As the final whistle blew on the San Jose Earthquakes 2014 season, the team’s front office was preparing for an extremely busy off-season. Two years ago, the Earthquakes finished with a 66 point season that included Chris Wondolowski earning the league MVP award following a 27 goal effort but more importantly the team as a whole earned some hardware. Nobody knew what direction the Earthquakes would take heading into the 2015 season, but one thing was for sure, this team would be unrecognizable from the 2012 squad that brought the Supporter’s Shield to San Jose.
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Gone was Frank Yallop, the coach that brought Silicon Valley its first championship in a major American sport. Yallop’s replacement and former assistant, Mark Watson, departed after a decent finish to the 2013 season; Alan Gordon was sent back home to the Los Angeles Galaxy, the more level headed and effective of the “bash brothers”. Even the team’s home since their return to MLS in 2006, the pillbox known as Buck Shaw Stadium was gone. A casual MLS fan would probably pop a bag of popcorn and find a comfortable spot to watch the seeming disaster unfold.
Meanwhile, in bars around Diridon Station and office buildings off The Alameda, the Earthquakes front office and supporters were putting on their best poker faces. They knew this unrecognizable motley crew left over from the 2014 season was the starting point of a new era in Earthquakes soccer. Avaya Stadium, constructed a couple of miles away with a much larger capacity would bring in an influx of new fans. More importantly, for a team and a league trying to find its way in an international sport, more supporters would thus bring in more money and with that opportunities to sign a world class soccer player, as is the flavor of the week around MLS.
When it became known that 24-year-old USMNT Midfielder Mix Diskerud was making his way to MLS, social media went into a frenzy in San Jose. Could the Earthquakes finally add a third designated player to their roster on the eve of the grand-opening of Avaya Stadium? The supporters all wanted it, but would they get the attention of the front office? The more that the supporters questioned the front office, the less information came out of Dave Kaval and Co. As any Earthquakes fan would say, they were hella quiet. Maybe the front office were holding a full house but were waiting for a special day to reveal their hand?
Possibly, Coach Kinnear was planning a major tactical change and required a player that was not yet available. With so little information coming from the Earthquakes front office about any potential signings, anyone’s guess was valid. The most likely scenario to have occurred is them having spent any acquisition money on “the largest outdoor bar in North America” given the amount of time Mr. Kaval spent showing it off on social media.
The Earthquakes finally unveiled their much anticipated 3rd designated player on February 2nd. It was 25-year-old Swiss international Innocent Emeghara, who played in Serie A for A.C. Siena and A.S. Livorno Calcio. Emeghara is going to give opposing defenders fits with his speed that will open up Wondolowski, but how many wins that will translate into is yet to be decided. There are high hopes for this team after last year’s terrible season, but looking at their competition in the Western Conference, there is no possibility of finishing higher than 7th in the Western Conference.
MLS have raised the quality of their product while the Earthquakes have kept aging. Chris Wondolowski is 32, Victor Bernárdez is 32 and Jordan Stewart is 34. With Kansas City and Houston coming over to the West, this season is going to be a heavyweight slug-fest – those aging bodies are going to take a beating. The new stadium and louder environment will contribute some extra goals that might turn into a couple more home wins, but not enough to take this team to the playoffs. Part of MLS has taken a step in creating national brands and others are struggling to capitalize on their home markets. This season will demonstrate on what side of the chart the San Jose Earthquakes belong.
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