PHOTO: ISI Photos
Not since April 17, 2015 (ever, really) has a cameo by Chris Wondolowski received such attention.
On Saturday night, the San Jose Earthquakes were on the better side of luck — only down 2-1 to a dominant Houston Dynamo after 63 minutes at Avaya. Shortly after conceding a second goal, Mikael Stahre sent in captain Wondolowski and Jahmir Hyka. The 35-year-old recorded his first regular season minutes as a substitute in three years, though he couldn’t count on his deadly poaching abilities this time. The Albanian, on the other hand, scored and rescued the Quakes a crucial point.
To many, the captain’s exclusion from the starting cast is sacrilege, while to others it’s the beginning of the end. A regular starter and captain since the turn of the decade, Bay Area native and one of the better stories in MLS, Wondolowski is the walking epitome of the Black and Blue. The King of San Jose.
But if the beautiful game has taught us something these past two centuries it’s that aging club legends, top flight or otherwise, will eventually be thrown into the general pool of players for matchday consideration. Steven Gerrard came to terms in 2014 when he featured on the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu in a Champions League bout against Real Madrid. Francesco Totti, the King of Rome himself, didn’t start in his final match for I Giallorossi.
However, Wondolowski shows no signs of stopping. If anything, he showcased ambition and leadership by sticking around the dressing room and exchanging words with the media, stating that collective victories and trophies are all that he cares for. That he likes Stahre’s 4-3-3 and it’s chances — which puts the Quakes tender season and his exclusion into perspective.
To be clear, the captain should lead his players down Avaya’s corridor in the weeks to come. His 67-minute absence is only a minor reflection of his age and productivity. It mostly mirrors the feebleness of the current San Jose Earthquakes, who are still searching for the early magic that has gone missing.
It’s been five points in five matches under Mikael Stahre in a Western Conference that projects to be competitive and dramatic all they way to playoffs. Early, lamentable results that have fostered dilemmas for the Swede and Co., who heading into Saturday, felt the best solution was to drop the captain for a midfielder. Of course, the adjustments of formation and players didn’t pay dividends. And the question now becomes: what’s next?
Stahre did admit that he’ll consider rotations on a “game-by-game” basis moving forward. Given that four of their five upcoming matches are on the road against proven, playoff-contending sides, formation tinkering and player rotations will continue.
San Jose, now, more than ever, have an obligation to win games before the gap between them and the sixth position widens. Stahre still has time with 29 games remaining. But history says that the road is never friendly to the Quakes, a problem he has to overturn nonetheless.
