San Jose Earthquakes » Song of the Week http://sanjose.theoffside.com News from San Jose Earthquakes MLS team Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:22:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Song Of The Week – “Real”ity Sandwich http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-reality-sandwich.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-reality-sandwich.html#comments Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:24:58 +0000 Sean http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-reality-sandwich.html Normally we try to stay away from anything related to the southern half of this state, but Busdriver is too raw to pass up, L.A. be damned. As my previous post alluded to, I thought this song would be a perfect fit.

Have a bite.

Busdriver – Reality Sandwich

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-reality-sandwich.html/feed 0 Song Of The Week – No Mercy Edition http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-no-mercy-edition.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-no-mercy-edition.html#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:25:40 +0000 Sean http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-no-mercy-edition.html Bob Dylan – Hurricane (Live at Austin City Limits)

Austin, Houston, whatever. The irony was too good to pass up. I’m going to hell, I know.

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-no-mercy-edition.html/feed 6 Song of the Week? http://sanjose.theoffside.com/local-love/song-of-the-week-2.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/local-love/song-of-the-week-2.html#comments Sat, 13 Sep 2008 06:50:55 +0000 Melissa http://sanjose.theoffside.com/local-love/song-of-the-week-2.html It’s been a while and we are in the crunch time to the playoffs so every result counts. Song of the Week? Local Love = Spearhead and Tim Parker. Let’s take the Dreamsicles down!

We Don’t Stop

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/local-love/song-of-the-week-2.html/feed 0 SONG OF THE WEEK (Go Dumb, Thizzed-Out Hyphy Edition) http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-go-dumb-thizzed-out-hyphy-edition.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-go-dumb-thizzed-out-hyphy-edition.html#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:19:36 +0000 Sean http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-go-dumb-thizzed-out-hyphy-edition.html In honor of the apparent “E-40 Earthquakes Song” (that I still haven’t heard yet), we are going dumb with this Song Of The Week. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but try not to at least nod your head to these.

Yadidamean?

Dummy Squad – We Go; They Dont
The Jacka feat. Andre Nickatina – You See Me
Sky Balla feat. San Quinn & Big Rich – That’s Him
Spice 1 – Rida Da Da Da Da (Suzanne Vega sample?! What?!)

That should tide you over. Try getting the hook from that last one out of your head. I dare you.

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-go-dumb-thizzed-out-hyphy-edition.html/feed 0 Song of the Week (Early, Scum-Fueled Edition) http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-early-scum-fueled-edition.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-early-scum-fueled-edition.html#comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:33:22 +0000 Sean http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-early-scum-fueled-edition.html Not a lot of news in QuakeLand today, so I figured I would go ahead and start the Galaxy hate fest. I hate the Galaxy. I know, hate is a strong word, blah blah blah. That’s fine. I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their fans, I hate their players, I hate their jerseys, I hate their mascot, I hate their stadium, I hate their front office, I hate everything about them.

But.

Like anything that one truly does abhor, there is also a level of respect there. Many fans would never admit it, but behind every great rivalry, there is respect of the opposition. Do I respect Ruiz for his constant theatrics? Of course not. But there was a time when there was no more-feared striker in the league than him. Once he got in to the penalty box, you knew you were screwed because he was going to either score, or draw a penalty. Sometimes both. Do I hate Donovan? Clearly. But do I understand, and can I admit, that when he is on, he is the best player in the league? Yes. But before you think I am going all soft, don’t you fret.

Touché.

For this week’s Song of the Week, it strikes a chord personally, because I will be in town for this match. And coming from Portland (the high was 56 degrees today) (yes, in June) (yes, I’m pissed) (yes, I’ll stop complaining) to the warm California sun has me beyond excited. Looking now, the forecast for Saturday in Oakland is a high of 85. And that is good news.

mp3: Blackalicious/Latyrx – Burning Hot In Cali On A Saturday Night (Explicit Lyrics)

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week-early-scum-fueled-edition.html/feed 2 Song of the Week http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week.html#comments Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:14:45 +0000 Sean http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week.html May 22nd seems so long ago. The fondest memory I have from the game is watching the crowd absolutely explode after the second goal, knowing that victory was all but sealed up. These are the moments you notice when you are unable to go to the games, and are forced to watched in soccer fan’s purgatory – a place where you have all the emotions that the fans at the game do, but no-one to share them with. That goal, which proved to be the winner, gave a huge boost of optimism to the team and their fanbase. At 1-6-1 before that match, a draw was looking like a moral victory, let alone getting all three points.

