Quakes coach helps keep roster together.
Goalkeeper Vega and midfielder Yueill confident in their team despite not adding a big star in a quiet offseason
The Earthquakes open their 23rd Major League Soccer season Saturday with unconditional faith in a roster that failed to make the 2019 playoffs.
No headline-grabbing deals. No major contract buyouts. No fanfare after going 13-16-5 in coach Matias Almeyda’s MLS debut season last year. Say what? General manager Jesse Fioranelli and Almeyda rejected the notion of a remodel while deciding that last year’s lineup was this close to success. The Quakes have one newcomer, Mexican defender Oswaldo Alanis, for their 2:30 p.m. season-opening kickoff against Toronto FC at Earthquakes Stadium.
And that is just fine with goalkeeper Daniel Vega.
“For me, it’s not about names,” he said. “I know people want to hear about big stars coming to San Jose. But the most important thing for me is the group.”
The big offseason maneuvering took place elsewhere in the Western Conference: The L. A. Galaxy signed Mexican star Javier Hernandez. Sporting Kansas City acquired Mexican goalscorer Alan Pulido. Seattle Sounders FC signed Brazilian midfielder João Paulo.
Dallas FC reached a precontract deal with Pachuca striker Franco Jara, who will join the team during the July transfer window.
Alanis joined San Jose on a season-long loan from Chivas de Guadalajara. The Earthquakes also signed Argentine outside midfielder Cristian Espinoza from Spain’s Villarreal CF with a team-record transfer fee reported to be $3 million. Espinoza, who joined San Jose on loan last year, had a team-leading 13 assists in 30 appearances to become an MLS breakout star.
Neither move has been greeted with open enthusiasm from supporters who have spent years cheering for a loser. The Quakes have had three winning seasons since re-entering the league as an expansion team in 2008. Other than the outlier season in 2012 when it won the Supporters’ Shield with the league’s best overall record (19- 6-9), San Jose has never finished higher than sixth place in the Western Conference.
Vega understands the skepticism.
“We have to prove we don’t need a big star to have a good season,” he said.
Vega didn’t flinch as opponents upgraded rosters during the offseason. The goalkeeper who once played for Buenos Aires powerhouse River Plate has known Almeyda for many years. He trusts the Argentine coach’s ability to build a team.
“He can see beyond the pitch,” said Vega, who joined San Jose last year from the United Soccer League. “It doesn’t surprise me that Matias didn’t bring in other players.”
The acquisitions the team made arguably give San Jose the backbone it needs to challenge for a playoff spot.
Espinoza, 24, was the catalyst on offense that San Jose would not have easily replaced had it lost the winger this year. Alanis, who played for Almeyda at Chivas, has been a member of the Mexican national team, the class of CONCACAF. He is expected to take over one of the main defensive positions that could keep the Quakes competitive throughout the sevenmonth season.
One reason the San Jose brass did not jump into the marketplace full force is it felt two 2019 midseason additions — Carlos Fierro of Mexico and Andy Rios of Argentina — deserved a chance to prove themselves. They enter the 2020 season with an understanding of MLS and how they can fit into Almeyda’s lineup. If they are as good as their coach thinks, San Jose might have a solid group of attacking players without having spent a fortune fiddling with the lineup.
Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yueill, a U. S. national team member, understands the urge for roster changes. But he prefers consistency.
“We have our system and know how we want to play,” Yueill said. “We’re not starting at zero like we have the past couple of seasons. You will see the cultivation of everything that happened last year.”
San Jose started with four consecutive defeats last season when Almeyda introduced an exhausting man-marking system that took players months to execute. Then San Jose looked as good as any team by midseason. It missed the playoffs by losing the final six games.
Players say the team will respond better than it did last year because Almeyda has shown trust in them by not tinkering with the roster
Yueill said the Quakes are not talking about simply advancing to the playoffs. They want to win the U. S. Open Cup and whatever else they can.
“This year we want to do something special,” he said.
Just maybe they are not overstating their aspirations although many league analysts predict they will finish somewhere near the bottom of the standings. ( The data- driven website FiveThirtyEight was an exception, giving San Jose a 61 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs.)
The Quakes have a veteran front line starting with MLS all-time scoring leader Chris Wondolowski, 37, who led the team with 15 goals last year. All he wants in his final year is a championship. The captain teammates call “Wondo” might play a super- sub role this year.
Such a scenario could unfold if forwards Danny Hoesen and Valeri Qazaishvili break out in their fourth seasons in San Jose.
“Vako will be better this year,” said Vega, basing the assessment on what he has seen during preseason training.
Vega, 35, could have been talking about himself. He stabilized the goalkeeping position despite a couple of admittedly bad mistakes last year. The question is how long he holds the starting position before rising star JT Marcinkowski of Alamo takes over.
Marcinkowski, 22, played with the U.S. national team in the offseason but might spend part of the year with Reno 1868 FC, the Quakes’ United Soccer League affiliate.
Vega is not ready to step aside: “I don’t feel I am getting old,” he said. “I feel I am in my best moment.”
San Jose executives have thrown their support behind Vega and Marcinkowski. They traded the Homegrown rights of Cal keeper Drake Callender to Inter Miami and sent the previous starting goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell to Columbus for $75,000. They also signed Emmanuel Ochoa, 14, to a Homegrown contract in the fall but the Salinas goalkeeper will be with the Quakes Academy for the foreseeable future.
Another subplot this season involves the maturation of four teenage Homegrown signees: defenders Jacob Akanyirige (18) and Casey Walls (17), forward Cade Cowell (16) and midfielder Gilbert Fuentes (17).
Fioranelli and Almeyda prioritized building young talent over adding highpriced foreigners.
The strategy comes with a risk: Long-suffering Earthquakes fans won’t buy seats for another loser.