PHOTO: ISI Photos
SAN JOSE, Calif. — It’s true. At the end of the day, it’s not about personal accolades, it’s about collective triumph.
“I thought I was in rock-bottom before. I found it again,” said Chris Wondolowski disappointedly.
What is also factual is that what is happening at Avaya is starting to morph into something inexplicable. The San Jose Earthquakes, collectively, are far from having that special charm that once created a movement in 2012. The roster, which is composed by some of the team’s most lucrative players ever, has collapsed time and time again. And while the blame for a historically bad season has been directed all over the room, little has been said about Mikael Stahre’s 12% winning rate.
For the time being, Stahre has full backing of Wondolowski himself, who again started on the bench despite being five goals away from league immortality, and Jesse Fioranelli, the team’s second-year general manager, following a shambolic 3-2 defeat against the Vancouver Whitecaps. However, patience is growing thin amongst the supporters, who have questioned everything from his substitutions to his ability to galvanize his players in troubling times.
In his defense, Stahre has made it a routine to accept the responsibility for previous dire results, or at least credit the opposing side’s superior quality. On Saturday, during a moment of visible mental frustration and insecurity, however, the Swede restricted himself from running on either aforementioned narrative, instead strictly going after his players mental brawn.
“It’s more about mental collapse, right,” said Stahre after dropping three points at home. “You can also discuss about situations or you should have handled this situation in that way, but for me it was a mental collapse.”
One could say the most significant virtue of a coach isn’t solely their ability to implement valuable, effectual tactics, but his/hers aptitude to connect cognitively with their players. At one point in time, Stahre was a highly-touted domestic coach for mastering both forms of art, yet since his arrival in San Jose, both have repeatedly faltered. His trademark forte, defense, has been invisible.
In all fairness, blame should be split across the board between the players and coaching staff. This isn’t the same team that fell 3-1 to then worst team in the league D.C. United and prematurely exited the U.S. Open Cup. Stahre’s strongest team to date was fielded Saturday: Tarbell; Qwiberg, Kashia, Jungwirth, Lima; Hyka, Godoy, Felipe, Eriksson; Vako, Hoesen. (Of course, Wondolowski off the bench at a timely manner was an additional luxury.) The players, themselves, acknowledge the individual pedigree within the locker room, but have stumbled on the pitch largely due to individual errors.
Such a situation (not including the mishandling of Wondolowski as he’s on the verge of league immortality) provokes a dazzling question: how long should the Quakes continue under the same command?
In any other pro league on the planet Stahre would have been gone in June. Are the owners pleased with this situation? They need to act now, even with a caretaker manager and not let the season splutter to disastrous end.