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MLS Announces Discipline for Alan Gordon

By on April 16, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

No shocker there.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has suspended San Jose Earthquakes forward Alan Gordon for three games and fined him an undisclosed amount for using unacceptable and offensive language towards an opponent in the 60th minute of the game against the Portland Timbers on April 14.

Commissioner Garber also mandated that Gordon attend diversity and sensitivity training. This is in addition to the training that all MLS clubs attend at the beginning of each season.

Gordon also received a red card for his second caution for separate fouls during the game and such an ejection carries an automatic one-game suspension and fine. Gordon will serve a total suspension of four games: April 21 against Portland, April 27 at Chivas USA, May 4 against Montreal Impact and May 8 against Toronto FC.

Good to see MLS keep this suspension/fine consistent with previous abusers.

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes

2013 MLS Season Preview: Western Conference

By on February 28, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Could this be the year that Sigi Schmid and Seattle really celebrate? (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Could this be the year that Sigi Schmid and Seattle really celebrate? (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Earlier in the day I predicted how I thought the Eastern Conference would be in the new season.

Time now to examine the Western Conference for the 2013 MLS season.

To me the West is a bit of an interesting group of teams. Top to bottom I think they are still as deep as they have been these last couple of seasons but I do see a bit of a changing of the guard going on here. Teams we know will be good may not be as good as we’ve seen while others may surprise us.

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Continue Reading · · in Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, MLS, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps

Chris Wondolowski Earns DP Deal

By on February 26, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

He’s finally climbed the mountain in Major League Soccer. After tying the league’s all-time mark for goals scored in a single season, Chris Wondolowski is getting a big pay day with a new contract. SI.com’s Grant Wahl had the story Monday night, reporting that the contract is for four years, including three guaranteed. He will become San Jose’ lone Designated Player on the roster.

Last year Wondo was making right around $300k, a modest salary in MLS but certainly not the level of a guy that scored 27 goals.

Now he’s doubled that to around $600k, not the million dollar mark that he was searching for but certainly a far cry from his old salary back in the day that was around the league minimum.

No one has come close to matching Wondolowski’s production over the last three years; he has 61 goals in that time. When you have a guy that scores more than one team in a single season (last year he bested Chivas USA), he deserves a bump in pay.

What do you all make of this news? Was Wondo deserving of a DP deal? Would you have paid him more than $1 million?

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes

2013 MLS Season Preview: San Jose Earthquakes

By on February 22, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Can San Jose win the Supporters' Shield again? (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Can San Jose win the Supporters’ Shield again? (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

During the 2012 MLS season, everything just seemed to click for Frank Yallop and the San Jose Earthquakes. From winning the MLS Supporters’ Shield for best league record during the regular season to Chris Wondolowski tying the all-time goals scored in a single season mark, the 2012 season was truly special in the Bay Area.

But even with all of that things faded quickly in the playoffs. Thanks to a loss at home in the Western Conference semifinals to rivals LA.

Moving forward into the new season the Quakes will want to prove that their season last year was not a fluke. The talent is still there but can they rekindle the magic that they had during the regular season?

Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes

Chris Wondolowski Eyes Big Pay Day

By on February 13, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
The goal king in MLS is wanting a big pay day. (Getty Images)

The goal king in MLS is wanting a big pay day. (Getty Images)

I want to say I have written that headline once before. Maybe I have and I misplaced it or it was a dream. Whatever the case may be the headline should be all you need to know about what I am going to write below here. San Jose Earthquakes striker Chris Wondolowski has had a remarkable three-year run in Major League Soccer. But is it time he joined the elite in the pay scale?

Maybe.

Wondo told Brian Straus of SportingNews.com that he would like to become a Designated Player and join the rich club of MLS that only includes 12 members.  Continue Reading →

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What’s Lacking: San Jose, Seattle and Vancouver Preseason Look

By on January 25, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
San Jose and Seattle still have work left to do. (Photo via US Presswire)

San Jose and Seattle still have work left to do. (Photo via US Presswire)

Rounding out the preseason look ins with three clubs instead of the usual two like the rest of the series – blame that on the unbalancedness of MLS.

Yesterday in the day I looked at Chivas USA and the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy. Earlier today I examined the Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake.

Eastern Conference links:  Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew |  D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo | the Montreal Impact and the New England Revolution |the New York Red Bulls and the Philadelphia Union |  Sporting KC and Toronto FC

Just for a recap, I am looking at what items are missing as each team is beginning their preseason camps this week.

San Jose Earthquakes

- Deeper in the back. They went out and got a ton of new faces through the Re-Entry Draft and other methods but did San Jose actually get deeper in the back this offseason? I’m not totally convinced that they did. Their outside back depth is pretty lacking even with the new faces.

- Creative force in the midfield. Rafeal Baca was solid in 2012 leading the attack and setting things up. So was Simon Dawkins. But outside of that Baca needs some cover with the extra games on tap for this season. And what if he were to get hurt? I think San Jose could fare without him for a few games if they had to but this is one area that I would not take lightly if I were Frank Yallop.

Seattle Sounders FC

- Center back depth. Losing Jeff Parke was a tough one but Seattle may struggle this year in the center of their defense because of that loss. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado is good but you know he’ll miss some games with injuries or even a silly booking or two. Outside of him the Sounders don’t have a ton of help. Patrick Ianni is solid but is still in no way a full time starter in my book. Eriq Zavaleta may or may not be a center back, depending on what Sigi Schmid is thinking – and still he’s a rookie. I think finding a quality center back may be a higher priority than another striker.

