On the field Highlight:
Just as practice concluded for the day, the players were changing into street shoes as Assistant Coach Steve Ralston lined up and fired shot after shot, curling nearly every one into the top corner he picked, almost as if he was trying out for a roster spot for Saturday’s match vs. FC Dallas.
Off the field highlight:
Radio appearances followed practice on Thursday. First, with Shea Salinas talking with Ted Ramey on KNBR 1050 about the upcoming road trip to his home state of Texas, then Fatai Alashe spoke with 2 Up Front, which will air via
Sports Radio America
on Friday at 2pm.
Q&A with Shea Salinas
The Quakes make the long trip to Dallas for this weekend’s game. But for winger Shea Salinas, born in Lubbock, it is a return to his old stomping ground. Here,
sjearthquakes.com
finds out about Salinas’s roots, his thoughts on Saturday’s 1-1 draw with DC United and finds out what he recommends for San Jose fans making the trek to Texas.
You were raised near Dallas. Is this weekend’s game like going home for you?
A little bit. My family used to live there. They’re now three or four hours away. They still drive up and I still have a lot of High School friends from the area. I usually have around 20 or so people come out. It’s nice seeing my family and friends but we are there to get some points. Dallas is a good team so it will be a tough game.
Is it a highlight on the Salinas’ calendar?
Not any more. My first couple of years I was excited to go there but this is my ninth year and I have played there several times. It’s just another road game where we’ve got to get points.
You came off the bench against DC United and had an immediate impact, creating havoc on the right and setting up Adam Jahn for the equalizer. Did you enjoy that?
It’s always nice coming off the bench and giving the team spark. That’s what Dom (Kinnear) expects, but I definitely want to be on the field for as many minutes as possible. I would like to start - but coming off the bench and doing well is good.
Could you sense a weakness watching from the bench?
It’s exciting coming on and knowing that the other team is a little tired. I was watching their outside backs and could see they were little fatigued. Getting up to speed with the game coming off the bench is sometimes difficult. Fortunately it wasn’t last weekend.
What would you recommend for Quakes fans heading to Dallas?
Dallas has great barbecue. I would find a barbecue place with brisket. It’s really good. They have a ketchup-based sauce with brown sugar. It’s really good. (At this point goalkeeper David Bingham interrupts to disagree). Californians don’t know anything about barbecue.
