Nice start for new coach
Leitch watches Earthquakes slip past Sounders in first game
SAN JOSE >> It took Chris Leitch 55 seconds to leave his seat for the corner of the coaches’ box.
Thus began a new chapter in Bay Area soccer Wednesday night as Leitch took the reigns of the Earthquakes in a 2-1 victory over Seattle Sounders FC in a U.S. Open Cup game at Avaya Stadium.
Leitch wore gray slacks, white shirt, black pullover sweater and black leather dress shoes for his professional coaching debut after the midseason firing of Dominic Kinnear. The former San Jose defender squeezed a notebook into his back pocket and held a pen while occasionally shouting instructions.
Leitch, 38, said he felt a little bit of excitement but wasn’t nervous because of how much he believes in his players.
Leitch’s new coaching partner, Alex Covelo, mostly stayed seated during the game, waiting until a break in the action to speak to a player privately. Together they have been asked to change the direction of the Earthquakes from the youth teams to the senior club in a stunning shake-up that also provides an opportunity for the maturing Major League Soccer
team.
“Chris Leitch is not just a bridge,” general manager Jesse Fioranelli said a day after firing Kinnear. “Despite the fact that it was going to be the most difficult situation and decision, I felt very confident that it was the right thing to do and the right moment as well.”
As the team’s former academy director and then technical director, Leitch played a big role in building the current roster.
“I don’t see anything getting in this team’s way,” he said. “This is a damn good team.”
The Quakes proved it with a strong and playful first half, taking a 1-0 lead on Shea Salinas’ goal in the sixth minute. They outshot Seattle 7-0, and the Sounders’ Francisco Narbon was ejected with a red card in the 35th minute.
Leitch liked the way his players controlled the game over the first 45 minutes.
“I think we can do it more,” he said.
So does team star Chris Wondolowski, who still is feeling the pain of losing a coach who helped shape his World Cup career.
But Wondolowski, 34, also knows his new coach well. He and Leitch were road roommates when they played together in San Jose.
“I understand his philosophy of the game and style,” Wondolowski said, “He has great ideas. He’s also coming into a good situation.”
It almost soured in the second half when former Stanford star Aaron Kovar tied the score in the 48th minute with a blazing 25-yard free kick. But newcomer Danny Hoesen dribbled past two defenders in the penalty area to score the game winner in the 84th minute in front of 13,442 fans.
The unexpected coaching change has been challenging for the players. But they’re determined to stick together and have no complaints about trying to be more aggressive in front of the goal.
“There’s no point in looking back,” Hoesen said.
The Quakes advanced to the quarterfinals of the Open Cup for the first time since 2012.
It allows San Jose to renew the California Clasico rivalry July 10 when playing host to the Los Angeles Galaxy, which eliminated Sacramento Republic FC.
First, however, is Leitch’s MLS debut Saturday against the Galaxy at Stanford Stadium with an expected crowd of 50,000 fans. Then the Quakes travel Tuesday to Atlanta United FC.
After a brutal first week it will be easier to pass judgment on Leitch’s immediate impact.