The Quakes have officially finished their pre-season, which means there's just one week of practising left until the start of the 2011 MLS regular season. Their final tune-up came against the Portland Timbers during a closed-door scrimmage at Buck Shaw Stadium. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, with Chris Wondolowski getting on the scoresheet yet again, making it five matches in a row with a goal. Joe Nuxoll from Center Line Soccer was on hand to snap some pictures.
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MLS' Salary Cap Challenge fantasy game was just released, and definitely worth checking out. You only pick seven players and add up your points on a weekly basis. There's already a group created for Quakes fans!
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Also just annouced was the expansion of the Quakes pre-academy system. Tryouts for the U12 pre-academy development program are coming soon, and will also feature the opportunity for players interested in joining the U14 pre-academy pool. Tryouts will be held on March 16th, 23rd & 30th from 5:30-7:30pm at Lincoln High School in San Jose.
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In honor of the rapidly approaching First Kick 2011, why not end this update with a mantra for the team this coming weekend against Real Salt Lake: WINNING!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
SLOw Monday Recap
The Quakes returned to San Jose with two more wins to add to their preseason tally, with he first team beating the Colorado Rapids 1-0 and a younger set of reserves and trialists defeating Cal Poly by the same score.
Wondo continues find the net, this time with a first half penalty fired straight down the middle to beat Matt Pickens.
In the scrimmage against Cal Poly (two 30-minute halves were played) trialist Matt Luzunaris finished a chance created by Bobby Convey to take down the hosting Cal Poly. Luzunaris also came on as a sub in the Rapids match, and showed well mixing it up with the Colorado centerbacks, and engaging in physical play holding up the ball.
Luzunaris has been trialling extensively with San Jose in the pre-season. The 21-year-old has already played in Germany and Austria, as well as a loan spell in Brazil with giants Botafogo. Visa restrictions did not allow to play with the Brazilian team, but he spent his time training with the first team.
Luzunaris also scored two goals against Cal-Berkeley during a pre-season scrimmage in February, and one in the exhibition against Colchester in England.
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Steven Lenhart underwent minor surgery in his knee after picking up a knock right before the team left their stay in England. Lenhart will be out for the season opener, but here's hoping that he isn't out much longer than that!
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Everyone's smartphones were out at Thursday's demolition ceremony, and there are some great photos and videos posted from the event around the web. The highlight for many was seeing a refigerator taken out of the building and completely demolished by the excavator. Listen to those "ooh"s and "aah"s!
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Last but not least, the Quakes Academy teams were both in action this weekend in Southern California. The U16 team won both their matches, defeated Arsenal FC 1-0 and Real Salt Lake's U16s 2-1. The U18s were less fortunate, defeating Arsenal FC 4-0 but falling to their Real Salt Lake counterparts 2-0. The 20 match schedule in the USSF Development Academy Northwest Division will be going on throughout the year.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday Rewind: Homeward Bound
The Core is back!
And so are the Earthquakes, fresh off the plane from their 2nd consecutive pre-season trip to sister club Tottenham Hotspur. There was a lot going over the 10 days that the Quakes spent at Spurs Lodge, and here's some of the juicy bits that may have slipped through the cracks:
Bobby Burling and Jason Hernandez got to spend some time with former teammates Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan who are both playing for European based teams. Burling even brought home a couple gifts from his old friends. Kjestan had nothing but love for his ex-Chivas comrades. Burling also contributed to one of four Quakes blog posts over at the San Jose Mercury News website, talking about the team's three exhibition matches.
Rookie Anthony Ampaipitakwong, while enjoying his California king size bed, is just happy to have ESPN back in his life.
Burling wasn't the only Quake to get a chance to catch up with an old teammate. Stuart Holden, now a member of Bolton Wanderers, managed to find some time to catch up with the 2010 Golden Boot winner over coffee.
Looking at it from the other side of the pond, the Spurs website has a write up of "the Californians" trip to London.
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Over at ESPN, Scott French has a story on the unbelievable circumstances that led to Rafael Baca's trial with San Jose. Baca met Quakes assistant Ian Russell at the funeral of one of his former Loyola Marymount teammates, who died unexpectedly.
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Ives Galarcep tips Ike Opara to have a solid sophomore campaign, calling his effort last year "the makings of a Rookie of the Year season." Looking at the US Gold Cup roster, Galarcep says Bobby Convey can't be ignored as a left back option, and Chris Wondolowski should merit another look.
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Over at FanHouse, Brian Straus has a wonderful Q&A with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Garber opens up about a variety of topics, including the new playoff format, David Beckham, and his role as commissioner.
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Last but not least, here's some video of one of the newest players to wear the black and blue, as Steven Lenhart scores an impressive diving header off a Ramiro Corrales cross against Birmingham City:
And so are the Earthquakes, fresh off the plane from their 2nd consecutive pre-season trip to sister club Tottenham Hotspur. There was a lot going over the 10 days that the Quakes spent at Spurs Lodge, and here's some of the juicy bits that may have slipped through the cracks:
Bobby Burling and Jason Hernandez got to spend some time with former teammates Brad Guzan and Sacha Kljestan who are both playing for European based teams. Burling even brought home a couple gifts from his old friends. Kjestan had nothing but love for his ex-Chivas comrades. Burling also contributed to one of four Quakes blog posts over at the San Jose Mercury News website, talking about the team's three exhibition matches.
Rookie Anthony Ampaipitakwong, while enjoying his California king size bed, is just happy to have ESPN back in his life.
Burling wasn't the only Quake to get a chance to catch up with an old teammate. Stuart Holden, now a member of Bolton Wanderers, managed to find some time to catch up with the 2010 Golden Boot winner over coffee.
Looking at it from the other side of the pond, the Spurs website has a write up of "the Californians" trip to London.
-----
Over at ESPN, Scott French has a story on the unbelievable circumstances that led to Rafael Baca's trial with San Jose. Baca met Quakes assistant Ian Russell at the funeral of one of his former Loyola Marymount teammates, who died unexpectedly.
-----
Ives Galarcep tips Ike Opara to have a solid sophomore campaign, calling his effort last year "the makings of a Rookie of the Year season." Looking at the US Gold Cup roster, Galarcep says Bobby Convey can't be ignored as a left back option, and Chris Wondolowski should merit another look.
-----
Over at FanHouse, Brian Straus has a wonderful Q&A with MLS Commissioner Don Garber. Garber opens up about a variety of topics, including the new playoff format, David Beckham, and his role as commissioner.
-----
Last but not least, here's some video of one of the newest players to wear the black and blue, as Steven Lenhart scores an impressive diving header off a Ramiro Corrales cross against Birmingham City:
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