PHOTO: Lyndsay Radnedge/LRadiCal Photography
Minutes, hours, days and months have passed by and the San Jose Earthquakes are demonstrating that they haven’t hit rock bottom.
But it might very well be that for structural reasons they never will. They can never become Nottingham Forest, Atlante FC, or Parma: all once highly respected clubs in their countries’ top flights that once stood at the top of podium, but, that sooner rather than later, fell to the murky depths of the world’s most beautiful sport.
Aside from relocation, that is all uncharted territory in MLS. However, that doesn’t mean the game can’t hit you where it hurts most. Mikael Stahre made it clear in front of a handful of reporters that his loss against LAFC was the worst in his current American spell. The stands at Avaya continue to suffer and fans are at the brink of losing what little is left of their hope.
Playoffs are off the menu in San Jose, but the same leniency that dragged down the Black and Blue can also serve to return them to former glory. This is our country’s unique and exclusive ingredient to the game. The infinite time doesn’t only allow for introspection, it also allows for questions.
1) How much until it’s too much?
It’s been made clear before, there has been a professional relationship between Jesse Fioranelli and Mikael Stahre for multiple years. And if the Swiss wasn’t aware about the nuances that made the Swede revered in his home country, his vast soccer network would only later confirm it. The Quakes general manager knows his manager, and he knows him and his philosophy well.
That aforementioned, personal connection is not only what makes the “decision” hard to even contemplate, though. It’s the overreaching efforts that were made over the span of various months to bring Stahre to San Jose — not to mention the internal shake-up that had already occurred at Avaya. It’s the fact that multiple candidates were passed up on. It’s the fact that these were the calculated and orchestrated moves Fioranelli and Co. were betting on.
But it was a direct move on the Quakes’ chessboard, which purposely has no clock.
2) With what ambitions will the new transfers come in with?
On Saturday, Chris Wondolowski made it clear that “complacency” or missing “that drive” has been behind the team’s lack of effort.
With negotiations expected to be wrapped up this week, Vitesse legend, Guram Kashia is set to be San Jose’s first major signing of the summer. And it’s expected that other arrivals will soon follow.
Although, the questions shouldn’t all be about what the players will bring to the pitch.
The questions should also be about what the players hope to accomplish in San Jose. What’s their California state of mind? Is it to relish a lavish vacation under the sun? Or is it to fight for the crest with a blue-collar mentality?
It’s one of the last questions players want to ask themselves when making such a drastic move, but it’s the reality they will encounter shortly on.
3) How does the team earn continuous, positive results?
With playoffs unreachable and a U.S. Open Cup run impossible, the Quakes have no option but to take it one match at a time. In fact, this “nothing-to-lose” mindset should come across as a blessing in disguise, whether they take advantage of it or not.
Until they learn to simplify the game, San Jose are better off envisioning that every team they come across is Minnesota United.