Fast forward to the 31st. Though we didn’t have both goalscorers from the previous game, a hint of cautious optimism began to creep in. Sure, we still couldn’t not expect all three points on the road, but we believed that a draw was definitely manageable. We were proven wrong in the highest order, via the play of Findley and Morales.

And now, here we are. Back where we started, in the same place we were at before the Houston match. But we pulled out a victory when no one gave us a chance then, and there’s no reason for it to not happen again. So let’s stay positive, shall we? And with that, this week’s Song of the Week:

Junior Senior – Happy Rap

P.S. Don’t forget to watch the US National Team take on Spain today. It will be shown at 2:30 PST on ESPN2.

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/song-of-the-week.html/feed 1 The quick and dirty preview, San Jose v Houston http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/the-quick-and-dirty-preview-san-jose-v-houston.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/the-quick-and-dirty-preview-san-jose-v-houston.html#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 06:08:43 +0000 Melissa http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/the-quick-and-dirty-preview-san-jose-v-houston.html Time is of the essence, and this week, I have very little of it. So let me go ahead and pull this preview out of my ass… then get on with it. This Thursday we will be kind of sort of playing ourselves but at the same time kind of not. In fact, you could say we will be playing with ourselves and I really really hope whoever does the color commentary on ESPN for this game (John Harkes?) mentions that at some point during the broadcast. Onward…

Major Leagu—whaaaa? Houston used to be San Jose until 2005, when they packed up their belongings (sans trophies), headed east, and became Houston. If this was a lesson in American History, I would’ve just blown your mind. Ok, in all seriousness, the Houston Dynamo are coming off a very important win over Chicago after a slow and mostly winless start to their season. And their season just happens to echo their late-to-start performance from last year – which finished with the team taking home the MLS Cup. If history, which often repeats, is any indication, this is the beginning of many wins for the Dynamo. The Earthquakes, on the other hand, remain the typical expansion team and their out-of-the-blue performance against Colorado appears to be a mere one-off. So to make a long story short, both teams really really really need a win right now.

Any line-up changes? Starting Ned Grabavoy as a forward against New England was a bit of a shock to me. Did it work? Hmmmmm. Question: even with our injuries, Salinas and Johnson rarely get the nods to start. But surely they can do more than just spark up the second half? Well, according to Jeff Carlisle, Johnson may get a start on Thursday alongside Kei Kamara. And to that I say, hallelujah – let’s score and score early.

Who is out? From now on, if I don’t mention Jay Ayers’ name, just assume he’s still recuperating. Otherwise, Gavin Glinton and Peguero Jean Philippe are still injured. Nick Garcia is still “probable.” But since Hernandez has been holding it down alright, Garcia may again sit this one out.

Who is gonna score? Shea Salinas! Yeah! Just because!

Who is gonna shine? The entire team. Seriously. Let’s just forget New England ever happened.

Predictions? 0-0 tie. The hometown crowd will keep our defense focused the entire 90+ minutes meaning no more slip ups. Our offense will again find its spark sometime late in the game and create a number of close calls that never quite make the back of the net. I will spend the entire game wondering if our boys just have bad aim.

At this point, I don’t even care about the commentary. Just post more links to mp3s. Good enough for me. Everyone has a handful of bands that are their guilty pleasures. For me, one of them is Cut Copy. I actually went out of my way to go see them play at Coachella and I’ve been listening to their new album, In Ghost Colours, nonstop this week. And to anyone who doesn’t know who they are, imagine New Order reborn as a bunch of skinny white Australian hipsters in tight pants. Here’s their somewhat ridiculous video for Hearts On Fire and the song totally channels Peter Hook on bass alongside SAXAMAPHONE!

As for the mp3 part, here’s the Cut Copy remix of Midnight Juggernauts’ 45 and Rising. Disco. Enjoy.

How should I prepare for this game? Red meat! It’s almost Memorial Day so if you don’t already anticipate spending some portion of your weekend at a bbq, then, uh, just take a shelf from your stove, some coals, and a few cider blocks outside and make a damn barbecue.

