It was interesting to hear Yallop talk about his decisions in the famous 5-4 aggregate playoff victory over L.A., and how he approaches making changes for the playoffs.  In both cases, it very much seems as if Yallop seems to be more of an instinctual manager, though a bit of that may just be his obvious humility.  He said that, for the most part, he makes such decisions based on what seems right at the time, and it’s more of a gut feeling type of tactical decision-making.

QUAKES NOTES FOR THE WEEK:

- Unfortunately, Aki Riihilahti failed his physical so he will not be joining the Quakes.  While on one hand, it does save me from looking up the spelling of his name a hundred times throughout the upcoming season, it is definitely a shame that this transfer didn’t pan out.  By all accounts, Aki is a solid player and, almost as importantly, a real asset to the dressing room atmosphere.  Good luck to him wherever he ends up.

- It looks as if Simon Elliott may have been officially signed after a lengthy trial with the Quakes.  Elliott will most likely serve as veteran depth at the central midfield position.  He provides experience and solid skills, if not blinding pace.  

- Chris Leitch has been acquired from the New York Red Bulls to compete for the right back spot.  Whether it will be him, youngster Jamil Roberts, or Jason Hernandez who will nab the starting job is yet to be seen.  

- Keep a close eye on the Beckham saga.  I for one am hoping he stays at Milan at least until July, if only because this would likely mean that one of the games against L.A. would be moved to Buck Shaw from Oakland.  

- Looks like our old friend Landycakes will be returning to the Galaxy after all.  Get your best chants and songs ready!

Here is the most likely formation for the Quakes if the season started today (based on what the coaching staff and John Doyle have said thus far):

               Weaver-Johnson

Huckerby-Riihilahti-Convey-Alvarez

Corrales-Garcia-Cochrane-Hernandez

                      Cannon

Not too shabby.  Our biggest strength is clearly our midfield, with the forward line having the most question marks, as they have yet to be truly battle tested.  The defense looks to be fairly solid, but the right back position is still up in the air.

Pretty good recap of last season.  It is sad to see O’brien’s moments, since he did have some of the best highlights of the season.  I was really looking forward to a full season with O’Brien and Huckerby on the wings.  Ah well.  I also think it’s funny to see the complete absence of Kamara in the highlights.  Not too hard since I don’t really count shooting at the corner flag a highlight, but his goal against Colorado was completely cut so that all we see is the ball rolling into the goal and none of his contribution to it.  Classic.  

Well, it’s official now.  Bobby Convey is the newest member of the Quakes.  As I said before, after initially being a little underwhelmed, I now think it’ll be a good signing.  He’s only 25, meaning that he potentially could be a solid member of the team for years to come.  Convey has national team experience, and he is versatile, able to play on the left wing, at leftback, or in an attacking midfield role, which seems the most likely based on what Doyle and Yallop have been saying.  Though his recent injury has made many skeptical, let’s not forget that he did help lead Reading to promotion not too long ago, and he does possess better passing skills than anyone else we could put in the a-mid position.  Another plus is that when Huckerby leaves or retires, we have someone who can fill that position right away.  Still, this all presumes that his best years are ahead of him and that he isn’t one of those players who simply burnt out early, a fate of many other teen prodigies in soccer.  I don’t think so though.  Definitely, biggest signing for us so far this offseason.  He won’t set the world on fire, but there’s something to be said for a solid, reliable contributor in this league.  Oh, and did I mention we’ll finally have a quality set-piece taker?

On a side note, it’s interesting that the emphasis has been on size and power up front.  Other than Brian Ching, this was never a notable facet of the successful Quakes teams.  Donovan and Jamil Walker led the Quakes in the 2003 playoffs, both small and quick players.  Cerritos paired with Donovan in the 2001 edition (another small player).  However, Yallop is clearly not attempting to relive the past but building a team that can compete in the present reality.  A strong forward (or two) in the box will keep defenses honest.  Without a viable target, it would be too easy (and safer) for teams to simply channel Huckerby and Alvarez to the wings where their crosses would hold very little danger.  A target forward means that defenders now have to choose between leaving space for a dangerous cross or allow Huckerby and Alvarez to cut inside, which is when they are at their most dangerous.  I don’t envy a defense that has to make that choice.

* Cam Weaver Watch: Yes, let’s all be honest, we know very little about this kid except for a few glimpses from his Sounders days and some not-too-helpful statistics.  So Centerline Soccer is on top of it as usual with a report from Friday’s practice.  Sounds like we might finally have a player with the strength to hold onto the ball up front and maybe even get on the end of a cross or two. If he really is a cross between Ching and Jaqua, I just hope he didn’t inherit a pissy attitude and a vulnerability to injury from Papa Ching.  

* Galaxy games to Buck Shaw?: Who’s with me in getting a petition started?  With Becks finally confirming what everyone already knew, that he would rather trade in Posh for Alexi than play for the Galaxy again, let’s bring the rivalry home to Buck Shaw.  It will be so much better in the intimacy of our real home stadium, where we can get our paws, or at least our best insults, on the Scum.  As this SF gate article explains, the shared ownership of the A’s and Quakes enables the move to be made fairly easily though there are no plans to do so as yet.  

