More than two years after disappearing in a cloud of Texas dust, the San Jose Earthquakes are back and ready to take the field tonight. San Jose makes its MLS return at Home Depot Center against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Normally you would expect an expansion team to be a heavy underdog in a first match, but not after the Galaxy looked like a glorified pub team in its 4-0 season-opening loss to the Colorado Rapids. Now LA must find a way to rebound without forward Carlos Ruiz and defender Abel Xavier.
San Jose has the pieces in place to boast a stingy defense, but its offense is weak. Too week to score on the Galaxy? I wouldn’t go that far. The Galaxy’s defense is somewhere between horrendous and abysmal.
Look for the Galaxy to put pressure on, but San Jose withstands the early pressure before finding its own late goal to score a 1-0 victory.
Tonight’s match is set for 10:30 p.m. on ESPN2. If you are going to be watching the match on TV, or ESPN360, please feel free to share your thoughts and views on the match here.
Enjoy the match.
a million times better than last week. But I still have a violent physical reaction everytime Gordon touches the ball, where is Edson Buddle?
And here comes Foudy.
And the ref puts us all out of our misery…
That was a perfect example of Donovan lacking courage. He just wanted to be safe and let someone else miss.
Take it yourself Donovan! Why would anyone pass up a chance to give the ball to Gordon!
Great ball from Beckham – Donovan rewarding Gordon for his “hard work”??
Kris –
Fair enough, you’ve got your opinion, I’ve got mine. I thought he was AWFUL (consistently gave the ball away) in the first half and basically hasn’t done much (good or bad) in the second.
I saw him in the preseason games and thought he was consistently one of the worst players on the field.
Anyway, the season will tell and if you were listening to the commentary, it seems that John Harkes agrees with you.
A Gordon header on goal!!!!! WOW!!
I agree with the posters above about Pires. Think about who LA is playing. They’re playing an expansion team at home who are lacking any really decent players at forward and A-mid. The same principal applies to the Galaxy as a whole. The Lala fans shouldn’t get carried with their win. I still think LA is going to give up 2 or 3 goals every time they play an even halfway competent attacking team(i.e. Chivas, Houston, DC, etc).
MK –
I’d love a Ruud/Lalas split screen after some of that garbage!
If Kei Kamara is similar to what we will be seeing on expansion teams for forwards, they need to end the expansion!
I’d say LA is the less suckier of the two teams right now.
how much were they paying pavon last year? the few times i saw him he wasn’t exactly stellar either but could at least get a header on frame.
another weird header by gordon
I haven’t noticed Pires specifically, but I keep waiting to type that the Gals need to keep pressing, they’re not good enough to hold a game, but they haven’t messed up too bad yet.
Of course, San Jose is generally forecast to be the worst team in MLS, so their ability to hold a game thus far doesn’t have me fawning over their midfield.
I hope for everyone’s sake Pires is good, cuz we’re going to see a ton of LA on TV.
I’m not sure I necessarily agree with you Jacob. And you’ve really been hating on him the whole comment thread that I think it’s like perception is becoming reality.
Granted I have never seen him other than this game, so I’m not taking into consideration how bad he may have been in the past, but for what LA has for CMs, I thought he did a fantastic job as a holding mid.
When I check the rest of the comments tomorrow morning, if a ton of other people chime in and say Pires was garbage too, then I’ll stand corrected I guess, but for now, with only hearing one voice about how bad he may be, I’m going to stick with my evaluation.
I like John Harkes so far…I can’t remember if I’ve heard him before (i’m sure I have, just can’t remember) but he seems pretty good. I haven’t heard too many cliches out of him, and not too much Beckham hyperbole either.
Nice head Godan. Can this guy head on goal or does it always go strait up into the stratosphere?
the passes to beckham are like not existence in the second half
It’s not so much that Pires has been stopping passes as San Jose has been kicking them right at him. When he did get them though, he made errant passes the majority of the time and wasted a couple of scoring opportunities (including one sitter of a chnace).
He is fat, slow, and has no vision. A good center-mid he does not make. He is good at screaming as though being brutally murdered when bumped into though (see first half)
Gordon’s headball was closer to going out of bounds than hitting the target…
Anyone else enjoy the fact that they pan to Ruud after every Gordon touch?
Nice header by Gordon! I mean, he missed, but it’s hard to head it right at the corner flag, you know? Cut the guy a break.
Bush league team of the week so far:
Kamara
Gordon
Pires
_____
______
…..
____
______
probably Bouna Coundoul
Jacob–I read through all the other comments, and you were the only one talking negative about him.
Pires has done a great job -this game- of stepping into passes coming forward, and directing traffic. I think he’s been great. He’s really used his body to his advantage and been a step ahead of San Jose’s awful CMs.
What do you have against him? I can’t see how he -wansn’t- the best CM on the field today.
they should donate Gordon to charity and write him off as a tax deductible.
When they played the GOTW clip last game, I said the same thing: the Revs got Nyassi for $17,700. Gals need to ditch Alexi and get someone who can fill out a cheap roster.
wow, gordon’s just plain awful, shoots at the goalie and can’t move inside the box with the ball
It’s like salary cap fantasy football… blow all of your money on two running backs and fit the rest of the team under the cap with nobodies.
Kris –
April Fool’s Day has passed. I almost bit on your flame though…
To think, Gordon gets paid $ 72,504 a year. Y’all reckon that he gets a dollar per missed chance on goal?
the galaxy need to pass to beckham more
Speaking of not getting a shot off, ladies and gentlemen, Alan Gordon.
The problem with the Gals is not their big 3, it’s paying stiffs like Gordon $70k. Hint: buy more Brazilians and Argintinians.
How good has Pires been?!
I was telling me girlfriend that LA deparately needed a holding DM who played like an Ed Reed-style free safety, and he’s been just that. An absolute force who OWNED all parts of the central midfield. I’m glad LA picked him up.
God Gordan is just an embarrassment!! Get this guy out of the league!
GORDAN SUCKS.
He puts in a TERRIBLE shot on that chance set up by Donovan and then just now he gets the ball in a great position and losing his balance and falls.
awful.
Oh yeah – I guess Beckham was subbed out of the SuperLiga game in which he got hurt.
GORRRRRDOOOOOOON! (to be said with a fist to the heavens)
HAHAHAHA “Here’s Gordon, in the box…looks like he stumbled on it”
EnginBlue, I don’t think anyone is doubting her knowledge of the game, but her presence on camera is AWFUL.
Ah, Quakes! That was a nice head down, too bad they couldn’t get a shot off
1 vote for posh spice HD camera.
I wonder if Beckham will be subbed out towards the end.
Actually, has Beckham EVER been subbed out of a game for LA??
Bill –
Well said.
EnginBlue, I was just kidding man. Fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve got to listen to who they put on. I, luckily, am watching the Argentine ESPN stream…
I vote for Heather Mitts.
yes, awful half
ping pong circus with gordon as the ringmaster
I’m officially afraid of Ives breaking out the ‘non-Donovan/Beckham Galaxy player completely flubs a golden chance’ drinking game.
If the text commentary is to believed this has been a dead half, yeah?
Nic, I’m not saying she’s awesome. Just that she’s done better. Who would you replace her with? ESPN obviously wasn’t comfortable with Wynalda anymore and there aren’t many soccer analysts to pick from in the US.
Hmmm, scouts should note that the Galaxy don’t get the same quality of crosses from their left flank as from the right.