The San Jose Earthquakes are in fifth place in the Western Conference heading into the long summer months of the MLS season. The Earthquakes missed out on the playoffs last year, a finish manager Dom Kinnear does not plan to make twice. In order for the Quakes to ensure a postseason appearance, they need to have answers for three key obstacles.
Earthquakes Playoffs Obstacles
Road Woes
One of the glaring problems so far this season is the Quakes’ road record: two points out of 15 possible; the Quakes drew FC Dallas and the Philadelphia Union while losing to West Coast rivals Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Los Angeles Galaxy. Quite simply, San Jose has to be able to win on the road.
Unfortunately, the Quakes have not made things easier on themselves, having shot themselves in the foot four times in their five road matches. In Los Angeles, midfielder Simon Dawkins was shown a red on a dangerous tackle. Midfielder Anibal Godoy was shown red after collecting a second yellow in Philadelphia. In Frisco, TX, defender Shaun Francis gave away a penalty kick on a poor tackle in the box and center back Victor Bernardez headed in an own-goal on a cross right in front of the Quakes’ net.
If San Jose can maintain discipline on the road, they should be able put themselves in positions to win games, rather than eek out draws. Perhaps the biggest test will come this Saturday, as the Quakes visit the Los Angeles Galaxy, arguably the most difficult venue for visiting teams as the Galaxy have a +10 goal differential and have yet to lose in five home matches, including earning a 3-1 victory over San Jose in March. Expect San Jose to play a clean game and possibly be the first MLS team to win in StubHub this season.
No More Goodson
Center back Clarence Goodson has been riddled with injuries for the past several years. Since May of 2014, Goodson has missed 38 games out of a possible 72, or over half of his eligible games. He also has not been participating in training sessions for the past several months, and there is no window for his return. To add insult to this injury, Goodson will probably require at least a month of training once/if he is fit enough to return to competition. For all intents and purposes, Goodson is out and may never return.
The Quakes need to have a contingency to have a shut-down defense without Goodson. In the two games Goodson has started, the Quakes have earned clean-sheet victories. In their nine other matches, the Quakes have managed to earn just two more clean-sheet victories, while posting an overall goals-against average of 1.44.
One of the solutions was the signing of Argentinian center back Andres Imperiale, but in true Quakes fashion, Imperiale has also caught the injury bug, missing the past three games with a toe injury. This has caused Kinnear to run a triage backline with right-back Marvell Wynne shifting to center back and former Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie starting at right-back. The new back-line has yet to collect a shut-out, and may not be a viable long-term solution.
Look for Marvell Wynne to continue to start while Imperiale recovers, and don’t be surprised if the Quakes add an additional defender during the second transfer window in July if Goodson is still out of commission. However, if the Quakes cannot find a center back ready to play each game, their defense may be their playoff Achilles’ heel.
Colorado Rising
One factor the Quakes–nor any other Western Conference team–accounted for in a playoff run was the Leceister City-esque rise of the Colorado Rapids. Colorado is in first place with 24 points, have the highest points-per-game average in MLS with 2.00 points/game, and have won every home game this season (6-0-0). With the arrival of Jermaine Jones and the signing of Tim Howard, the Rapids are a certain lock for a top-six finish. It’s difficult to believe that just a year ago, Colorado placed last in the West with 37 points. FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy also appear to have the pieces in place for a top-three finish, leaving little wiggle-room for San Jose.
To make a playoff run, San Jose cannot repeat last season’s abysmal July/August, in which San Jose went 0-5-1 in league play. Look for San Jose to become more aggressive as July draws closer, with a home-and-away set of matches versus Los Angeles, a home match versus FC Dallas, and a road match against the Portland Timbers.
Main Photo: Shaun Clark, Getty Images
