Oct 2, 2021; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Deiber Caicedo (7) battles for the ball against San Jose Earthquakes defender Nathan (13) during the first half at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Barely a quarter-hour into the San Jose Earthquakes season opener, an audible groan could be heard from the collective crowd at Pay Pal Park. Without warning, Nathan, the team’s most valuable defender, crumpled to the turf, grabbing his left knee in agony.
The Brazilian centerback is, arguably, the club’s biggest acquisition of the past twelve months, arriving in the Bay Area halfway through last season, and immediately transforming a defense in need of a dynamic and athletic influence. His infectious enthusiasm on the field, punctuated by a steady display of fist pumps after every key intervention, quickly endured him to the Quakes faithful.
So it was no shock at all when a sense of dread settled through the stands on Saturday afternoon, as Nathan struggled to reach the sideline and be attended to by the team’s medical staff. He had entered the game listed on the injury report as “questionable” with a right knee issue. This was his other knee he now grimaced over as it was poked and stretched. The defender, who sat out most of the Quakes preseason tune-up games, was done for the count barely twenty minutes into the first game of the 2022 campaign.
San Jose, with its many new offseason signings inserted into the lineup — Jan Gregus and Jamiro Monteiro in the midfield and Francisco Calvo the other centerback — had the upper hand on the New York Red Bulls in the opening stanza of the game, but as Nathan was carried around the perimeter of the field, prone on a stretcher and in clear discomfort, the tide changed, and the visitors capitalized on the confusion. The Quakes never recovered, and the Red Bulls walked off 3-1 winners by the game’s end.
“His absence will be difficult,” head coach Matias Almeyda shared in his midweek press conference. “Since he’s arrived, Nathan has been fundamental on the defensive line. That’s one of the biggest problems we had from this weekend.”
The early injury forced Almeyda to make a change, bringing in Tanner Beason, the Quakes only other experienced centerback, to pair with Calvo on the left side and deep-lying midfielder Jackson Yueill in the middle. Beason, who typically sees action on the left side, was left to do his best on the right, all the while trying to keep up with the demands of Almeyda’s new-look tactical formation. It wasn’t easy.
“Obviously, it was difficult to have Nathan go down,” Beason said. “We don’t like to lose teammates like that to injuries so best wishes to him and we’re all behind him here wishing for a speedy recovery. I entered the game on short notice, and I wasn’t expecting to be going in under those circumstances, but that’s just part of being a substitute, part of being a professional. You need to be ready to go in on short notice to help the team.”
Beason, in his third year with the Quakes after being drafted out of nearby Stanford, made 24 appearances last season, 22 of them starts. He proved to be very effective in his defensive coverage, especially compared to Oswaldo Alanís, the man he often competed with for playing time at left centerback, but Beason was not necessarily as comfortable in possession. He did excel in the air, and as the 2021 campaign progressed, he looked more confident on the ball. Beason definitely has upside in MLS, and now he’ll get a chance to show it these next couple of months.
Nathan, who was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee, underwent surgery on Monday and will likely be out for up to two months. Such an absence will have profound effects on Almeyda’s ability to shape his defensive line, especially if there are any further injuries or suspensions. In addition to Calvo and Beason, the Earthquakes other option at centerback is rookie Oskar Ågren, who was drafted by San Jose less than two months ago, but Almeyda hinted he wasn’t ready to start such an inexperienced defender.
“We’ll try things to see how we can cover up that absence with different characteristics,” Almeyda said. “There are a lot of youngsters on our roster, and today, honestly, I’m not ready to start a defender that has not yet played in a game in MLS in that position. But when you analyze football, you have to analyze a bunch of things.”
To bolster his centerback corps any further, Almeyda would need to deputize a midfielder, say Judson, into manning a centerback role. Given that Yueill had already been asked to play as a de facto third CB, that would be a longshot.
“We will see how we solve this,” Almeyda added. “We had an idea at the beginning of the season, so we will see if we can maintain that through Nathan’s absence. But we will try to solve that quickly.”
Nathan’s two-month absence will not only hurt the team on the field, but it is likely to dampen some of the enthusiasm for spectators. The Brazilian has quickly become a fan favorite at Pay Pal Park and energized the home crowd on numerous occasions with his fiery attitude, and in a business that is mostly about entertainment, he has taken on the mantle once held by previous on-field emotional leaders, such as Chris Wondolowski and Victor Bernardez. With Nathan, much like Bernardez before him, fans are not always sure what they’re going to get in terms of results, but they know the performance will be at a 100% commitment level.
“Nathan’s been an important piece for us since he arrived,” Beason said. “He’s been a great boost for us on the field, emotionally, physically, all that. He’s been terrific, so we hate to lose him. But we have to have a next-man-up mentality, where everyone, be it a defender or a midfielder or whatever, has to be ready to contribute, to be the next guy in the lineup or off the bench or whatever it is.”
The Quakes will have to regroup quickly, as they host the Columbus Crew this Saturday in game two of the MLS season, and another poor result at home would be difficult to swallow. San Jose’s “next-man-up mentality” as Beason describes it, will certainly be put to the test, this weekend and well into the spring.
“That’s part of being a team and we’ll be excited to have him back,” Beason continued, “but in the meantime, we need to pick up a little bit of what he brings to the table and if we each do that, I think we’ll be in great shape.”
