i am getting a rather late start to this post but if magadh can do it i guess i am allowed. it is not that he is a lazy fella–he is not. the reason for his tardiness is that he has found new employment after leaving the agency and his schedule is no longer as flexible as his use of the english language. at the agency he had more freedom for his expressive nature. now, he wipes noses and yells too often to realize he is yelling, which complicates our conversations.
moving on to things less personal and more personnel. tomorrow brings the end of what has been a disappointing season. and as much as i would like to wrap the season in newspaper and drop it in the urinals at the silver falls trailhead, i am going to miss timbers football come sunday morning. but i should not get ahead of myself–san jose arrive to help the timbers kick off the off-season. obviously the two teams have separate agendas for the match–the timbers look to set the tone for next season and the quakes look to prepare for the post-season.
the last time the timbers played san jose they were left with the bitter taste of chris wondolowski’s athlete’s foot infested boot and his now consistently embarrassing post-match behavior. regardless of the fact the timbers have been successful against san jose, the quakes are without question the better side by a country mile driven by ben gazara on his way to the roadhouse where sam eliot awaits to get into a fist fight.
and like ben gazzara san jose has a flair for the dramatic, winning the 2012 supporter’s shield by leaving it late. of the 26 goals wondo has scored this season 11 were game winning goals. what makes that factual tidbit even more impressive is that san jose has 19 wins on the season. in the last meeting he scored two late goals to draw even with the timbers, who had taken a lead through 2 excellent, danny mwanga strikes. but as we know the quakes are not a one man team. in addition to wondo, they also have steven lenhart and alan gordon. the two strikers have combined for 23 of the 71 goals scored by san jose this season. combined the three have 70 percent of the quake’s 2012 offensive output. gordon did suffer an ankle knock last friday, but looks desperate to play tomorrow.
the quakes are not as stout on the other end of the pitch. even though victor bernardez has been nominated for defender of the season, the 42 goals allowed by the quakes does not suggest they are a defensive juggernaut. in the 2 games played against the timbers this season san jose has appeared to quake more than stand firm in the back. but when a side has the arsenal san jose has and the will to use it, maybe they do not need to defend effectively. when discussing the upcoming match, sean mcauley indicated san jose’s character is the element that distinguishes them from other sides, in particular the timbers
to go two-nil down and then fight back the way they did, it shows you the fighting spirit they have in the squad and it also shows you are own…
as much as i would like to continue the discussion of why san jose is a side worthy of our admiration, we all know that is not the case and that they are a bunch of thugs. what bothers me about mcauley’s comparison of the two sides is the implications regarding the timbers mentality. what does it say about the timbers when they are up two-nil against the best team in the league and allow them to score late? now exclude the words “best team in the league” and read that question: what does it say about the timbers when they are up and allow the other side to [equalize] or [win] late? obviously the character of the timbers will not be addressed in the one remaining match but it is something that must be addressed in the off-season.
until then we can concentrate on the side that will likely face the quakes tomorrow. if practices are any indication of the intended squad for a match, we can expect to see the usual suspects with a few new additions. this year’s first mls entry draft choice, andrew jean-baptiste is certainly to feature unless mosquera discovers the resemblance of the virgin mary in his tub of i cant believe it’s not butter butter substitute and then spreads the butter substitute on his toast only to find the virgin mother in his jar of cherry preserves. it will take that sort of miracle, or not. but a miracle indeed.
joining ajb could be the assists leader, eric alexander. when i first read his name as mentioned among those practicing with the usual eleven i wondered if the mls had sanctioned the use of trialists in regular season matches. having been shut out of the starting eleven and living on the side lines, alexander has now found cultlike status for his exploits on twatterverse and the simple fact he retains the lead for number of assists. end even though the name rang a bell, i had to look up alexander in the official team roster to make certain his name was still on the official team sheet. it was there, as was his photo next to the assists leader column. hopefully his name will be there with the usual names like songoo, nagbe, dike (cough), smith, horst, and captain forever. after all, in the limited time that he has played he has created goals, and goals are nice to score when playing for reals.
with that, i will say enjoy every moment tomorrow–four long months await.
sunshine.
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