* The Nominations are In…: Speaking of Becks, with his departure, so goes the ever popular “We don’t give a f*@# about Beckham” chants.  Judas (aka Landycakes) is also desperate to leave the Galaxy behind.  So which MLS player earns the title of new Quakes public enemy number one?  My top pick right now is Eddie Robinson.

* Random Stuff: The Byers signing fell through.  Ah well, hard to miss an unknown quantity such as he was.  Somma has been signed to a senior contract and Quakes management seems to be pretty high on him.  He could well be a key player for us in the future.  

But all this would probably be acceptable if it wasn’t for the manner in which business has been conducted by the Quakes lately.  It’s clear from O’Brien’s interview with Center Line Soccer that he is none too pleased with the way in which the Quakes waited until the last minute before cutting their ties with him.  This is a sentiment that I definitely share.  What is going on with the Quakes, seriously?  The last game of the season left me with a feeling of great optimism.  Then the Quakes decide to play hardball with a key player and fan favorite, Joe Cannon, asking him to take a pay cut and not picking up the option on his contract in a dangerous game of brinkmanship.  Now instead of saving face, the Quakes have decided to shaft another key player and fan favorite (O’Brien).

It seems like Doyle and some of the big shots at the top are attempting to translate Moneyball into soccer terms.  Seemed like a good fit at first: cash-strapped league with a salary cap, building a championship team from bargain parts, sounded like the same old Quakes recipe for success.  But now we see the ugly side of what it means: treating players as if they are expendable parts, no matter their contribution and commitment.  If there’s one sport where team chemistry and continuity is key to success, it’s soccer.  Moneyball won’t work here.  You can’t dismantle and build up a team every year and hope to lay the foundation for championships.  Our glory years were directly a result of having a team that believed in one another, the club, and the fans.  I fear that Moneyball MLS style will destroy morale, chemistry, and make San Jose an uninviting destination for any player we want to sign.  

All the while, we are making room in our cap for a top-notch forward.  No one will deny that we need such a player.  But in pursuit of that piece of the puzzle we are punching new holes we may not be able to fix.  Word to Doyle and company: keep Moneyball as far away from the Quakes as possible.  Being cutthroat will lead us nowhere and as fans we want loyalty shown to those players who show loyalty to us.  

Shocker news coming from Steven Goff over at the Washington Post.  Apparently, the Earthquakes have declined the option on Joe Cannon’s contract, with an eye towards resigning him for a lower salary (right now he makes around $200K a year).  The only problem is that this makes him a free agent, and a club from Norway is already sniffing around.  Obviously, this is a a stressful moment for Quakes fans.  There are few players who epitomize the Quakes as much as The Joe does, and none on the current roster.  He bleeds blue, parties with the fans when we win, and feels it in his gut when we lose.  Oh, and did I mention he is a top-class keeper who pulled our (soccer) balls out of the fire on more than one occasion?  Let’s all hope for the best.  Otherwise we’ll need to start practicing our You’ll Never Beat Gustavsons.

* First off MLS Cup 2008 is on Sunday..  The bad news is that the Quakes are not in it.  The good news is that neither are the Galaxy or Dynamo.  It’s good to see two new teams in the cup, because I don’t think any of us (other than Houston or New England fans) wanted to sit through yet another Dynamo-Revs Cup.  It’s OK, New England fans, you’re better off not making the Cup this year, if only to give yourself a break from utter disappointment.  I’m worried about you guys.  I don’t want to see a collective jump into the ocean.  We’ll reserve that fate for the Galaxy fans.  So who is this Quakes fan pulling for in the Cup?  Neither one really.  I’m just hoping for a good game.  But in the interest of not sitting on the fence, I’ll go for Columbus.  I still have a soft spot for Alejandro Moreno, and I think it’s only fitting for the Supporter’s Shield winner to actually win the Cup.  As far as my prediction goes, though, wait for it… New York 3, Columbus 2.  Yes, i said it.  I’m probably wrong, but I’ll go with my gut.

* Let’s turn to the Houston stadium situation.  Now I’m not going to rant about how the Earthquakes were moved to Houston because we couldn’t secure a stadium.  Nor am I going to point out that the relocation was based on the promise that a stadium in Houston would be approved almost immediately.  Hey, I’m a gentleman, so I won’t even bring up the fact that San Jose will be getting a stadium before Houston does.  Because at the end of the day, I don’t want to see A.E.G. screw over yet another set of fans.  I don’t want anyone to have to experience the pain we did in San Jose.  So get it together MLS and AEG, don’t burn any more bridges.

* Looks like Landycakes is pissing off to Germany, and surprise, surprise, it looks like he actually means it this time.  I’ll miss booing him and having an easy target for unmitigated hate.  Ah well, now begins the nominations for the new Quakes fans’ Public Enemy Number One.

* The expansion draft is right around the corner, which I’ll cover in a separate post. 

* Finally, for those who haven’t tried the football/soccer management game genre, check out Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009.  I’ve been a loyal fan of the game for many years now, and it’s nice to have the Quakes back in the game for me to manage.  My first action as manager?  I shipped out Kirovski for Moreno. 

Until next time, Quakes fans…