The expansion draft for Austin FC started saw a couple of familiar faces leave San Jose as Nick Lima and Danny Hoesen were selected by the new team. Now the San Jose Earthquakes front office has a lot of money to throw around and build on this season that ended in the first round of the playoffs. What will they do? Also, the Columbus Crew are the 2020 MLS Champions after a dominating performance over Seattle Sounders.
After almost losing its beloved soccer team to a Texas move, the Columbus Crew face the Seattle Sounders in the MLS Final this Saturday. At this point, the Sounders seem like an unstoppable machine, but I think Columbus can ride the emotional high to win their second cup. The Earthquakes also announced a slew of offseason moves that see some beloved names leave the South Bay.
The San Jose Earthquakes almost defied the American soccer community by taking Sunday 1st round playoff match into penalties. Nobody outside of Northern California thought the Quakes even had a chance. After a 4th-minute goal from Sportings Roger Espinoza, it looked like most people would be proven correct. But this is 2020, and these are the Matias Almeyda Quakes. Here are my thoughts recorded a couple of hours after the end of the match.
The San Jose Earthquakes are back in the playoffs for only the third time since 2012. Exciting for the supporters, but does this team have any chance of beating a Sporting Kansas City squad that went from 11th place in the West last season to 1st this year? If they do, it will not be easy against a team that hasn't given up a goal in three matches. But I still think there is hope, and I break down how I think they can win on Sunday in Kansas City.
After a couple of the most grueling season, a soccer supporter can deal with the Matias Almeyda experiment made some progress now that the San Jose Earthquakes are headed back to the MLS playoffs. The 3-2 win against LAFC gave them a playoff spot. It also made the Quakes the Kings of California soccer in 2020. The final cherry on top was that win also knocked the LA Galaxy out of the playoffs. Here are my thoughts.
The Quakes late-season rally made a stop in Carson and ended with a 4-0 smashing of the LA Galaxy, who are in terrible shape. Womp womp. They followed that effort with a home draw against Western Conference-leading Seattle Sounders, which saw the Quakes get the better scoring chances. You know it was bad when all Sounders fans could do was complain about the pitch even though their stadium boasts one of the most dangerous fields in the league.
The San Jose Earthquakes three-game winning streak faces its biggest challenge when they head to Oregon to face Portland Timbers. Giovanni Savarese has his team playing some of the best soccer in MLS, while Matias Almeyda is looking for revenge after an embarrassing 6-1 loss at home to this same team.
Just when I think the San Jose Earthquakes can't get any worse, they beat LAFC for the first time and completely redeemed themselves. Well, actually, they have a long way to go before we talk about redemption, but that last-minute win felt bigger than a regular season match. Up next are a couple of teams struggling to find their rhythm back in San Jose, which is a chance for the Quakes to find their own groove.
The San Jose Earthquakes lost 6-1 to Portland, which wasn't even the worst loss of the month. It's tough to be a Quakes fan right now, but I cannot help but tune in for every match. Will you ever give up?
The Quakes have never beat LAFC, and last week in Los Angeles, they were humbled again by the pesky newcomers. The Quakes then followed that with a dull draw at home against a Colorado Rapids team, they should have dispatched easily. Unfortunately, this is what Quakes fans can continue to expect, with the current ownership group being as uninterested in winning as they are. But I find a local guy that I believe can regain the past glory of this organization.
Last week MLS players joined other athletes across the country and refused to play after the unrest that was going in Kenosha after the police there killed another black man. I support the players and their actions, and I am proud that they used their platform to raise awareness. It is not easy, especially in one of the lowest-paying leagues in the country. Once the season resumed on Saturday, the Quakes faced-off against their bitter rival LA Galaxy.
The Earthquakes made it a lot farther than I expected them to in Orlando. Their usual high paced style was the talk of the tournament and had teams scrambling to come up with a solution. Now that the shortened regular season is going to get back in action Matias Almeyda finds his squad in a playoff spot after a disastrous start to the season. That is if the playoffs even happen in this most interesting year of living on planet earth.
The Earthquakes pulled off a stunning comeback victory against the Vancouver Whitecaps, and now they find themselves in the lead of their group in the MLS is Back tournament. Four different players scored for the Quakes, who are currently in an excellent position to move on to the next round. Next up is a Chicago Fire squad that has already beaten the defending champion Seattle Sounders and is looking to stay unbeaten in the tournament.
It is starting to look like there will be some version of a soccer tournament in Orlando, so I thought it was an excellent time for a refresher on Quakes history. Electro and Banno from the Movie Power Hour Podcast are my students, and I cover everything from the MLS cups to the best place to drink at Earthquakes Stadium.
As we approach the (possible) restart of the Major League Soccer season the league has released the opponents and dates of the much-anticipated tournament in Orlando. Up first for the Earthquakes is a match-up with a common foe, Seattle Sounders. Can the Quakes who sputtered into the 2020 season make a run in this tournament. Ehhhh
MLS is coming back, which means the Earthquakes are also on their way back. The excitement was too much for me to talk alone in the studio, so I brought on an old friend. Electro from the Electro and Banno Movie Power Hour Podcast steps down from his director chair and put on his cleats and does his best to keep up.
The countries Rice-A-Roni stock is under serious threat after health officials essentially shut down most of the Bay Area. Major League Soccer had already announced that it would postpone its season after only two matches to help contain the spread of Coronavirus, and now the world is left without any sports. The Quakes could use the break after putting in their worst performance in the Matias Almeyda era and getting spanked 5-2 by Minnesota United.
The MLS offseason is way too long. We are still over a month away from the kickoff of the 2020 season even though the last match was in November of last year. The Earthquakes roster looks like it is almost complete as they head down to train in Cancun? Can Matias Almeyda get enough out of his squad to make them playoff contenders next season?
Well, I guess most of the squad is similar to last season, but Cristian Espinoza and Matias Almeyda are both staying! This offseason has not been very eventful for the Quakes, which is a relief after years of wondering what the plan for next season would be. We know the plan, but is this roster enough to compete in a more crowded Western Conference.