A couple of things to get out of the way before we get to the pregame analysis. Yesterday the Quakes (reserves) were torched by Salt Lake (reserves) 4 - 0, in an Open Cup qualifier. Well, it looks like our first, and most realistic, chance at silverware is gone. But hey, most people don’t care about the Open Cup, I find myself not being too enthusiastic about it, and I back Yallop’s decision to rest the starters in preparation for the more important game against Dallas this Saturday. Beckerman did play, at least for the first half. I haven’t seen video of the match, but from the reports it looked like he almost single-handedly destroyed the Quakes. He is going to have what amounts to a real breakout season. Our reserves and depth are obviously not the best in the world, but we knew that already. The ironic, and tragic thing, is that one of the only starters we did play, Ryan Cochrane, was injured in a collision with fellow Quake, Jay Ayres, resulting in a concussion. He will miss Saturday’s game, and at this point it is not known how long he will be out of commission. This leaves a big hole in that touted central defensive pairing of the Quakes. Cochrane has not been having the best of seasons so far, but he will be missed. The likely scenario is Hernandez moving in to the center of defense, Riley moving to the right, and either Guerrero or Denton being put in at left fullback.

Despite last week’s loss, Quakes fans are looking forward to the debut of Buck Shaw. The stadium, which can best be described as “intimate”, will be rocking for the the return of the Quakes. Most of my memories of previous encounters against Dallas are absolute drubbings of the visitors, but these are new Quakes and a new Dallas team, which is having a respectable start to the season. What do we have in store for Saturday?

Quakes/Dallas Pregame Analysis

Goalkeepers: I have been describing Cannon as solid and great so far this season, willing to overlook a few lapses in judgement and positioning here and there. But its getting harder to do so. Still, it is far too early to turn our backs on Cannon, and he has earned our loyalty and respect. He will get back into the groove and be as spectacular as ever before you know it. Sala has done well for Dallas so far, holding onto the starting job. He makes the saves he needs to, but don’t expect the brilliant.

Advantage - Quakes

Dallas Forwards vs. Quakes Defense: Hey, another familiar face: Arturo Alvarez. Alvarez has blossomed into a promising attacker, being moved into a striking role this season. Still, much of his promise is still unrealized. He is developing a classic power/speed combination with Kenny Cooper. Cooper has been on the ascendancy the past couple of seasons, and now he looks like he has developed into an absolute monster. Powerful, big, opportunistic, a good finisher, and on a hot streak, he is a scary proposition to face. Alvarez’s flair and Cooper’s finishing will be a tough order, especially now that the Quakes defense is depleted. The key question is how well Hernandez will fit in the center of the defense alongside Garcia? Denton should be a fairly safe bet on the left side, providing a veteran presence, but you never know. I can see Hernandez flourishing in this role, maybe even taking Cochrane’s spot, but its also possible that he will struggle, not having a feel for the new role in this defensive unit. On a side note, Garcia was a titan last game, clearing two goals off the line and doing his best to single-handedly shut out the Red Bulls. He gets my belated man of the match award and a match rating of 9 (yes, my first 9), with everyone else getting a 6 or below. I can see why K.C. fans loved him and he deserves the captaincy.

Advantage - Dallas

Quakes Forwards vs. Dallas Defense: Here’s hoping Peguero starts. I think the death knell has been sounded for Glinton’s role as a starter, but he may get one more game there yet. Peguero played for a good portion of the Open Cup match against Salt Lake, a good indication that he is still being brought up to match fitness, and so will probably not start on Saturday. I really believed that Glinton and Kamara would flourish after the game against Colorado, but it only took one match for the old sense of impotence to return to this forward tandem. Dallas play a three-man defense of Davino, Serioux, and Moor, far more impressive than the New York unit that shut out the Quakes. It really depends on the performance of the midfield; don’t expect the Quakes forwards to take the bull by the horns (no pun intended) and lead the team to victory.

Advantage - Dallas

Midfield: The Dallas midfield is pretty solid, but can be streaky. Toja is the creative spark, and fills the role well. McCarty and Rocha can both provide some good distribution, possession and offense as well. The other Dallas midfielders are average, not saying that they are poor, but they rise and fall with the performance of the midfield as a whole. Speaking of streaky midfields, San Jose’s lost the match against New York by looking completely overwhelmed, making poor decisions, losing the ball in bad positions, and not reacting quickly enough. There is not a consistent performer like Mullan of the Quakes of old, who played well and gave his all from game to game despite the circumstances. Without that determination and consistency, we will continue to get Jekyll and Hyde results. It is not a lack of quality that will kill the Quakes this season, but inconsistency, unless this issue can be resolved. On the bright side, there is still plenty of time to do so. Or we can just get hot at the end of the season and ride to the MLS cup title with a horrible record like the Galaxy in 2005 (sorry, I had to get my daily jibe in against L.A.).

Advantage - Even

Coaching: Yallop doesn’t have much room to maneuver these days. It’s a sharp drop from the starters to the reserves, as evidenced by Vide’s poor performance and Wednesday’s game against Salt Lake. I was very surprised to see him switch to a 4-5-1 against New York; I can’t remember another instance when he deviated from a 4-4-2. It was also surprising that it was done so early, at the beginning of the second half. It was an understandable decision, with the Quakes being absolutely bossed around in midfield, but the bottom line is that he doesn’t have the personnel to make it work. Well, live and learn. The real test of his managing skills will not be tactical but motivational. Its still too early for the jury to reach a verdict on that. Morrow has far more options off the bench, but he also has the unenviable task of trying to push Dallas to the next level past playoff mediocrity. This season he is definitely on the hot seat.

Advantage - Quakes

Intangibles: The biggest advantage goes to the Quakes, with a real home opener and real homefield advantage. Forget the atmosphere-draining environs of McAfee Stadium, I’m looking forward to Buck Shaw facilitating a real soccer atmosphere. In the old days, opponents would - complain about not enjoying Spartan Stadium because it was so intimate that it could be intimidating when packed. Look for that to be repeated at the Shaw. Hopefully, that will be enough to bring out the best from the Quakes.

Advantage - Quakes

Key Man: Jason Hernandez

No mystery why he will be so key. With Cochrane gone, Hernandez needs to avoid any mental lapses (the kind that have plagued Cochrane), and quickly develop a working relationship with Garcia. If not, the Quakes defense will be torn apart by Cooper and company. The Quakes lose Cochrane’s experience and skills, but maybe gain some athleticism and strength with Hernandez.

Probable Starting Line-up:

                 Glinton-Kamara

Guerrero-Corrales-Grabavoy-O’Brien

Denton-Garcia-Hernandez-Riley

                        Cannon

Question for the Readers:

Here is the debut of a brand new section which will be featured at the end of each analysis (both pregame and postagme), a question for all you readers out there:

What is the one position that needs to be upgraded the most during the next transfer window, and who would you pick to fill it?