So I think that’s it. Be sure to have a great Memorial Day weekend. If you don’t already have fantastic plans, the San Francisco Carnival is taking place this weekend in the Mission District and during the festivities, Yuri Morales will be putting on a Soccer Carnival featuring an appearance from one of the Quakes. Go ahead and take a wild guess which Quake you think will show up. I’m crossing my fingers for Eric Denton. Then, if I go, I can ask him for a “That Guy” autograph. Perfect. And let me leave you with this one last thought: if you are a vegan and you eat vegan butter, should you perhaps reevaluate your desire to remain a vegan?

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/the-quick-and-dirty-preview-san-jose-v-houston.html/feed 12 San Jose v New England preview http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-england-preview.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-england-preview.html#comments Thu, 15 May 2008 06:47:29 +0000 Melissa http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-england-preview.html Ok everybody, I think it’s time to finally admit that after last weekend’s game, we’ve hit rock bottom. And I can even say we hit it both literally and figuratively because our team is in last place and the fans watched the Quakes completely unravel at the hands of (or should I say, the feet of?) the Columbus Crew. Collective wound licking aside, I am still going to stand tall and hold my head up high because I get the sense that our boys can really use a huge heaping scoop of confidence right now. From what I heard, the entire team basically bolted from the pitch on Saturday right after the final whistle.

And this upcoming game is gonna be a tough one. The Revs are doing pretty good right now and to top it all off, their injured guys are ready to play again. So I’m crossing my fingers our back line keeps it together this time.

Last weekend threw me into a deep deep depression and I had to take a break from MLS. What did I miss? The Revs are in third place overall and coming off a 2-1 pounding of Chivas USA. Taylor Twellman is finally back and it appears he has stopped complaining about his bosses blocking a transfer to Europe. Possible overconfidence warning. As for San Jose, we are dead last and coming off a 3-2 pounding from the Columbus Crew. I would call this a possible underconfidence warning.

Any line-up changes? Ryan Cochrane is still listed as “questionable” so maybe Eric “That Guy” Denton won’t get benched afterall? Jean-Phillipe will probably get another start alongside Kei Kamara and the rest of us will wait somewhat patiently to see whatever magic our new striker can bring to the table. I’m sure he still has it in him, but my impression so far is: he is just not treating the game as a collaborative effort.

Who is out? Jay Ayers (get well soon). And the jury is still out on Ryan Cochrane. If he doesn’t start, I say he will sit this one out as well. Gavin Glinton is also “questionable” on account of the hernia. Did he already leave for Germany? If not, we may see him sub in again late in the game.

Who is gonna score? Facebook tells me Joe Vide’s birthday is this Friday so happy birthday internet friend! If he plays in this game, I say he should net one. Also, I love it that James Riley (my new new Facebook friend… hello!) often gets himself in on the attack and shoots and shoots often. One of these days, he will sink one in. Maybe against his old team?

Who is gonna shine? Besides our East Coasters (see above)? Joe Cannon started off last weekend’s game full of confidence and his performance definitely showed it. But it did appear he broke down pretty quick and if you saw the pictures I posted from the game, you can clearly see, in one of them, he is looking to the Ultras section for inspiration. Now, as far as I know, there won’t be any Ultras at the game against the Revs, but I would like to make him aware that section 101 is still going to cheer him on from, I believe, the Pig & Whistle in San Francisco. So Joe, if you are feeling a bit down, you should just call that bar during halftime and I’m very very positive the entire group will sing into the phone to you.

Predictions? Our defense will remain rock solid meaning Cannon won’t be forced into a one on one this time. And I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say we get a shutout. Now, whether we manage to score any goals is another story.

I cannot afford to live in the Bay Area so Troy Dayak and John Schrader are not my announcers. What should I listen to instead? Just to send some love to and give a huge shout out to the new A-League blog here at The Offside, I highly recommend the Triple J mixup from DJ Dexter. It’s a performance he did on an Australian radio program right before the release of the first Avalanches album (Since I Left You is a classic and everyone should own a copy) which would put the gig somewhere within the years 1999 and 2000. And here is that gig. Enjoy.

