Can we get the names on the jerseys already?

By: Melissa | March 8th, 2008

Friday afternoon, the Quakes beat UC Berkeley 3-0 with all the goals scored by the reserves squad during the second half. I can’t find an official game report so its almost as if the thing never took place. Well, I was there and I swear it really happened.

I arrived late so I wandered around a bit before positioning myself almost directly behind the Earthquakes’ bench (it turned out I was leaning on a Quakes’ van - oops). I wound up watching both the players on the field and the coaches giving orders and advice and such. Now, I can understand how Galaxy fans might think Yallop was too soft during his time there but, after watching him do his thing, I can honestly say that’s just his style. Throughout the game I heard his quiet and heavily accented voice give constant positive feedback the the guys. Even when he corrected someone, his voice remained calm and collected. I can easily see how that attitude translates to the sort of loyalty I’ve heard he gets. I can also see how that attitude translates to the sort of group confidence that brings wins.

Cannon was in goal and throughout the game, also giving constant praise to the players. So the whole thing felt a bit like summer camp confidence building exercises (the field was tucked between a bunch of tall trees). Oh, and the other wierdism was many of the Cal players were yelling at each other while, besides Cannon, the Earthquakes barely spoke on the field. Is that the true sign you’ve become a professional? As for the first team during the first half, that line-up is here. What I noticed was Ivan Guerrero looking pretty good up top and towards the end of the first half, an almost unrecognizable Ned Grabavoy (the goatee works on him) making a few good plays. Also, Our Gang broke the Salinas/Riley holy union and put Riley on the left with Hernandez on the right. O’Brien was there, making people laugh on the bench, but he didn’t play. Glinton did not play either, which I thought was odd, and while I did arrive a bit late, I think Kamara was paired with Guerrero at forward? I had a hard time keeping track mainly because there was a giant chain link fence in my way.

The second half descended into shite very quickly with the ultimate bright spot being a sweet pass across the goal from new trialist Hayden Tinto to Adam Smarte who tapped it in (I’m not 100% but I think it was Smarte). Also, later on in that half, Tinto effed up pretty badly (not sure what he did since the van was in my way) and the entire coaching staff broke out into laughter. Here’s a report from someone with a better view than mine.

Probably my favorite moment of the afternoon was during the short halftime. A group of girls were jogging around the field and at one point, a bunch of the younger guys on the Quakes squad stopped what they were doing and oogled the girls all at the same time. I swear, they almost started drooling right there on the spot and they weren’t even remotely subtle about it. Hilarious.

So, despite not managing to score, our first team looked a bit better on offense. I certainly want to see what will happen when O’Brien gets in there. Also, if Guerrero played where I think he played, we may actually have a little more depth up front than previously thought. And as for my impressions after watching the bench, I think Yallop really believes Salinas has the chops to be a great player in this league so we may see great things from that kid this season. Smarte, as well – but maybe not this season. I think Our Gang seriously intend to invest in Smarte and hopefully turn him into a starter in the next year or so.