Wondolowski deals with new role with Earthquakes
Coach says it was a one-time tactical move to bench star
SAN JOSE >> The best homegrown soccer player in Bay Area history is trying to reconcile getting benched last weekend.
Chris Wondolowski, 35, isn’t sure what to think other than continue to show a professional decorum that has made him one of the Earthquakes most popular players.
After converting goal after goal after goal in a shooting drill Tuesday, the team’s captain packed up the balls instead of leaving the task to team staff.
He remains the humble hard worker even while closing in on Landon Donovan’s all-time Major League Soccer scoring record of 145 goals.
“It’s still a process,” Wondolowski said of the benching 72 hours earlier. “It’s still a brand new thing. Hopefully, I can strive and evolve in this new role and
continue to help this team any way I can.”
The De La Salle High star knew his time would come after playing a leading role in San Jose for the past decade.
Still, “it sucks when it comes,” he said.
To which coach Mikael Stahre rushed over to join the conversation, saying, “nooo, you’re young and fit.”
The first-year coach from Sweden made the decision to sit Wondolowski for the first time since 2015. Stahre repeated Tuesday he had made a tactical decision that MLS’s second all-time
leading scorer accepted.
The coach said it was possible Wondolowski would return to the starting lineup Saturday when the Quakes, off to a disappointing 1-1-2 start, travel to Orlando City SC.
Wondolowski, who is 10 goals short of tying Donovan, probably will return to the lineup if Stahre is truthful that the move was nothing more than a onetime formation change that allowed young midfielder Jackson Yueill a chance to start.
“Chris Wondolowski is going to break the MLS scoring record here this season or next season,” general manager Jesse Fioranelli said Tuesday.
It was as clear a signal as possible that he won’t be cast aside while the Earthquakes undergo a major shift in direction under Fioranelli’s guidance.
The team’s starting lineup against Houston had no player 30 years old or over. Another long-time Quakes veteran, Shea Salinas, also was on the bench Saturday in a miserable 2-2 draw against the Dynamo. Like Wondolowski, Salinas, 31, isn’t sulking.
“Change is not super comfortable but if you want to stay relevant you’ve got to adapt and change,” he said.
The 2018 version of the Quakes exemplifies the direction they are headed. Perhaps the bad start is part of the growing pains.
Or maybe management felt the team needed a jolt by having Wondolowski sit after 56 consecutive starts. He entered the game in the 67th minute to help San Jose overcome a 2-1 deficit.
Wondolowski has a goal and an assist this season but also has missed some sitters. At times, it appears teammates no longer look to him for a goal in a subtle shift of on-field dynamics.
When coaches agreed to switch formations Saturday by adding another midfielder against Houston, Wondolowski was the obvious choice to sub out. Forward Danny Hoesen and wingers Magnus Eriksson and Valeri Qazaishvili are strong goal-scoring threats.
But by now, Stahre is well-versed in Earthquakes history. He knew his move would drive conversation among team supporters. .
If Wondolowski is headed to a new role as super sub, he won’t go quietly. The striker remains one of the team’s fittest players and provides an example for the promising young talent to emulate.
“Wondolowski is not young anymore but is really fit and still a really good player,” Stahre said. “It was a hard decision to make.”
It was particularly difficult to watch because the new lineup struggled to possess the ball despite the addition of a third midfielder.
Wondo, as he is affectionately known, has started 240 Quakes games of the 245 matches he has been available. The Danville striker has missed action while representing the U.S. national team, including the 2014 World Cup.
“I hope I can still continue to grow,” he said Tuesday. “You can keep evolving in any way at any age or shape.”
As it is, the situation doesn’t look great after five games. San Jose has earned only four points in three home games. The hope, according to management, is this team is built to play better over the course of the season. It hopes that translates to better road results than last year when the Earthquakes’ defense collapsed like a condemned home.
More changes could be coming. Fioranelli and Stahre are closely watching the development of their second-division affiliate in Reno where they have stockpiled young players.
The question is whether that means fans will be seeing more Wondo.
Or less.