How should I prepare for this game? Firstoff, anyone who was sitting in section 103 during the last game, should go redeem their In N Out coupon for a free hamburger (delicious!). After that, I say, wear red shoes. Sure, it sounds weird but our favorite Quakes trialist, Fabrice Noel, wore red shoes during the preseason Kezar game against Houston and last weekend, Kei Kamara wore red shoes against the Crew. Was this a small gesture from Kei towards our long lost Fabrice? Probably not. But our little group misses that guy! Anyone know what happened to him and if he will ever try out for the Quakes again?

So that wraps up the preview. To everyone in the Bay Area, I hope you all have a great place in mind to watch the game. I’m debating either the Pig & Whistle or the Kezar Pub since both bars are very close to the University of San Francisco, where the SF Seals home opener game will take place afterwards. Soccer Saturday will be in full effect y’all! As for the rest of the weekend, I highly recommend everyone checks out the Power Tool Drag Races this Saturday and/or Sunday. And I do believe this event was featured on the Discovery Channel a few years ago. In my personal experience, walking into a house with the Discovery Channel on tv means I’ve just walked into a house where everyone is on drugs. Whether everyone at the Power Tool Drag Races will be on drugs is up for debate but I’m pretty sure the techie project I’ve been working on will be there and may actually compete. At this point, I’m not sure if I will be there but don’t let that stop you from going. Here’s your Song of the Week.

I honestly cannot remember if I already posted this video, so if I did, I’m sorry.

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-england-preview.html/feed 5 San Jose v Columbus preview http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-columbus-preview.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-columbus-preview.html#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 01:56:09 +0000 Melissa http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-columbus-preview.html Ok guys. I had a fantastic preview post saved in my drafts, but wordpress decided to swallow it instead. Now I’m starting from scratch again. Here’s the deal. Not only am I a complete luddite when it comes to crap like “User UI” and “WYSYWIG,” but I also know nothing about Columbus. We don’t even seem to have a Crew blogger on The Offside anymore. So I can’t just fake it by reading said imaginary blogger’s posts and writing something that looks intelligent.

And it seems I am now missing a party with a karaoke machine to spend yet another Saturday in the South Bay. So if our boys don’t manage to score at least one goal this time, I WILL NOT leave Buck Shaw satisfied UNLESS the entire team busts out microphones and performs either Lionel Richie’s “Hello” or anything off the Xanadu soundtrack.

I am an unfrozen caveman lawyer who does not understand this strange league The Quakes currently sit on one win, three losses, and a tie putting them second to last in the Western Conference standings as well as in the imaginary single table. Yes, we are still doing better than Houston. But Columbus are doing the best. They have the most points out of any team in the league right now. Weird. (EDIT: With Thursday’s win, Chicago jump one point ahead of Columbus. Still weird tho.)

Any line-up changes? It seems Gavin Glinton is off to Germany next week for the magical elixir to fix his hernia. He’ll be available on Saturday as a sub, meaning our Jean-Phillipe gets his first start. I’d like to add here that if Aleko Eskandarian’s Facebook Status Updates are any indication, Glinton gets to spend next week taking something like 80 shots in his, uh, hernia region. Good luck to Gavin.

Who is out? Did anyone else notice Ryan Cochrane standing around before the Dallas game wearing a rather smart outfit? Well, I can’t wait to see what ensemble he pulls out of his closet this weekend because the official Quakes site has him listed as “Questionable.” Also, Jay Ayers had surgery this week to put his broken face back together. Ouch.

Who is gonna score SOMEONE ANYONE PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD JUST DO IT ALREADY

Who is gonna shine? Kamara’s exasperated expressions every time he missed a clear shot indicate the guy is very very close to completely losing it and going postal. But in a good way. Also, last weekend showed our Shea Salinas has it in him to walk (or rather, run) into a situation-in-progress and make an immediate impact.

The television is still on mute. What should I listen to now? Hold up. If you live in the Bay Area, please pass the mic to Troy Dayak and John Schrader at Comcast. If you don’t live in the Bay Area, I recommend the new album from The Roots, although it takes a few listens before really sinking in.

How Should I prepare for this game? The Fail Blog!

Ok, I think that’s about it. I am apparently spending my Saturday afternoon at a bbq in Alameda (where they keep the nuclear wessels) then catching a ride to Santa Clara with a bunch of soccer coaches. But lucky for me, this group doesn’t spend their time at the game huddled in a corner overanalyzing everything. Instead, they tell funny jokes and make silly horn noises. Awesome. Here’s your Song of the Week. Time for a little North Bay local love.

