As the final whistle blew on the San Jose Earthquake’s 2015 season, there was a bitter taste left in their mouth. They had gotten an early lead in Dallas and blew it. Compounded by Matias Perez Garcia’s senseless red card, small mental lapses on the back line knocked them out of any hope of making playoffs. Regardless of the outcome of that game, they had sealed their own fate a few weeks prior. In August, the Earthquakes went on a four-match run outscoring the LA Galaxy, Sporting KC, DC United, and Colorado Rapids 9-0 over that stretch. Once they had gotten back into the playoff picture they dropped crucial points at home to the Philadelphia Union and Montreal Impact, who left almost all eleven starters at home. Those results are essentially what knocked them out of the playoffs. So what is on tap for 2016? In this Earthquake’s 2016 Season Outlook, we will look at 3 predictions involving the Earthquake’s results, players, and management.
They Will Make The Playoffs. The Earthquakes were pretty close to the postseason in 2015. While the backline got a year older, the team age average is still at 27 years old. They have a multitude of key players under that average age as well. With a relatively deep squad and a balance between youth and experience, the Quakes are on the up. Another thing to look at is that Portland had the exact same numbers in goals scored and goals against, yet had almost ten points more at the end of the season. Portland easily could’ve been San Jose and vice versa. It just was a matter of the way results fell. For Portland, it had been another year under Caleb Porter and a team with experience in getting results. San Jose lacked that familiarity with Kinnear’s style last year and had a lot of young faces. Ultimately under Kinnear, this team will be tactically sound, but what results will come down to is execution. With a full year under their belt in Kinnear’s system, the Earthquakes will have the experience to come through and get results.
Anibal Godoy Will Be The Quake’s Most Important Player. Out of all the deadline pickups in MLS, Godoy proved to have the most profound impact on his team. He was immediately inserted into the starting lineup and made a huge difference during the final stretch. The Quakes won 21 of the 33 points available since Godoy made his debut. He scored two goals and provided a great box to box presence in the midfield, which combined well with Fatai Alashe’s holding role. Godoy’s arrival took a lot of pressure off of Alashe, who for more than half the season had to play the box to box role due to the fact that Pierazzi couldn’t do it himself. Alashe’s athleticism forced him to play in a role he just didn’t seem comfortable in. Cue the arrival of Godoy and Pelosi, and Alashe really began to flourish in the holding midfielder role. Alashe’s distribution from the back line and tackling ability really helped shore up the Quakes on defense and allowed them to get forward a lot more. Godoy is important because of how much pressure he takes off a lot of other players who may have been overstretched trying to play roles that didn’t suit them. With a full season of Godoy, the Earthquakes could really reap the benefits and get into the postseason.
If They Don’t Make The Playoffs Expect GM John Doyle To Be Fired. John Doyle on his own, combined with Mark Watson was proof that Doyle couldn’t do the GM job all by himself. When they hired Dom Kinnear back, the introduction of Chris Leitch as Technical Director saw the three of them do a good job of revamping the roster and getting them back into playoff contention. While they missed out on post-season, last season was a big step forward. This year the success must be continued. With the Earthquakes geographical relatives winning four championships (San Francisco Giants and Golden State Warriors) over the last six years, the pressure to win this year will be to keep ahold of fan interest. The Warriors are such an entertaining bunch that they have captured all of Northern California. While MLS doesn’t quite have the following that the NBA does, they are still competing to keep the attention of the Bay Area. They got the spotlight last season due to the new stadium. Unfortunately, they were abysmal at home. Now the honeymoon is over for the Quakes and their fans. Results will be demanded and when they aren’t delivered, some fans will simply choose the Giants or watching the Warriors on TV. The Quakes will be fighting for relevance this year. Will they Deliver? Tune in March 6th for the season opener to find out.
Main Photo: Scott Halleran, Getty Images
