? Our defense will remain rock solid meaning Cannon won’t be forced into a one on one this time. And I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say we get a shutout. Now, whether we manage to score any goals is another story.

I cannot afford to live in the Bay Area so Troy Dayak and John Schrader are not my announcers. What should I listen to instead? Just to send some love to and give a huge shout out to the new A-League blog here at The Offside, I highly recommend the Triple J mixup from DJ Dexter. It’s a performance he did on an Australian radio program right before the release of the first Avalanches album (Since I Left You is a classic and everyone should own a copy) which would put the gig somewhere within the years 1999 and 2000. And here is that gig. Enjoy.

How should I prepare for this game? Firstoff, anyone who was sitting in section 103 during the last game, should go redeem their In N Out coupon for a free hamburger (delicious!). After that, I say, wear red shoes. Sure, it sounds weird but our favorite Quakes trialist, Fabrice Noel, wore red shoes during the preseason Kezar game against Houston and last weekend, Kei Kamara wore red shoes against the Crew. Was this a small gesture from Kei towards our long lost Fabrice? Probably not. But our little group misses that guy! Anyone know what happened to him and if he will ever try out for the Quakes again?

So that wraps up the preview. To everyone in the Bay Area, I hope you all have a great place in mind to watch the game. I’m debating either the Pig & Whistle or the Kezar Pub since both bars are very close to the University of San Francisco, where the SF Seals home opener game will take place afterwards. Soccer Saturday will be in full effect y’all! As for the rest of the weekend, I highly recommend everyone checks out the Power Tool Drag Races this Saturday and/or Sunday. And I do believe this event was featured on the Discovery Channel a few years ago. In my personal experience, walking into a house with the Discovery Channel on tv means I’ve just walked into a house where everyone is on drugs. Whether everyone at the Power Tool Drag Races will be on drugs is up for debate but I’m pretty sure the techie project I’ve been working on will be there and may actually compete. At this point, I’m not sure if I will be there but don’t let that stop you from going. Here’s your Song of the Week.