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?

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.  

… he’s a silent guardian … a watchful protector…

El Dandy Nandy has been nothing short of ill for the club this year. With Captain Garcia always looking for an ear to listen to his daily musings, Riley busy getting thrown out, and Eric Denton … I dunno, Denton kinda feels like Delaware to me. Too bland to even make fun of. I digress..

The Never-Speakin’ Puerto Rican has been the so called “calming presence” in the back, always reliable and comfortable on the ball. He doesn’t get a lot of love from the media (Come on, its all relative), so I just wanted to shoutout El Dandy for his work this year. I just hope he doesn’t get Conraded in a year or two.

P.S. The Quakes play the Honduras Olympic team tonight at The Shaw at 8. Be there.

Smart deal or act of desperation? I go with the latter. Why? Well, let’s see. San Jose isn’t making the playoffs this year and needs to focus on the future. By trading an allocation away for a player who is in the final year of his MLS contract, and who has stated that he wants to go abroad, San Jose just spent an allocation for a rent-a-player for three months.

Hmm…. k. Well, he is “only” 27, but if he really does want to go abroad, I really don’t get it. Then again, maybe Frank thinks he can convince Sealy to stay and help build the club. And to that, I only have two words: Clarence Goodson.

P.S. Hucks is official, visa pending. So … he’s not official? I dunno. Decide for yourself.

This isn’t YouTube, but its still a must watch. Via the Norwich Evening News 24, Hucks took part in a 4 minute interview, as well as a lengthy article. Lots of meaty content to chew on, but let’s get one thing straight.

He loves babysitter. Not babysitters in general, but just the one. I’m not sure how the missus feels about that, but I’m not sure I care. Only a certain type of man can wear a shirt that says “I LOVE BABYSITTER”, but I think that’s the kind of man I want scoring goals for my team.

Homie was offered by 12 other clubs, including one in the Prem. He is taking just about a quarter of what he could be making in the UK, but he is keeping his word that he would never play against Norwich again.

In terms of when we could see the man in action, the Evening News had this: “Huckerby could play as soon as Tuesday in the Quakes’ exhibition at the Buck Shaw stadium against the Honduras Olympic team. But it’s more likely his debut will come at Toronto on July 19, because he needs to clear up immigration issues.”

I’m sure Toronto will give him a nice welcome, considering he is smart enough to realize that California >>>>>>>> Canada.

Bonus YouTube Clip!!!!!!!

Wait until about 3:13… It’s okay Hucks. The kid on crutches always got picked before me too.

Now much has been said about the impossibly complicated mess of rules and regulations that MLS has slowly refined over the years.  I for one, am not ready to throw the baby out with the bath water.  I’m glad there are parity protections to keep the league competitive, though I hate when those rules are so often ignored when the league has a chance to realize its schizophrenic wet dream of throwing parity out the window and making a team like the Galaxy into a superclub.  But that’s a whole ‘nother topic.  The point is that while it sucks for the league and Chicago that Toronto are holding Brian McBride for ransom, I can’t fault the allocation system.  It is designed, at least in theory, to help out the teams that need it the most, and so Toronto should receive something for giving up the rights to McBride.

However, this discovery claim nonsense is something else altogether.  To enable an MLS team like Toronto or anyone else, to claim that they “discovered” Darren Huckerby and thus have first rights is ludicrous in the extreme.  Are we back to grade school, where somehow calling first dibs means something?  I don’t think Toronto should be allowed to hold Huckerby hostage, just because they somehow “discovered” him in the uncharted backwaters of the football world.  I mean, whoever heard of English football, or Norwich city?  No one had even heard the name Huckerby until it came from the lips of Mo Johnston.  Ok, my sarcasm meter is drained, but you get the picture.  This is not a mechanism to help out weak teams.  Toronto F.C. is doing quite alright this year, while we are stuck at the bottom of the heap, yet they get to have all the cards?  Something is definitely off here.  Toronto could make unreasonable demands, such as asking for NIck Garcia or Joe Cannon, and if we say no, they could just scuttle the deal altogether.  They have no incentive or pressure to give up Huckerby’s rights.  The league has stepped in so many times in the past to help our friends down south and the more “sexy” markets, so for the love of all things Quake, now’s the time to intervene and throw us a bone here.  And please, discard this discovery claim system now. 