]]> http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-columbus-preview.html/feed 10 San Jose v New York preview http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-york-preview.html http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-york-preview.html#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:12:46 +0000 Melissa http://sanjose.theoffside.com/song-of-the-week/san-jose-v-new-york-preview.html I’m leaving town this weekend so you get the preview a bit early. And what’s in store for us against the Red Bulls? We beat them once in pre-season and then we lost our mojo. But we got it back on Saturday against Colorado so I’m crossing my fingers we can keep up it up through Sunday’s game. I’ve no idea if our Jean-Philippe will play or will even sign with the club but last weekend proved our offense doesn’t need him to produce wins. Basically, I think it’s a crap shoot. When we have our sh*t together, we can be fierce like Tyra. When we don’t, it’s 90 some-odd minutes of repeatedly sticking needles into our eyes.

Any line-up changes? Doubtful. Peguero arrived in San Jose on Monday so even if he’s ok’ed to play on Sunday, I can’t imagine he’ll start.

Who is out? Third week in a row injury free! But I was a bit worried on Saturday when Cannon came up from a save, flinched, and grabbed his side. Also, Corrales had that second half leg cramp and this week O’Brien has fluid in his knee. Ruh Row – key players we can’t afford to lose just as we’re finally gaining momentum. But I don’t want to completely discourage everyone so here’s a bit of good news: Juan Pablo Angel probably won’t play at all.

Who is gonna score? Now that Kamara is dedicating goals to his recently deceased brother, he automatically gets one for every game he plays in. Also, remember against Chicago, when James Riley took that looong shot from far outside the box? It would’ve been so great if that one actually went in.

Who is gonna shine? I’m calling it the Hernandez hustle… the comeback kid (3 clubs in 4 years). Our Jay was on fire on Saturday. I say, this time around, he comes out from behind and lays off some lovely passes that net results. Then he gets a raise (ahem).

Biggest improvement? Of course everyone must give props to Ronnie O’Brien for breaking the curse and scoring our first MLS goal. And I think it was O’Brien and Ned Grabavoy who really stepped up on Saturday and created some wicked scoring opportunities for our strikers. Also, Shea Salinas fired off a fantastic cross that had me yelling “our little baby all grows up!” in the bar (I’m not kidding, I really did). And our Ivan was all over the pitch creating chances left and right (but mostly left) with Corrales acting the ever present anchor on the line. Oh crap… basically, I’ve just got to gold star sticker the report cards for the entire midfield. Fantastic job boys. Let’s bring it again on Sunday.

The commentary is so bad, I ripped the speakers out of my television. So now what should I listen to during the game?

How should I prepare for this game? Meditation, yoga, or perhaps a little acupuncture. If you stick needles in your joints, then maybe you don’t need to stick them in your eyes. Consider my argument a form of f*cked up karma.

Any new rules for the drinking game? Funny you should ask. On Saturday, we caught the second half of the LA/Houston game. After one too many camera shots of Steve Cronin flashing his “deer in headlights” pose, we decided it was appropriate to rename Cronin, Steve Holt (and by rename we mean shout out his new name and and pump a fist in the air). So now, anytime a goalie does something really stupid, it’s officially a “Steve Holt move.” I really want this to catch on. But I still have no idea what the appropriate corresponding drink is. Any ideas? (Shout out to ALLLGooD for this by the way)

Wait – YOU’RE missing an Earthquakes game?!?!?! I immediately fire you from this blog. Uhhh, I’m sorry. While I do spend a lot of time thinking about, reading about, and watching the Earthquakes, I actually do have a life outside of football. I know, crazy talk. I’ll be here working with these guys and back on Monday. But probably not back to report on the game since it doesn’t appear to be available on MLSlive (lame). Luckily, I’ve recently been upgraded to Power User at Hunt Park Insider.

I have no clue if there are any official viewing parties on Sunday. I do know that the Ultras are planning a pre-Dallas, pre-Buck Shaw meeting to coincide with watching it in San Jose. So if you are interested in getting involved with them, this is a great opportunity for you to check out their site, log onto their messageboard, and introduce yourself.

As for my supposed life outside of football, I’m crazy excited that this weekend I’ll finally see the one band I’ve always wanted to see live. So that’s how I leave you…

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