So What the Hell Happened? A tie is what happened which leaves us in the same place we were before the game which leads me to wonder, did yesterday even happen at all? And the game… hmmm… scrappy. We decided the theme of the first half was “gaping wound” and my friend, the huge Roma fan, giving full credit to Chris at the Roma blog, pointed out that since Houston did a pretty dern good job of shutting down the San Jose offense and severing much of the connectivity between the midfield and the forwards, this “strikerless formation” should be called the “silicon clusterfuck.” Also, I have to give props to Bobby Boswell for containing Huckerby throughout most of the game. God, I can’t believe I just wrote that. And I’ll be spending the rest of my day scrubbing my fingers until they are raw and bloody.

Speaking of Blood… “biohazard” Nick Garcia got a few good headers in there after he got hurt. And every single one was cringeworthy for sure.

Speaking of Cringeworthy… sorry guys. I have a little soft spot for Kei Kamara and secretly hoped he’d score. I know all y’all think he’s a lousy traitor but cut the kid a little slack. I mean there is a creepy video on the internets of him chopping wood in Sierra Leone. My friend spent much of the first half debating what exactly did San Jose receive for his trade? He finally settled on a bag of kettle corn.

I Promised Myself if I Won the Bucket of KFC Coupons, I’d Give Them All Away on This Blog. I didn’t win. Sorry everyone.

Seats Right Behind the Players’ Benches Do Have A Few Advantages. We watched Brian Ching ever so slowly warm up during the second half and spent much of that time yelling “change the game Brian!” Dude, we didn’t actually mean it. We also had a pretty good view of Ching and a few fans exchanging unpleasantries right after he scored. Lotta love out in San Jose last night. Lotta love.

Oh Hello, it’s the Return of Shea Salinas! Where ya been? My first comment was “time to earn that $30,000 salary!” My friend’s response? “It’s like working in the mall, but he’s more physically fit.”

Personal Highlight? Finally getting a hold of a friend of mine. After I lost my phone, I lost his number and the fool never bothered to respond to the bajillion Facebook messages I left him. Luckily I found him amongst the Ultras and also found out he’s gonna be a dad. Congratulations!

And the Man of The Match? DeRosario’s hair. Good lord it’s like a work of art. And it takes a lot of planning and effort to have a fro that looks that amazing. My friend and I both hoped he’d show up to that Britannia Arms thing just so we could ask him what in the hell he did to get such beautiful, symmetrical hair.

Oh right, and that Britannia Arms thing? Ummmm… full disclosure. The last time I was in downtown San Jose I was at a swanky hotel bar having drinks with the Cheetah Girls and their entire Disney entourage. How did I wind up there? Don’t ask. And the situation was pretty effin awkward, to say the least. So hanging out in the back patio of a bar surrounded by pretty much the entire San Jose team and a few Houston players was just a teensy bit less awkward than that.

So the next game is away, at Houston. Not feeling too positive about this one so shit should really depend on how the other teams in the West fare this coming week. Hopefully Ian will give an update on what’s up with that. And I’ll leave you with some Local Love. If you’ve ever seen pictures from or been to Burning Man, you’ve likely seen a lot of the large scale artwork displayed in the middle of the playa. You know, those 10 to 20 foot sculptures. Hard to miss, really. Well, one of the warehouses where much of this stuff gets built is in trouble. The Oakland fire department was forced to shut down Nimby after a fire broke out this past Wednesday. The tenants, with help from the city of Oakland, are looking for a new place to finish their work and could use a little help and support. So everyone reading this post should take a few moments to check out the link above, or even subscribe to their twitter feed. A.R.T. y’all.

Well, one thing left to do is present a photo essay of Saturday’s game. I’d like to point out that we were sitting in the very last row towards the middle, behind the team benches, so that should give all of you (who weren’t there) a pretty good indication of just how “intimate” Buck Shaw really is.

Rockin’ the wigs. Perhaps the least flattering photo ever taken in the history of photography.

Churro guy!

Pre-game warm up keep away game. It totally weirded me out because the coaches were watching so intently.

Game time.

James Riley! During a stop in the game, we yelled his name and we swear he heard us and looked back.

No caption needed. Makes us laugh every time.

FC Dallas = Love.

After the game, we went over to the Ultras section and hung out. Joe Cannon ran over and threw a Gatorade bottle at us.

The Ultras started singing to Johnny Moore. He gave us a thumbs up (sorry so fuzzy).

The sad, broken remains of a delicious cookie we brought over from the awesome (not in any way official) tailgate.

The grass was amazing. We decided we had to pet it before leaving.

That guy claimed to be the grounds keeper.

Any line-up changes? YES! With Cochrane out, the entire back line is in question. Jeff Carlisle suggests rearranging both the midfield and the back to compensate. But I think Yallop doesn’t want to shatter a starting 11 that’s finally starting to gel a bit. In my completely unqualified opinion, I see Hernandez taking Cochrane’s spot with Denton filling in as left back. Other than that, the usual line up stays.

Who is out? Ryan Cochrane and Jay Ayers are nursing concussions and perhaps catching up on lost Teletubbies episodes. Nick Garcia is probable with a thigh contusion but he’ll play. Oh yes he will.

