Photo credit: ISI Photos
What’s the deal with Jackson Yueill playing centerback? Deep-lying playmaker: sure, some would say that’s within his wheelhouse. But last man back? It’s reasonable that one would be scratching their head over that decision.
And count me among them.
First off, I don’t often write in first person — that’s not been my style for going on 15 seasons. But, I want to try something a little different with my stories here at Quakes Epicenter. Yes, I’ll be contributing regular reports, based on my participation in media availabilities and attending practices and games. Occasionally, however, I’ll throw in a bit of commentary, like in this article. When I have thoughts, you’ll get to hear them.
Okay, back to the question I led with — the Jackson Yueill as centerback question. The San Jose Earthquakes are off to another disappointing start to the season, still winless in three games, and still lacking a strong identity on the field. Matias Almeyda used the home opener to reveal a novel tactical plan that had me, 45 minutes in, going all Taylor Twellman to anyone who’d listen to me in the press box. The players didn’t look like they fully grasped what they were being asked to do, and the Quakes limped off the field losers in their home opener. Weeks 2 and 3 saw a more traditional formation, but the results were not much better (Francisco Calvo to the rescue!), and the Quakes have one point out of a possible 9.
So, what about Yueill in those games. In game one, he was the central of three defenders, playing the role of distributer out of the back, and he never really got involved in the offense — I would argue his bread-and-butter. The unfortunate injury to Nathan and how Almeyda would adjust to it, which I wrote about in detail, necessitated a new approach. The manager shifted to a two-back system, bringing back the traditional fullbacks, likely to shore up a defense that looked very uncomfortable against the Red Bulls in Week 1.
But instead of adding in Tanner Beason to partner with Calvo, Almeyda left Yueill at the back. Beason was not injured, so this was the coach’s decision to have Yueill play more as a traditional centerback, something he discussed after the dispiriting loss at Philadelphia. I’ll put the full quote here, so as not to lose any of the context. I will preface it to say that it is short on explanation for why Yueill is the right choice to play centerback right now.
“When I arrived, Jackson was one of the players that had played very few minutes. And when a coach plays a player as a center back, a full back, a number 10 and a holding midfielder, that’s because he likes that player. When one plays their entire life in the middle of the field, they’re ready to resolve situations in milliseconds. When the midfielder goes on to play as a center back, that player then has all the time in the world and a panoramic view and he can drive onto the opposition’s half. That’s why I put Jackson there knowing his original position is a different one. I spoke about it with him. With Nathan’s absence, I asked him to fulfill that spot. Jackson’s going to turn 25. The day that he’s 31, he’s going to thank me for playing him in different positions.” — Matias Almeyda
Almeyda has said repeatedly since taking over as Quakes head coach that he sees a bright future for Yueill. From the call-ups he was getting to the U-23 and the full USMNT, Yueill was getting the exposure and experience at the international level that would benefit him with his club. Almeyda sees a future in Europe for Yueill, though it’s not clear when that jump will happen. And in today’s Quakes squad, Almeyda has made Yueill the captain, something he entrusted in him, even when Chris Wondolowski was still part of the squad.
Almeyda is definitely an advocate for Yueill, but is it at the Quakes’ expense? I’ll let Yueill share his thoughts, as given after a preseason in which he did play further back in training and in friendlies.
“One of the qualities that I think I have is picking out passes and breaking lines, trying to spread the game around. From that position, you get a really good vantage point of everything. It’s a little bit further back than I’m used to, but I think it gives an opportunity to be around the ball more and help with the build up a little bit more to give it to our creative attacking players.” — Jackson Yueill
Sure, Yueill can see the whole field from the CB position, and this is a valuable advantage in terms of organizing the team and taking some chances moving forward. I remember Florian Jungwirth, who made a similar positional transition when he arrived in San Jose, sharing a similar view about playing centerback. The pace of the game did appear to slow down, and you didn’t have to have your head consistently on a swivel. Yueill made the same observation following preseason camp. Flo never seemed to embrace the change, especially as he seemed to seek out confrontation more in the center of the park. He was a good, but not great, back line defender.
Yueill is much younger today than when Jungwirth was first asked to move to centerback, so perhaps this isn’t going to lead him to becoming a defender forever, and maybe Almeyda is right to say he will benefit from the experience long term. Here’s more from Yueill on his current situation.
“The way the team is structured at the moment, we have a lot of midfielders and a lot of really talented players who can play in the midfield. So, I think one of the challenges this year will be trying to get everyone on the field and that puts me and Judson maybe a little bit further back. One of the tendencies that we’ve been working on is for me to be a little bit deeper alongside the defenders. I wouldn’t really call it a center back, it’s more of a free role to be able to read the game and try to keep possession when we’re building and try to stop counterattacks and prevent balls in through the middle. We’ve been working with a few different systems and that’s definitely one of them, but the challenge will be getting everyone on the field at the same time and try to do it really well with the players that we have.” — Jackson Yueill
Getting your best players on the field is one thing; getting them set up tactically in the most advantageous way is another.
Okay, back to Yueill as centerback. Again, a great learning opportunity for him, but I’m not sure that is good for the Earthquakes in the immediate timeframe, not after dropping points in three straight games to start the season. Looking back at the coach’s quote, it’s unlikely either Almeyda or Yueill will still be in San Jose when Yueill turns 31, so I don’t see the team-wide benefits of this particular coaching decision. Shouldn’t everyone in Black-and-Blue deserve to find success now and in the future?
As for getting your best players on the field, that is a fine idea. I suppose with the current decisions Almeyda is making, he sees the trade off of moving Yueill out of the midfield, where I’d argue he is the Quakes best at that position, is acceptable because he rates him as a better central defender than Beason. Okay, then.
As an aside, I do wonder how much having Almeyda coaching in the last year of his four-year contract is going to lead to some more interesting, and at time controversial, decisions. If the organization does not plan to extend his contract, then coaching as a lame duck will not produce a whole lot of pressure or expectations to win. Let me say, I certainly don’t believe Almeyda would give anything less than a full effort as head coach, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if some of his choices — in player selection, in tactics and formations, in approaches to training — and what he learns from them will be something he ends up, like Yueill, personally thankful for in six years time. He essentially has license to experiment with this team until his term ends.
Is Yueill passing the test as a centerback? For me, he’s looked reliable at times, but not always comfortable so far, and if that’s where we’ll see him on the field for the rest of the season, I expect he will only get better at it. But I’d rather see those on-a-rope, switch the side of attack, 50-yard passes coming from inside the opponent’s half, and not deep in Quakes territory. Almeyda does hint that the return of Nathan, who has shown he can rampage forward from the back line successfully, will allow Yueill to move up more into the midfield from his central position. It will be deeper than a true holding midfielder, but he will be freed of some of the defensive responsibilities he is asked to take on now.
That reminds me: Get well soon, Nathan!
Last thought, especially with 31 games still left on the schedule, is whatever decisions Almeyda makes, he needs to put the team in the best position he can to win. Fans I hear from want to see the team be competitive and contend home and away. That hasn’t been happening regularly of late, so rightfully every choice the coach makes has been scrutinized. Win a few games, especially at Pay Pal Park, and folks will be much happier. And whether it be a conservative or chaotic approach, I understand that it will need to be pragmatic, given the available roster. Rest assured, I’ll be watching carefully this weekend and beyond to see what steps are taken to bring back some joy on the field and in the stands.
