Happier times seem like a distant memory for Matías Almeyda and Jesse Fioranelli as the San Jose Earthquakes still seek their first victory following the MLS is Back tournament. Photo credit: ISI Photos
The San Jose Earthquakes are rewriting the record books of late, though not in the way they hoped. Since returning to the Bay Area from the MLS is Back tournament in July, when the Quakes banded together inside “the bubble” and reached the quarterfinals, they have suffered through a brutal stretch of soccer.
On Saturday night, San Jose was overwhelmed by the Portland Timbers, losing 6-1 at Earthquakes Stadium, the worst loss at home in franchise history. The week before, the Quakes capitulated to the Seattle Sounders 7-1, the most goals conceded and the largest margin of defeat the team has ever experienced. Through 12 regular season games in 2020, the Earthquakes have allowed 33 goals — two more than any MLS team has in that time frame to start a season in the league’s 25-year existence.
If you’ve been watching the Quakes these past few weeks and thought, “That’s bad,” well, you’re spot on.
The reasons for the stark contrast between the high-flying, captivating Quakes’ performances in Orlando and the scattered, embarrassing showings back on the West coast are numerous, and head coach Matías Almeyda has been quick to share them after each disappointing result: a compacted schedule with games every 3-4 days, difficult travel schedules, curtailed training due to smoke conditions, management of recuperation to limit injuries, limited time to practice his game plans.
But many of these issues are not unique to the Earthquakes. The Timbers, who the Quakes played twice last week in consecutive games, had even more ready-made excuses in case they underperformed in San Jose. Instead the MLS is Back champions adjusted to the conditions — some of the most hazardous air in the world blanketed Portland due to the numerous West coast wildfires — and took four points in two games at Earthquakes Stadium. Not great, Bob.
After Saturday’s lopsided defeat, where Quakes players showed a striking lack of spirit, Almeyda pulled his own no-show, skipping the postgame press conference in its entirety. General manager Jesse Fioranelli, stepping in for his coach, who he said was suffering a headache, addressed the media instead. Fioranelli, the architect of a squad that sits in last place in the Western Conference, made an apology for the record-setting loss.
“Before we look forward to the future we have to get a hard look at ourselves,” Fioranelli said. “Today was a very painful loss. And we apologize, I apologize, for the way we performed today. This is not who we are. We know we can do better.”
After Saturday’s 6-1 loss to the Portland Timbers, it was San Jose Earthquakes GM Jesse Fioranelli, not Head Coach Matías Almeyda, who answered the questions from the media. Photo credit: Black and Azul Episode 55 Postgame Show
The GM’s facial expressions, even when somewhat obscured by his requisite mask, indicated a deep hurt in delivering his comments. Since arriving in San Jose four years ago, Fioranelli has preached patience in implementing his plan to resurrect a moribund franchise and make it competitive on and off the field. However, what fans see on their TV screens now looks nothing like the progress they were promised.
“We had a very different face we presented when we were in Orlando,” Fioranelli continued. “There were different circumstances. And it’s not supposed to be an excuse, we are where we are right now. And we know that we have to correct things. I can assure you, based on what the work, effort, and also the commitment has been of the entire first team that I have no doubt that in these last 11 games, we’re going to present ourselves in a different way.
“But that’s no excuse why you lose 6-1 today,” he added. “And this is certainly not on the coach. One thing that I can say is that we will have to make certain decisions as to how we want to move forward as a roster. And for that reason I don’t want to jump to any conclusions. I just want to make sure that we analyze it carefully, to give ourselves the time. And we’re going to have to do this together.”
Fioranelli gave his proverbial vote-of-confidence to Almeyda in those comments, narrowing his attention on the roster — one he created — as to where changes will begin. He also said there were a lot of factors behind the scenes that have led to the Quakes current predicament, some that Almeyda has referred to at times as well. One significant issue is which players are in the team’s future plans, and who else needs to be added to the squad.