Who is gonna score? I hope somebody does. Seriously. I’m worried that our offense will never get past the Dallas midfield during the entire game. But by the time the first whistle blows, I may be too drunk to care.

Who is gonna shine? I love Ryan Cochrane. Every Quakes fan loves Ryan Cochrane. But boy did he eff up against New York last week. This game is gonna prove Hernandez’s versatility as a fullback as well as in the center.

Biggest improvement? ME! I’m trying to take these game previews more seriously. I may not be successful but I am going to try. Also, I’m retiring the Biggest Improvement category. Bit of a dumb idea.

I have achieved inner peace by muting the game commentary. What should I listen to now? As soon as the new Madonna album leaked, I had that sh*t downloaded on my computer and onto my crappy mp3 player. I’ve been listening to it non-stop. Give it 2 Me is gonna be the jam of the summer (you heard it here first) and I swear Madonna and Pharrell get hyphy during that song.

How should I prepare for this game? Alcohol and bbq. Either at the official Fanzone tailgate or at a secret diy location. At this point, I don’t care if we lose, I just want all 10,000+ fans in attendance to get to that “happy drunk” phase. Group hug time y’all.

So I think that’s it. Don’t forget to read Tim Hainley’s preview from a coach’s perspective over at Center Line Soccer. And I’m leaving you this week, not with a song, but instead with a video taken at Coachella of the orbs we brought out there. I can’t find any good night video so you don’t get to see them roll around with their blinky different colored leds on. But still, seeing them roll around during the day is kind of fun. Myself, and the little buggers will be at the Maker Fair on Sunday so if you are going to that, stop by and say hi.

“Lew was kind of funny when I started asking about stuff I thought we needed,” says general manager John Doyle, who played for and then assistant coached the original Quakes before their move to Houston in December, 2005. “When we first started talking, he asked me, ‘Do you want to wait a year so we can get all this just the way you want it, or do you want to start playing now?’

“I said, ‘I don’t want to wait, I want to play.’ But everything, or just about everything, we asked for, he’s given us, and not just in regards to the stadium. That’s just the kind of person he is.”

You know, every time I read about the renovations, or the new stadium, or even quotes from the coaches about the owners, I wonder why such great synergy with the Quakes compared to the freakin’ drama with the Oakland A’s? It’s some of the same ownership group with seemingly similar issues regarding City Council decisions to allocate land. Why is Wolff so determined to move the A’s out of Oakland yet keep the Quakes in San Jose? Seriously people. The floor is open. Help me understand this conundrum.

Our reserves take on RSL in the Open Cup tonight. Tim Hainley’s game preview is here.

Italgreen, the Italy-based company that designed the field, will make its American debut with Santa Clara. The field is composed of a new species of synthetic grass carpet called “Double T” that was thought, patented and planned for soccer playing. In place of the rubber pellets found in most new artificial turfs, the new field will use the ecological alternative Geofill, the 100 percent natural infill patented by Italgreen made mostly of vegetal fibers and minerals.

This morning, I forwarded that quote snippet to a friend who is a plant biologist and asked her for her thoughts on “Double T.” Not only is she the official photographer for the San Jose The Offside blog, but she looooves grass. It’s her area of expertise and interest. She told me she’s gonna think about it and get back to me. Stay tuned readers for I shall hopefully be droppin’ the science shortly.

In other news, The EPL Talk blog has a list of famous players and their Facebook profiles. They are also asking readers to add links to whoever is missing. I tend to keep my internet friend collecting habit on this continent but it is absolutely true that Jay DeMerrit’s page is a thing of beauty the internet has been sorely lacking for a very long time. And I still think compiling a MLS players on Facebook list is in order very very soon.

Thank you for your request for post-game train accommodations after the San Jose Earthquakes’ games in Santa Clara.

Unfortunately Caltrain is not in a position to add service because of budget reasons, besides which management does not believe that the demand is there to warrant the addition of a train.

Nor can the 9:05 pm Saturday departure be delayed because there is no way to know when customers will be arriving at the train. A train cannot be held indefinitely when other trains depend on its timely performance. Also, there is construction along the right of way and adherence to a schedule is vital in order to have those areas cleared in advance of a train’s passage without unduly interrupting the ongoing work.

We regret being unable to accommodate the Earthquakes’ fans. However, if the team’s executive staff wants to charter a train, we will be happy to schedule one.

Astrid Lindell
Caltrain Customer Relations Specialist

LAME LAME LAME! A few days ago, I looked up the schedule. Without any changes on game nights, the likelyhood I will miss the last Bart train is exceptionally high. And while I am aware there is a transbay bus, I just gotta say that this situation effin blows and I’m not particularly interested in hanging out at the San Francisco bus terminal at midnight on a Saturday night. I know – where IS my sense of adventure?!?! Anyhoo, some friends and I are probably going to look into getting a car I guess which also sucks because I’m under the impression that the parking situation around Buck Shaw pretty much blows. This is seriously a lose lose situation for everyone involved.

How many SF Bayers are planning to trek down there? We should charter a bus for reals. Google and Yahoo do it to bring their employees down to the South Bay offices. Why can’t we?

