Photo credit: USA Today Sports
Only amongst Quakes fans is optimism after a win instantly recognized as ironic. We know too well over the last two decades (now that we’re 20 years past the 2003 cup-winning team) that hope is rarely justified. But I’ll tell you what: after three matches in 2023, with better underlying stats than at any point under Matías Almeyda’s tenure, it feels like this is a foundation worth building on, and a genuine contender to make the playoffs.
That doesn’t mean we already have a fully-formed juggernaut in black and blue, of course. While initial returns are promising, and there are far fewer glaring holes than in any of the recent rosters, there remains at least one prominent one: the depth in the attacking part of the pitch.
What I propose is that the club specifically targets a U22 forward, ideally one fairly flexible in terms of positional role, to fill out the roster. I’ll even throw out a few suggested names. Here’s my thinking:
The need
In Luchi Gonzalez’s 4-3-3 system, there are three proper forwards (one central and two wide). Two positions have excellent, no-doubt starters: Jeremy Ebobisse at striker and Cristian Espinoza at right wing. The third position, left wing, isn’t quite as obviously “solved,” since neither Benji Kikanović nor Cade Cowell has consistently played at the level of Ebobisse or Espinoza. However, both are excellent young players who need to play to develop and accumulate transfer value. Essentially, they have four good players for 3 spots, which is not a bad position to be in for depth purposes.
The problem occurs beneath those four. In an ideal world, you have two players at any given position who are competent MLS players. However, if you need a substitution beyond one of those four, Luchi is out of good options. In the Atlanta game, he turned to Jack Skahan. In the Vancouver game, Luchi turned to no one at all despite having three remaining subs. Against Colorado, he tapped Tommy Thompson in stoppage time. Ousseni Bouda, who has shown a bit of potential last season, still hasn’t proven himself at this level and has yet to be trusted with minutes by Luchi.
As you can see, the attacking positions are already thin despite everyone being available. God forbid one of the “big four” go down with an injury, and even navigating Cade’s youth national team absences will be tricky. It is desperately crying out for (at least) one more high-quality player in the front three.
There’s a somewhat interrelated problem of midfield depth, too. In the first few games of the year, Niko Tsakiris was out, so the only real backup to Jamiro Monteiro as the most-attacking midfielder was minimum-salary, just-cut-by-Vancouver Michael Baldisimo playing out of his natural position. Since Judson was also injured, that meant Baldisimo was actually the only real MLS-level backup at all three midfield positions. While adding another attacker wouldn’t immediately appear to add to the depth here, what it would do is open up more options for formations to adapt during times the midfield got thin: Luchi could easily switch to a 4-4-2 by throwing on a true forward instead of Monteiro, or a left wing and pushing Kikanovic up top, reducing the central midfielders to two and therefore putting less pressure on depth at that spot. Oh yeah, and even if Tsakiris is an exciting, bright young player, you don’t want to have to rely on a 17-year-old to carry a huge burden in the attack.
As you can see, the depth issues in the attacking roles are already limiting what Luchi can do with this roster, and times have yet to even get particularly tough.
Proposed solution
In terms of roster resources, the Quakes have at least one international spot, two U22 slots, and plenty of room on the senior roster, but no further designated players. It’s always difficult to precisely estimate how much on-cap space and allocation money (both Targeted and General) a team has, but I would wager that the Quakes are running relatively low and will need to be at least a bit judicious. The U22 slot allows any amount of transfer fee to be paid without affecting the salary budget, and a relatively small cap charge for the salary itself. Note that the salary cannot be DP-level, so this is not a slot you can go buy Thiago Almada with but think of it as a mini version of that.
There is also a slightly complicated situation with respect to Nathan: he’s likely out for the season after ACL surgery, but the MLS rule allowing roster relief for injured players only can be activated by signing a “replacement player” to fill his slot and salary. Since Jonathan Mensah makes more than Nathan, he wasn’t eligible as a replacement. As such, while it’s possible the club can recover some usable resources, it’s not as simple as adding him to an injured list and wiping Nathan’s cap (and slot) hits entirely off the roster.
With all that in mind, my opinion for the best collection of resources for the Quakes to put forward for another attacker, that also fits with the kind of player they would want for a depth option, is to invest in a U22 slot (and an international slot) in a young, high-potential forward, likely from South America.
Of course, this means you’re not getting a fully-formed star, but that’s not what we’re looking for in this exercise. We want someone who is comfortable being potentially the second option off the bench in situations when everyone is available but is good enough to make a difference when he is playing. You’d also ideally like someone fairly positionally flexible, to help cover the multiple gaps that may emerge up top. Does it sound quite a lot like I’m describing Benji Kikanović? Well, I essentially am. What this roster needs is another Kikanović, although if I had my choice, it would be someone who was a winger first and a striker second, rather than Benji, whom I see as the other way around.
Finding such a player is of course not easy. My top choice this offseason, left-footed Colombian winger Daniel Ruiz, has in the last few months received his first full cap for Los Cafeteros and earned a loan to Brazilian giants Santos, so he could well have priced himself out of the U22 market and into the DP market. With limited knowledge, as always, I’ve turned to the Football Manager database to try and unearth a few other South American options. One idea would be Henry Mosquera (Envigado), already an established starter in his native Colombia at 21. Another is Bastián Yáñez, a 21-year-old Chilean who has been a major part of Unión Española since he was a teenager. Both would fit the bill as quick/tricky wingers, and Yáñez would have the advantage of being the only wide player for San Jose who was left-footed.
In past years, I’ve also enjoyed highlighting players with US passports who are playing abroad, such as Matko Miljevic (now at CF Montreal) and Samuel Shashoua. Neither would be eligible for this U22 slot any longer, so I’ll throw out a few other ideas. Agustin Anello, 20, has recently broken through at Hajduk Split in the very-competitive Croatian league. While it can be hard to pry young players back from Europe, Anello recently spoke about the desire to earn US call-ups, and San Jose could offer him a domestic stage on which to do so, under a coach who just came from the USMNT setup. Matthew Hoppe, 21, is the only natural striker of the names I’ve mentioned and has muddled through a few mediocre club situations since his explosive breakthrough with Schalke. He may also be tempted to stick it out in Europe, but San Jose has monitored him for some time and he’s a California native, so there’s at least a possibility. Jorge Ruvalcaba, 20, was also born in Southern California but has established himself professionally at Pumas. It can be hard to get Mexican-American kids to choose MLS over Liga MX, but it’s worth a look.
The path forward
Let’s say the Quakes manage to sign a player similar to the mold I’m suggesting. While this proposed move would solve the immediate problem, it’s not like it “completes” the roster such that Chris Leitch and his staff can book extended vacations through the middle of the season.
One important factor going forward is whether the existing depth options, particularly Niko Tsakiris and Ousseni Bouda, fulfill their potential and develop into quality pieces. If they do, they would “complete” the depth of the group, in combination with the above-mentioned U22 signing. But if they don’t? Then the Quakes are one injury, suspension, or absence away from being right back where they started. As such, there might be a summer move to follow if the young guys don’t come along as expected.
The other big factor is the transfer futures of Cowell and Kikanović. Both have been the subject of transfer interest from Europe, and Benji is dissatisfied with his small (and running down) contract. If one or both receive a good bid in the summer, they’ll need to be replaced, using at least a U22 slot but possibly even a DP slot. The only good news is that such a transfer would entail a sizable cache of GAM to fix it.
So I’m being a bit glib when I suggest this would be “The Missing Piece.” The reality is that it’s a necessary, essential piece. But like a Zen Garden or a home remodel, the work never ceases.