- Help for Johnson. Yeah, Fredy Montero is gone for the year so his DP slot is available too. I doubt we see anyone new come in before the summer though. Seattle can get by for the first few months with what they have up top and hope that no one gets hurt.

Vancouver Whitecaps

- All the speed but no one to hold the ball up front. I know they still have Kenny Miller but I doubt he sticks around much longer given what I’ve heard out of Vancouver. They added a ton of speed on the outside in the attack this winter but they don’t have anyone good enough to hold the ball up and distribute into that open space. Having speed is great but the Caps still need someone to facilitate it.

- Fullback depth. They have some good defenders but the depth in the back is still lacking. I think more so on the wings than in the middle – but that area is lacking as well. Martin Rennie has a good defense but should one or more of the starters get hurt early on, you will see exactly how big it is to have good depth in the defense. Right now he does not.

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Vancouver Whitecaps

Portland Moves Back Into SuperDraft

By on January 17, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

The Portland Timbers have acquired a second-round pick (No. 34 overall) in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for forward Mike Fucito, it was announced today.

The Earthquakes now have the right of first refusal to Fucito and may negotiate a contract.

Fucito joined the Timbers via trade from the Montreal Impact on April 20, 2012, and appeared in 12 games (3 starts) for Portland during the 2012 MLS regular season. The four-year MLS veteran has played 36 career regular-season matches for Seattle Sounders FC (2009-11), Montreal (2012) and Portland (2012), recording three goals and two assists.

Continue Reading · · in MLS, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes

Weighted Lottery Set For Youth International Today

By on December 18, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Edit: Portland won the lottery for Fehr. 

This little bit of news snuck in late and I am just now getting around to it. Here shortly, there will be a weighted lottery to determine where US youth international Mobi Fehr, who signed with MLS on Nov. 14, will be allocated to one of the Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders or San Jose Earthquakes.

According to MLS roster rules, players eligible for the weighted lottery are: “Generation adidas players signed after the MLS SuperDraft or draft eligible players to whom an MLS contract was offered but who failed to sign with the League prior to the Draft.”

The 18-year old defender was apart of the U-17 national side that played in the 2011 U-17 World Cup in Mexico.

According to the league release, Fehr has an interesting background. He was born in New York, but also holds Japanese and Swiss citizenship through his parents. He moved to Tokyo with his family at the age of six and came up through the youth ranks of Japanese outfit Tokyo Verdy before enjoying a short stint at Swiss powerhouse FC Basel.

The odds are very much in the Timbers favors with this lottery as they hold an 83% chance of winning. Fehr also trained with the Timbers for a few weeks back in October and November before signing with the league.

According to league rules, a team that acquires a player via weighted lottery may not do so again in the same season unless all teams have acquired a player via weighted lottery or waived their option to participate in the lottery. In Fehr’s case, the lottery will count for the upcoming 2013 season. That allows the Earthquakes, who won a weighted lottery for forward Marcus Tracy on Sept. 13, to be eligible for the Fehr lottery.

Once the results are posted I’ll have an update here with it.

 

Continue Reading · · in MLS, Portland Timbers, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC

Sporting KC Trades For Ike Opara

By on December 12, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

First Sporting KC trades for Benny Feilhaber, then re-signes Defender of the Year Matt Besler and now they have traded for a young defensive prospect to add to their depth.

Sporting Kansas City acquired defender Ike Opara from the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday in exchange for Sporting KC’s natural second round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft.

The 23-year old made 36 MLS appearances (including postseason) in the last three seasons with San Jose after being taken No. 3 overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft out of Wake Forest University. Opara battled injuries in his first two seasons before being healthy for a decent part of this season.

“Ike is a player we had very high on our draft board three years ago. If we had the top two picks, we would have selected both him and Teal (Bunbury),” Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes said. “He possesses all of the qualities and characteristics of becoming a top-level central defender in MLS. We are excited about all of his potential and look forward to working with him in the preseason.”

 

Overall, this is a major steal for Sporting KC. Opara is a player many clubs were said to be interested in once San Jose placed him on the Re-Entry draft list last week. I like this move for many reasons but one being a depth reason.

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes, Sporting KC

Buck Shaw Stadium Will Not Host MLS Cup If San Jose Reaches It

By on November 5, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

My weekend got away from me so some of today’s posts are a day or so old. Forgive me on that.

Anyways, this is still news nonetheless here. MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Saturday indicated that Buck Shaw Stadium would not be an option should the San Jose Earthquakes reach the MLS Cup final.

“We think if San Jose was able to make it into the final, more than 10,000 people would want to come to that game,” Garber told a media gathering at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. “So we’d want to find another site. We just don’t know where that is yet.

“We have made the decision that we would like to move the game out of the stadium that they play in in Santa Clara today,” Garber continued. “We have not yet resolved where that game is going to be played.”

The commissioner indicated that one of the alternatives is Stanford Stadium, where the Earthquakes hosted the LA Galaxy back on June 30 in front of 50,391. But it all depends on whether Stanford’s college football team hosts the Pac-12 Championship match on Dec. 1.

A lot can still happen in these playoffs as we’ve already seen and San Jose could end up not even making it out of their semifinal series with LA. A lot still to play for here but one thing is certain according to the league, they’ll know if the Stanford Stadium is an option by November 17 or not.

Continue Reading · · in MLS, San Jose Earthquakes