PHOTO: ISI Photos
There’s a good rule about playing Portland at your home stadium: if you don’t want to be victimized by a late Diego Valeri free kick, don’t put yourself in a position where you’re tied in the 88th minute as the reigning MLS MVP steps up to the ball.
San Jose was unable to put the ball in the back of the net last weekend, so when Anibal Godoy offered up a late challenge to Samuel Armenteros at the top of the box…the Ultras sighed. Armenteros is not very good, but he was able to prove his worth with the foul and then by clearing a section of the Earthquakes’ wall like a gosh-danged forklift.
Now the Earthquakes are the worst team in MLS by points. Their closest competitors, DC United, are lined up to get Wayne Rooney over the summer. San Jose, well, San Jose needs a bit more than an aging #10 to get things right.
Vako, the best player in northern California, has been tentative and playing with tunnel vision since the Week One win against Minnesota United. Matt Doyle put it simply:
Every pass Vako hits comes three beats after the pass he should hit. #SJvPOR
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) May 6, 2018
Vako hasn’t been alone in this regard. The entire team is slow to make passes and decisions between the boxes, from Godoy and Jackson Yueill all the way up to Danny Hoesen. Goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell has cleaned up his distribution in recent weeks, but there’s still much to be desired.
Also subpar so far has been the offensive spacing. You can see in this passing map how Magnus Eriksson, Chris Wondolowski, Quincy Amarikwa and Chris Wehan (who, to be fair, all didn’t play at the same time) took up the same spot on the field. You can also see how starved for service Hoesen was compared to the thick lines connecting the front four for Portland.
Back to square one
San Jose will try to turn his around against the only team they’ve beaten so far this year when they face Minnesota United on Saturday afternoon. Minnesota’s actually been quite good at home this year, with three wins and one loss. But they flew to Los Angeles for a midweek game where they got handled easily by LAFC, 2-0. Miguel Ibarra and Darwin Quintero played all 90 minutes last on Wednesday and there’s a chance one or both of them may not be in the lineup on Saturday.
Quintero, in particular, is a bit of an unholy terror so far in his young MLS career. He has scored twice since coming over from Mexico’s Club America, and on Wednesday he sat in the pocket of space between the center back and left back all night. That’s been an impossible area for San Jose to defend all year. Jungwirth, Cummings and Salinas will have to deny him service and keep his back to goal for the Earthquakes to stand a chance.
On the other hand, Minnesota has not successfully pressured any midfield yet. If Jackson Yueill is the bright young American midfield prospect many think he is, he could do worse for inspiration than Benny Feilhaber. And Benny kept the tempo all night on Wednesday, keeping Minnesota moving side to side and having defenders’ noses facing their own goal. If Stahre decides to give Jacko the reins to the midfield, Yueill will be required to move the ball much more quickly than he has so far.
San Jose did such a good job in their first week because they kept Minnesota wide and moved the ball quickly inside. The Earthquakes haven’t really done that since. Jungwirth has moved to the defense with Quintana’s foot injury, and Godoy has been at times irreplaceable and at times unplayable: he’s the only defensively-minded midfielder on the team right now, and has also given up game-killing penalties against Orlando and now Portland.
Late in the Portland game, Chris Wehan came in and moved Vako inside. Many have been calling for Vako to take the #10 role since he came to San Jose, but he wasn’t very effective in limited action. Wehan is faster and more of a two-way midfielder than Jahmir Hyka, but not as clever with his feet.
The best midfield setup for San Jose is still wildly unclear, but it is worrying that their four best offensive players – Hoesen, Magnus, Vako, and Wondo – all like sitting in the same pockets of space. They need to be much more fluid and much more willing to be outlets for the defenders if San Jose doesn’t want to be chasing the game for another 90 minutes.
For too much of the season, it has looked like San Jose is playing two different five-a-side games: the backs and Godoy on one hand, then moving the ball up to the forwards through Yueill. That doesn’t work, and it’s the “youth soccer” which Jungwirth referred to after last week’s frustrating loss.
It is still too early to give up on the season, however cathartic that may be. May is full of winnable games, and San Jose may be searching for an identity but they are not this awful. A more cohesive playing style and quicker passing can get them points, even if they are slower and burlier than most other MLS teams. A result against a tired Minnesota United team is crucial, however, for this team to turn its momentum around before the playoffs get out of reach.