Hey Toronto, I just discovered this guy called Ronaldo.  He plays for some team called Manchester United…

Richard Mulrooney (14,204)
Ronald Cerritos (12,382)
Wade Barrett (12,218)
John Doyle (11,385)
Troy Dayak (10,830)
Ramiro Corrales (10,310 and counting)

We are extremely lucky to have The Joe back in San Jose, as he is one of the premier goalies in the league. He was a rare bright spot in 1999 and 2000, a solid piece of the championship puzzle in 2001, and he continues to provide a calming presence on defense.

OTHER NOTES

Let’s hope he can provide that presence next week at Columbo, because it looks like Nick Garcia will be out of action. From CenterLineSoccer:

The latest to join the ranks of the barely-walking-wounded was centerback Nick Garcia, who in the words of head coach Frank Yallop, “tweaked his right knee” as a result of a practice game collision with Jamil Roberts. Garcia appears to have sustained damaged to his MCL, and while Yallop stated that he didn’t think the injury was severe, it could be serious enough to render Garcia unavailable for this weekend’s game against Columbus.

Yikes. We’ll see how this plays out in the next couple days, but I would imagine this would lead to the same back line that we had when Cochrane was out, with Riley and Denton on the wings, and Hernandez in the middle.

Tomorrow: Song of the week! Something to life your mid-week spirits, natch.

Little update on Ivan and Kei as they work on conquering the world for the black and blue.

Guerrero played in Honduras’ 1-1 draw with Venezuela at Lockhart Stadium (R.I.P. Fusion). One article mentions Guerrero having a “cracker from 30 yards out”. Guerrero and his countrymates will take on Puerto Rico in a home-and-home series during the next two weeks, with the home leg on June 4th, and the away leg on June 14th.

Kei Kamara went the full 90 in Sierra Leone’s 2-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea. Sierra Leone takes on Nigeria next Saturday, the 7th, and then will face South Africa the following Saturday, the 14th.

Amir Lowery and Dan Benton signed with the team. Lowery is a defender recently from the Wizards and Benton signs on as our backup goalkeeper. Benton was the guy who filled in for Cannon and Burpo for a short while during preseason. If I remember correctly, he did quite well and he’s a local guy. Local love is in the hizzy.

Peguero Jean Philippe was placed on the season-ending injury list effectively ending his loan from the Danish team Brondby. Turns out, the knee swelled up again and is not healing. But because Jean Phillipe didn’t stick around for very long, the Quakes do not move to the bottom of the MLS allocation list. Go figure.

Ivan Guerrero was just called up to the Honduran National team. He will likely miss the next three games. Ok, this bit of news might not make fans particularly happy but I do wonder, who will start in his place? Shea Salinas is the only guy coming to mind here unless Ryan Johnson doesn’t keep the striker spot he had against Houston. Thoughts?

Kelly Gray is really really really really happy to be back in San Jose. And I’m happy for him. My guess is he’ll maybe compete for Ramiro Corrales’ spot which may cause Corrales to perhaps occupy a winger position? It does seem our team is lacking a little bit in attacking midfielders right now. I’m just wondering who may unconventionally pick up that slack in the short term. Thinking outside the box here.

Rolando Fonseca is the new trialist in training this week. He’s 33 and Costa Rica’s all time leading goal scorer. Quakes fans love goal scorers – especially ones without busted knees.

And with a sad sad heart I report that there are now zero Bay Area teams competing in this year’s Open Cup. Despite having pretty darn stellar seasons so far, both the San Jose Frogs and the San Francisco Seals got squeezed out of the lead by the Los Angeles Legends (on goal differentials) who won the spot to represent our PDL division in the competition. This may not help in the happy fans department either, unfortunately. But if it’s any consolation, the Seals currently sit at first place in the Southwest Division (11pts) with the Frogs at second (10pts).