Updates to the Roster Already

By: Chris | January 29th, 2011

The guys practice a little keep away. From right to left: Corrales, Lenhart, Convey, Johnson, Leitch (I think), Jasseh, McDonald, Ward, Ampaipitakwong

The Winter transfer period is open and the Quakes are still adding some players to their roster. Recently the Quakes have added a midfielder and a new goalie. Doyle might be looking into another defender, but since he was back in San Jose for the beginning of training camp I don’t think he’s going out to scout anymore. The Quakes have an interesting dilemma in goal now. The league has mandated that all teams have 3 goalies for this next season. Currently the Quakes have 5 in training camp: #1 Jon Busch, 2010’s backups, Brian Edwards and Andrew Weber, local boy David Bingham from Cal, and Philip Tuttle from Notre Dame. According to Wikipedia Tuttle has not yet been offered a contract. Edwards, Weber and Tuttle will be fighting it out for the number 2 spot.

Donatelli with Montreal

Midfielder Tony Donatelli is officially an Earthquake. Donatelli has played for both Montreal and Vancouver in the USL First Division. Donatelli has experience in the CONCACAF Champions League with Montreal. He played in 8 games and scored 3 goals. Those goals and assists were against good teams, so he has the ability to produce at a high level. Based on goals for the team last year, we definitely need a player who can produce goals and assists. Donatelli has played with Joey Gjertsen at both Montreal and Vancouver so they have a familiar, working relationship on the field.

“I think I’m a two-way midfielder, but I have the ability to score some goals,” Donatelli said. “My history has shown that. I think with the year [Chris Wondolowski] had, they’re definitely looking for options to help them score and take the load off them. Hopefully I can provide some of that.”

“I wouldn’t say [Donatelli] is a burner, but I think he’s smart,” Doyle said. “He plays a good 1-2, gets off the ball. He thinks quick. I mean, Arturo has quickness, but I don’t think he crossed but one ball [last] year.”

Doyle is right that we need a right winger who can pass the ball. Of all the games I went to last year, the one thing I heard being yelled the most when Alvarez was on the field was for him to cross the ball. He just likes to keep the ball at his feet and dribble or shoot. If Donatelli can’t produce goals, let’s hope he can make a better playmaker than the majority of our midfield last year.

From right to left: Opara, Cronin, Gjertsen, Bingham

David Bingham is a local guy who played for Cal as a goalie. Bingham is seen as being as talented as Zach MacMath who went 5th in the draft to Philadelphia. Luckily the Quakes were able to snap him up in some sort of draft type lottery. Doyle has been a huge fan of Bingham and has been following him for a while. Bingham posted a goals against average of 0.77 last year with Cal. He is also 21, so he has plenty of time to understudy with Busch who is only 34. So Bingham will most likely be the number 3 goalie, with Edwards and Weber fighting for the number 2 spot. Tuttle will have a tough time breaking through unless the Quakes want to save a bunch of money by letting Edwards and Weber go and having Tuttle, 24, and Bingham, 21, fight for the 2 backup spots themselves. Tough choices.

And now for the curious case of Khari Stephenson. Khari’s contract was not renewed at the end of the season. So like Eduardo, Geovanni and Glen he was released from the Quakes and able to be picked up by any other team. He wasn’t, and Doyle was talking about bringing him back, possible with a lower salary. That was in an article in the San Jose Mercury News last week and since then, I haven’t heard anything about it except Doyle saying that it was looking less likely that he was coming back. The club’s actions also reflect that situation with the drafting of Ampaipitakwong and singing of Donatelli. Maybe we’ll hear something in the next couple weeks.

I’ve got some good pictures of the first few days of training camp, will try to get a post up with just pictures.

GO QUAKES!