Photo: San Jose Earthquakes
SAN JOSE, CA. – The San Jose Earthquakes are coming off a season opening 2-1 loss at FC Dallas, one in which they conceded all three points by allowing a stoppage time goal to Dante Sealy – a last name that should be familiar to long-time Quakes fans. It was a disappointing way to kick off the 2024 season, but not a game that will linger in the memory for long.
We need to keep our focus till the end of the game,” Cristian Espinoza said. “We have to play to the last kick of the game. We are working on it so that for the next game we will be ready for anything.”
That will be Saturday night against rivals the LA Galaxy, when SoCal’s star-studded cast visits San Jose for what will be the 99th meeting between the two teams in all competitions since 1996.
“It’s our 50th year of the club,” Espinoza said. “It’s a club with so much history, so many good players played here in this stadium. It’s our responsibility to represent San Jose in the best way possible. …We will do our best to give the fans a victory.”
With rumors that Carlos Vela may sign with the Quakes, the mood around the training field was optimistic. And with the Galaxy en route to the Bay Area for the home opener at PayPal Park, the excitement level was elevated.
“It is a game we take very personal,” said head coach Luchi Gonzalez. “Our new players are integrated in the team and understand the history of the rivalry. It is about the given night, and we want to take care of business in front of our fans.”
The game is expected to be a sellout, according to team president Jared Shawlee, despite the threat of inclement weather on Saturday. Perhaps the Quakes will have to resurrect the “Great Deluge” pins from 2011, looking for an odd box or two in storage from the Buck Shaw days. At least for the players and Gonzalez, the focus will be less on the skies and more on the opponent.
“We’re going to continue in our principles, we’re going to continue to attack, and reward our fans here who are going to come out rain or shine,” Gonzalez said. “They’re going to come out and give us a lot of support. They were huge last year with helping our energy and our intensity.”
The sentiment was shared by Daniel, the team’s #1 in goal and a big reason many are bullish on the Quakes’ chances of making it to the playoffs for the second successive season.
“Every game is an important game,” Daniel said in Portuguese, translated by his interpreter (Thank you, Julia!). “We’re here to be ready for any game that is coming up. This Saturday’s game is going to be a Clásico, so we’re more than ready and very much looking forward to it.”
Daniel takes some of the responsibility for allowing FC Dallas’ game winning goal to skip past him last weekend in stoppage time, but with the additions made to the team in defense, he feels the unit can keep opponents from getting into too many dangerous positions to begin with.
“It’s always good to have new people join the team, some of them Brazilians and Bruno [Wilson] who is Portuguese,” Daniel said, happy to have additional players who share his native tongue. “It’s nice to get along with them. We’re hoping they are going to have a good season and we’re really looking forward to Saturday. We’re ready for it.”
One player who is set to make an impact on the game from the opening whistle is marquee offseason signing Amahl Pellegrino. The goal scoring threat played a limited role against FC Dallas, coming in as a sub late in the game, this after securing his work visa in France and arriving back in the States less than 24 hours before kickoff.
“He is still understanding the players, the team, the locker room, and the league,” Gonzalez said. “But even in the bit of time he had, he showed he’s dangerous. He’s getting shots off, he’s making great runs in behind in the channels, and he’s only going to get better. He has a proven goalscoring record, and I believe it will transfer. …I am very confident he is going to show his killer instincts here in our league.”
Pellegrino’s opposite side of the field teammate Espinoza agreed, and he welcomes that additional time the Earthquakes’ offensive unit has been able to practice together with the Norwegian.
“I think Pellegrino is a very good player who’s going to bring a lot of positives to the team,” Espinoza said. “We’ve had the chance to share more time together in training this week and work on many things. Now, he’s getting into good shape and he’s going to help us a lot.”
“I’m looking forward to having him on the field longer,” Daniel added. “He is a great player, and I am sure we are going to create great memories together as the season moves forward.”
Gonzalez shared that two of the team’s other international signings – Bruno Wilson and Vítor Costa – are back in San Jose and training fully with the team. Both are still rounding into fitness, but the Quakes coach expects they will be in the matchday 18 against the Galaxy. The only notable exclusion for Saturday will be Niko Tsakiris, who is still recovering from injury.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup update
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, who has been on top of the latest news on MLS’ participation in the U.S. Open Cup was on hand to ask Gonzalez about the Earthquakes’ plans. The coach made it clear the club wants to participate in the competition, which MLS made official on Thursday.
“Our club has never won the Open Cup,” Gonzalez said before the announcement. “It is something we want to win badly, and we do think it needs our entire club – it needs our first team, it needs our second team, it needs our academy players, it needs everybody. We’re going to represent our club with all of those levels. We want to win this cup, and that is our determination. It’s the most historic competition in our country, and we value it a lot. We are going to do whatever we can to win it.”
San Jose is one of eight MLS sides that will be entering their full squad, while nine other franchises will be represented by their MLS NEXT Pro rosters. Teams participating in the Concacaf Champions Cup – with the exception of defending U.S. Open Cup champions Houston Dynamo – will sit out this year’s competition. The Earthquakes will enter the tournament in the Round of 32, with games scheduled to be played in the window of May 7-8.
Luchi Gonzalez addresses the ongoing labor dispute with the referees association
MLS started its season using replacement referees, and it continues to negotiate with PRSA, the association representing the top-level referees in the United States. PRO, the Professional Referees Organization, which works with MLS to provide officials, instituted a lockout of the PRSA refs ahead of the start of the season. For the time being, all MLS games will feature officials from other organizations.
Gonzalez provided a detailed response to the policy, sharing insights from his perspective and those of his team. His quotes are provided below.
“There is a difference in the experience and the level and the control of the games,” Gonzalez said. “I watched several games around the league, and we saw it in our own game, and I thought our ref did a fairly positive job.
“Look, this is not easy for anybody; the PRO refs are important and they are trying to improve their situation and their careers with the league. Just like our players and our staff do. They are advocating for things they want to improve and it’s not an easy compromise. I know the league is going to fix that with them and that will be resolved.
“These current refs don’t have the same level of experience, but they are stepping it up and learning on the fly – they are potentially future MLS refs, maybe sooner than later. You’ve got to admire that, and I embrace that. I go through development with our own staff, I go through it with our players, and I went through it myself. The refs are also developing and that’s something that is growing in our country, in terms of having a career as a referee in our professional leagues. I give them credit that they will continue learning and getting better.”
And he continued when asked if the lockout affected his approach to preparing for the games ahead.
“You see there is a difference in the management of the game, the personalities, the composure,” Gonzalez said. “And it’s up to us to understand that if there are challenges with the refs, that these are refs with less experience in top level games.
“So how do we embrace that, how do we make sure that doesn’t affect how we focus on our game. It’s also how we control our emotions and mentality, no excuses, we will adapt and recognize that it is hard for them to have to be in this situation, but they are doing the best they can, and it’s important we don’t make any excuses and allow that to impact our performance, our execution, our desire to compete and win.”
