The San Jose Earthquakes got one point out of two tough matches: hosting the Shield-leading Vancouver Whitecaps (1-1 draw) and losing at Seattle, a siempre, by a score of 3-2.
Both games had similar narratives: San Jose jumped out to a very early lead and held on for dear life. Truth be told, the team played about 30 minutes of real soccer out of 180’+, against the other top teams in the West, and came away with a point. It could be worse.
In a previous version of this column, I pointed out that you could divide the MLS season into fifths. The team is wrapping up the “(2) Build out of those concepts for when your team is in a tricky spot” portion and entering “(3) Survive the dog days of summer and prove your depth” stretch. And boy, do they look it, with 2 points so far in May after a 15-point April that included two Open Cup victories.
Timo Werner is out until likely after the World Cup break. Niko Tsakiris is likely only coming back in time for “(5) Sprint and have momentum into the playoffs.”
Where does this leave the Quakes? Well I’m glad you asked, omniscient reader…
Lessons Learned
This month has asked a lot of questions of San Jose’s depth. The answers have not been good. The backup midfielders, especially Noel Buck and Jona Gonzalez, have not looked ready for 1,000 MLS minutes. Players like Nick Fernandez, Paul Marie, and Jack Skahan have proven fun, useful, and smart…but markedly less talented than the players they replace. Nonso Adimabua and to a lesser extent Max Floriani are large and should figure out the team’s pressing keys.
The Earthquakes immediately improved on Wednesday at Seattle once Beau Leroux came onto the pitch. He continues to grow into a “Darlington Nagbe with presence in the attacking third.” Finding other players who can slot between him and Ian Harkes on the depth chart – guys who know the league, can acquit themselves well, and keep the Quakes in possession in midweek games – seems to be key. This goes not just for this year, but also potentially building the depth for 2027 if there is CONCACAF play in the team’s future.
In addition, some sort of attacking option is sorely needed: Nick Fernandez has been neat in transition but doesn’t seem ready to take on a low block. Rumors have the team closing in on Darius Johnson, a 26-year-old dribbly boi who has played for USL club (and first-round Open Cup victim) Phoenix Rising. Whether or not Bruce Arena looks for another wide option – and from where – probably depends on how much money he can wring out of the purse.
The schedule is fairly light in July and August: a couple games against the Galaxy and Eastern Conference midweights. There is time to incorporate folks and stay on par with Seattle (who have two games in hand) and Vancouver (who have a ton of road matches coming up). This is perhaps the 95th percentile of where Quakes fans thought this team could be: competitive for the Supporters’ Shield and hoping that they can plug in some depth pieces. And that perspective is good to keep in mind, even if there’s a chance for multiple trophies after a decade without even one.