For Almeyda, creating the ideal roster centers around having players that can succeed in his system of play. Upon his arrival two years ago, he inherited a squad that took time to adjust to the coach’s game plan — Almeyda was not going to curtail his own expectations and adapt to the players at hand — and, in fits and spurts, the Quakes looked like an MLS Cup playoffs contender.
But the limitations of that squad, and its ability to week in and week out perform at the level Almeyda required, would often get exposed. The Argentine coach demands a high-intensity effort on the field, often punctuated by man-marking defensive schemes and critical coverage assignments in transition, and it’s physically taxing. The Earthquakes soared to the upper echelon of MLS in midsummer 2019, but then crashed spectacularly in a six-game season-ending losing streak and missed out of the playoffs.
With a full off-season to rest, and a productive preseason highlighted by an intensive training camp in Cancun, the Quakes had time to better implement Almeyda’s style of play. The coach was working with Fioranelli to bring in new players he expected to flourish in his system, guys like Andy Rios and Carlos Fierro. The transformation of San Jose was underway, or so it seemed, yet the team managed only a point in two home games to open the 2020 season. Enter Covid-19 and the shutdown of sports, and the entire plan was put back on hold.
What occurred in Orlando, nearly four months later, was promising, but in hindsight might have been more of an aberration. Sure, the Quakes captured the attention of MLS fans everywhere with their frenetic and suffocating performances, but they were still error prone at times and relied heavily on out-working their opponents. The players benefitted from a lengthy pre-tournament training camp, longer than any other participating team, and it gave San Jose a slight edge when MLS is Back began.
Moreso, Almeyda’s system demands a match-fit squad prepared to give its all, and they delivered in the condensed game format of the competition. But even over those couple of weeks, the wear and tear began to have an effect. The elimination loss to Minnesota United, the Quakes bogeyman of late, exposed them and reduced Almeyda’s vaunted style of play to an ill-conceived option for a tiring team.
It was another warning sign, following on the lessons learned at the end of the 2019 season, that the Earthquakes roster, as currently constructed, couldn’t sustain the demands Almeyda placed on it. And when the return to home markets for the regular season schedule was announced, one featuring an average of nearly two games per week, alarm bells should have gone off along Earthquakes Way.
The combination of an aggressive schedule and a demanding style of play was a recipe for disaster. Adjustments would need to be made. There had to be a “Plan B” in Almeyda’s approach.
Maybe it was hubris, maybe it was an underappreciation of the realities, but Almeyda pushed forth with his preparations, conceding some changes in roster management to deal with the strains of the compacted schedule. Players were pushed to their limits, and to date, have not tasted victory since returning from Orlando. Injuries are mounting, and frustration is growing. The season still promises 11 more games, but the body language from some shows another mindset: resignation. Fioranelli is aware of it too.
“Tomorrow, we’re going to get our act together and we’re going to start to commit to a coming back together as a group. And I’m positive that we have it inside of us. Because I’ve seen too much good inside of this locker room. And there’s more quality than what we expressed so far. Much more. We will have to continue to support each other and we will have to strengthen the team. But before we get to those conclusions, it’s time to analyze ourselves.”
The Quakes have two more confirmed dates on the calendar — the last nine games of the season have not been scheduled — starting Wednesday night at the Colorado Rapids and concluding with a visit to LAFC on Sunday. The measure of whether the team is on track for “a coming back together” will simply be to be competitive with the Rapids and not overwhelmed by LAFC. Moral victories are possible even when earning points seems improbable.
Step one on the path of recovery will be, as Fioranelli revealed, an internal reckoning among coaches, staff, and players, paramount to any advance the Earthquakes want to make in the waning weeks of the 2020 season. Further steps, especially on the makeup of the roster and more effectively implementing Almeyda’s tactical approach, will need to wait, at least in the short term. Today, the priority is clear.
“We have to check ourselves properly, correct things,” Fioranelli said. “And we have to stick together as one.”