After days of searching and posting random queries all over the internets, I am proud to say I finally have a copy of the USWNT Olympic qualifiers game against Mexico. Now I’m off to find the Costa Rica match. Wish me luck people.

In Earthquakes news, Center Line Soccer posted new Buck Shaw stadium pictures and the Irishoutsider blog has a great Quakes preview video thats definitely worth watching (but I can’t seem to embed it, AOL video + Wordpress = disaster). Also, there are some great quotes from Cannon and Doyle in Beau Dure’s USA Today article on the Quakes. He’s also got extra quotes posted at his Netminder blog. Of particular interest is one from Lew Wolff who apparently, along with Phil Anschutz, tried to appeal that offsides rule on Thursday’s early Quakes goal. But I think my favorite is a quote from Doyle:

I don’t think we played particularly well, but I think we have good players. You look at results in the league over the first couple of weeks — Houston loses 3-0, Chicago barely ties Salt Lake and then beats New England 4-0, LA loses 4-0 in Colorado.

Yeah! Way to accentuate the positive! We are sooo gonna bounce back on Saturday.

Moving on… this slow news week is killing me. Soccer Spin has a little update on our two new trialists from T&T and there’s a video of the 2007 World Series of Poker champion Xao “Jerry” Yang wearing a tryout tour jersey at the March 10th World Poker Tour event in San Jose. I’m mentally adding him to that MLS Rumors celebrity list. Also, bigsoccer user athletics68 took photos of Shawesome Stadium Friday which are available here.

In local news, my favorite taco truck in Oakland moved and I’m devastated. So to anyone living in or visiting the Town, please be on the lookout for the Tacos Chaves roach coach and drop me a line if you find it. Also, a few of us are getting together this Saturday at The Mad Dog & The Fog to watch the 4pm USA v Honduras Olympic qualifiers game. I think my friend and I will spend much of it lamenting what looks like the death of Benny Feilhaber’s career. What happened? And in the not-to-distant future (i.e. March 29th), there will likely be an all day viewing event for every scheduled MLS game at Kezar pub. Yup, the Columbus v Toronto game starts at 1pm and if I’m not camping on Angel Island, I’ll be there. And the Kezar event is also a general meeting for the 1906/Ultras supporters group so if you are thinking of joining them, this is a great opportunity to stop by and get involved.

So last night, I stumbled upon an amazing blog post from Precious Roy over at Unprofessional Foul. Its a great story that reminds us all what stupid things we’ll do to try to impress girls and/or guys we think are cute. I’m not gonna lie, I’ve done some dumbass sh*t in the past in this department. And on that note, here’s the band denver, with a song and video that could be a serious contender over at Cute Overload. Enjoy.

Ok, moving on. The second waiver draft has come and gone and San Jose picked zero players. Apparently, the Scoobies seriously considered Kelly Gray and Kyle Martino but according to Doyle: “we were wondering if they’re going to add to our team” so it was a pass. But Doyle remains confident the group of guys he’s got right now make a pretty good core. His new focus is on finding one or two “elite players” so I think we can all anticipate at least one more big signing soon.

While not technically an elite player, Alex over at the Chivas offside blog reports that Mike Munoz has a three day trial coming up with the Quakes. If you don’t know Munoz’s story, please click here and get yourself acquainted. And I know the fans would love to see another former Victory player on the roster so I’m rooting for him. Also, I say it will be easier for him to maintain his long-distance relationship if he stays in the same State as his girlfriend. Good luck Mike!

In other news, last night, the Santa Clara City Council approved the special use permit for Shawesome Stadium so its full speed ahead on that front. Also, the Quakes’ pub crawl continues. The upcoming dates and times are:

Sunday, March 9 – Time: 6:30 p.m.
99 Bottles
110 Walnut Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Tuesday, March 11 – Time: 7:30 p.m.
Masse’s Billiards Bar & Grill
2721 N. Main Street
Walnut Creek, CA 94596

I would like to add here that I’m genuinely sad they didn’t pick a bar in Oakland for this. No love for the Town from the Quakes FO. Lame.

And I’m out – but one last thing – a friend of mine just graduated from law school and passed the Bar. This morning he wrote a pretty cool blog post on his experiences last night watching the California Supreme Court arguments on same-sex marriages. Now, whatever your particular beliefs are on the subject, put them to the side because his story is fantastic. Seriously, the way he tells it is very similar to how one would describe their time at a sporting event complete with cheers, boos, and hisses (he even calls it “a very geeky version of a sporting match”). Its a great read.

EDIT: Whoops. I guess the waiver draft is today at noon. Soccer Spin has the list of who’s on the chopping block.

Ronnie Ekelund is now our Technical Director. And today I am seriously debating whether to bring back my Scooby Gang metaphor when referring to the coaching staff.

The Santa Clara City Council are considering the Quakes’ special use permit for Buck Shaw (i.e. Shawesome) Stadium tonight at 7pm. Soccer Silicon Valley is asking folks to attend the meeting to show their support. I don’t have much info on this but the Google Map is here.

Here is the blueprint submitted to the City Council for review: