Football, Without Hesitation

As we approach the (possible) restart of the Major League Soccer season the league has released the opponents and dates of the much-anticipated tournament in Orlando. Up first for the Earthquakes is a match-up with a common foe, Seattle Sounders. Can the Quakes who sputtered into the 2020 season make a run in this tournament. Ehhhh

MLS is coming back, which means the Earthquakes are also on their way back. The excitement was too much for me to talk alone in the studio, so I brought on an old friend. Electro from the Electro and Banno Movie Power Hour Podcast steps down from his director chair and put on his cleats and does his best to keep up.

The countries Rice-A-Roni stock is under serious threat after health officials essentially shut down most of the Bay Area. Major League Soccer had already announced that it would postpone its season after only two matches to help contain the spread of Coronavirus, and now the world is left without any sports. The Quakes could use the break after putting in their worst performance in the Matias Almeyda era and getting spanked 5-2 by Minnesota United.

The MLS offseason is way too long. We are still over a month away from the kickoff of the 2020 season even though the last match was in November of last year. The Earthquakes roster looks like it is almost complete as they head down to train in Cancun? Can Matias Almeyda get enough out of his squad to make them playoff contenders next season?

Well, I guess most of the squad is similar to last season, but Cristian Espinoza and Matias Almeyda are both staying! This offseason has not been very eventful for the Quakes, which is a relief after years of wondering what the plan for next season would be. We know the plan, but is this roster enough to compete in a more crowded Western Conference.

The end of the San Jose Earthquakes regular season was a bitter end to a sweet season by the Bay. But since that tough loss in Portland Quakes fans have been treated with several weeks of positive news. First, the ringleader of the turnaround, Matias Almeyda, announced that he plans to honor his multi-year contract. Then Chris Wondolowski announced he would be around for at least one more season in black-and-blue, and Florian Jungwirth signed a multi-year deal.

The San Jose Earthquakes rollercoaster makes a final stop in Portland in a must-win situation. If the Quakes find a win to beat the Timbers, they are back in the MLS playoffs if they lose it was still a successful season. The Timbers have struggled at home and are missing a couple of crucial pieces. The Quakes have all their firepower, can they figure it out in Oregon?

The San Jose Earthquakes are in a battle for their playoff lives, and the task doesn't get any easier as they head down south to face Atlanta United. The black-and-blue have lost their last two matches against tough opponents in Utah and New York, and now they must find a way to get some points or else they may be watching the 2019 playoffs from home.

The San Jose Earthquakes probably have the hardest road to the 2019 MLS playoffs as they face six teams currently in playoff contention in their final six matches. The US Men's National Team was embarrassed in New Jersey but new manager Gregg Berhalter felt that the team actually improved. Watching the Quakes transform this season I have to say I agree with him.

I talk about the Quakes slowdown in the last couple of weeks. By slowdown, I mean a draw at home and a 2-1 loss in Colorado which would have been a decent couple of weeks last season. The Western Conference playoff race is getting more interesting by the week so I talk about what the teams around the Quakes are doing and who they face next week. Can the Quakes make it through this patch of road games in the heat of the summer after an exciting season? I don't know but that won't stop me from telling my opinion.