Football, Without Hesitation

The 2021 MLS season inches closer, and I dig deep to try to find some Quakes news to talk about. Luckily a year packed with soccer all over the world is about to begin. Up first for Jackson Yueill, JT Marcinkowski, Cade Cowell, and the rest of the U-23 men's national team is the Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. Continuing the USMNT talk, I speak on a tap of a finger by a member of the senior team that made me realize, again, how much of an outsider I am in the country I was born in.

The San Jose Earthquakes continue to build their roster for the 2021 season by adding three players to their roster. Eric Remedi comes over from Atlanta United and adds much-needed depth on the defensive side of the midfield. The Quakes also found a replacement for Nick Lima, who Austin FC signed. Luciano Abecasis comes from Paraguay's Club Libertidad with a tough task ahead of him. Finally, the Quakes stayed local while looking for offensive help with the signing of 21-year-old forward Benji Kikanovic. Will these moves make the Quakes competitive in 2021? These are my thoughts.

Just when we thought we could focus on the upcoming start of the MLS preseason, Chile enters the mix and seems to be interested in Matias Almeyda's services. As is standard in San Jose, nobody knows much about anything, but we, the supporters, hope for at least one more season of the Argentinian on the sidelines. Also, a new USL team is coming to the Monterey Bay area, giving us one more option to watch live professional soccer.

The San Jose Earthquakes selected Cal forward Thomas Williamson and North Carolina State midfielder George Asomani last week in the Superdraft. Both players will add some depth to a squad known for their high-intensity play that can sometimes hit a physical wall. The big signing news of the week was the addition of midfielder Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez, who will fill the hole in the lineup left by Magnus Eriksson's departure. Matias Almeyda is hoping to use more of his magic ability to revive players' careers and take the Quakes farther than the first round of the playoffs. That is if he is here next season.

The Superdraft is upon us! It has never been the major event Major League Soccer would like it to be but there are some good players ready to make the jump and teams like the Earthquakes can find some key pieces. Oz think they can bolster their defense here leaving more money available to sign a goal scoring threat. Can a player like Ben Di Rosa or Justin Malou come in and fill in the gap left by Nick Lima?

As the Major League Soccer offseason grinds on, not much news is coming out of Coleman Avenue. We still don't know if we will be allowed to see our Quakes in person this season, but the players can look forward to an updated pitch at the stadium. After struggling to keep their playing surface together last season, the team upgrades to one of the most sophisticated in North America. The yearly Almeyda rumors are quickly quieted, but the Quakes remain silent on the new signing front.

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.