Football, Without Hesitation

Football, Without Hesitation is back! After a long hiatus Oz is back to talk all things San Jose Earthquakes. This episode I talk about the lack of success to start off the 2019 season and why we as fans should be more patient. If Rome wasn't built in a day it sure isn't going to take the Quakes two matches to build themselves up to a decent soccer team. I also talk about the upcoming match against New York Red Bulls a team new manager Matias Almeyda is familiar with.

In this episode, I talk about the growing trend of frugal ownership across MLS and what it could mean for the league in the future. As a supporter of a team with a frugal owner, this trend is concerning. I also break down an interview Anibal Godoy did with a Spanish newspaper and what it says about this years "unforgettable season".

Well, I guess the way this year has gone any ankle twitch could be considered a groove but the backline is looking better the last three games. I also talk about the All-Star Game, the growing popularity of soccer according to Nielsen, and the end of the transfer window.

In this episode, I talk about how the Quakes newest signings performed during their first two matches with the team. I also get into a breakdown of the standings and shoutout the Quakes for making it easy for new fans to follow along by hanging out at the bottom of the table. Finally, I tell a story about getting a beer at Avaya and being told to stand closer by another fan because I was not in an immigration line which I thought was an interesting choice of words.

In this episode, I talk about the Quakes venture to Canada that went not as bad as it could have gone. I ventured north myself from Salinas over to the Quakes viewing party at Jacks Bar and joined a full crowd of fellow supporters. Luckily the drinks were cheap and strong because we needed a lot to deal with another week of the rollercoasters that is the San Jose Earthquakes.

In this episode, I do something the Earthquakes can't seem to be able to do, change things that are not working. In order to get back to the goal of introducing people to MLS and the Quakes, I am making the structure of the show much more rigid. The stream of conscious will still flow but it will stick to a couple of points per episode. Welcome to the new Football, Without Hesitation!

In this episode, I talk about the NFL's new rule that will fine teams whose players demonstrate during the national anthem and what I think it means for MLS. Will MLS capitalize on the alienation of fans from another league? Probably not seeing that even the biggest MLS matchups can't even get half the TV audience of the great American pastime that is corn-hole.

It has been a while since I last released an episode so I decided to do this one a little different. This episode was recorded at XL Publichouse in Oldtown Salinas as the Quakes were taking on Vancouver Whitecaps so if I sound a little distracted I apologize it is rare for the Quakes to not lose on the road.

Last week the Quakes played a friendly which meant the Quakes have only played 180 minutes of MLS soccer in the first month of the season so there isn't much to talk about. However, I did come across an ESPN article about NCAA soccer that lead me down a rabbit hole about soccer and minorities in this country.

I wish I could say I am concerned by the Quakes loss in Kansas City but I am not. After a complete restructuring of the team, it will take a while to gain the on-field chemistry. Or at least that's what years of playing FIFA have taught me.

As the title of the episode suggests, the Quakes had the second week of the new season free which feels, weird. Luckily, MLS is having one of their hottest runs in CONCACAF Champions League in history so there is plenty to talk about. At one point I also ask the question, "How do partnerships with foreign associations and clubs help the domestic game?"

The first week of the season doesn't create too many headlines but the new look Quakes definitely turned some heads. This episode, I talk about the new seating set up at Avaya and why you should spend more time there. Also, I get into the CONCACAF quarterfinal first leg which has a lot of American soccer fans glowing with some even thinking that the power balance is finally shifting north.

After my own offseason, I am back with more episodes of Football, Without Hesitation. The Quakes come into 2018 almost unrecognizable from a year ago. A new GM, new coach and a stable of new players have me as excited for the season to begin as ever. While this team is still in "rebuild" mode the product on the pitch should be much improved from years past.

A long off-season gives you a lot of time to think and in this episode, I think about how difficult it is to get news from the Quakes. It may not all be bad news though, that leaves an opportunity for anyone that wants answers to questions no one is asking.... Is it March yet?

This episode is much longer than usual and it could have been twice as long if it not for battery limitations. I sit down with entrepreneur, investor, and San Jose Earthquakes forward Quincy Amarikwa for a long conversation about his insatiable hustle which has led not only to a professional soccer career but the creation of several companies.

Now that I have had some time to digest the rollercoaster that was the San Jose Earthquakes 2017 season I sit down with my loyal sidekick, my girlfriend, who joined me for every game this year to talk about what we saw. Really, it's mostly 45 minutes of Oz raving about the Whole Foods on The Alameda.

With five games left in the season, the Quakes are in a 4 team battle for one of the remaining playoff spots. Luckily 3 of those games are at home, unfortunately, the first one in at DC United which may not go as planned for our beloved Los Terremotos.

This week, I do my best to avoid talking about the massacre in the Great White North that occurred last Saturday at BMO Field. To quote Dennis Green, "They were who we thought they were." On a more positive note, Salinas is one step closer to claiming its place among the best soccer cities in the country. On Tuesday the Monterey County Board of Supervisors approved a land-swap deal with the city of Salinas that is the next step in adding over 40 acres of soccer pitches to the already 26 acres that are available at the Constitution Soccer Complex.

This episode was recorded during the last international break so there was little news coming out of the Quakes and MLS so I went in a different direction. I finally started using an intro that I put together last year featuring 4 of the most memorable calls in my recent soccer history and I take this episode to explain what every call means to me.