Black and Blue and Powering Through
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Earthquakes are currently the hottest team in Major League Soccer. Head Coach Matias Almeyda may very well be the MLS coach of the year. If there’s an award for best GM, it must go to Quakes General Manager Jesse Firoranelli. His masterfully orchestrated turnaround isn’t even complete, yet the results are undeniable. He’s building a cup contender. On the pitch, Chris Wondolowski extends his league scoring record nearly every match and currently has 153 lifetime MLS goals. Vako is on fire, Eriksson is playing his best game. Former Liga MX and CONCACAF Champions League Chivas de Guadalajara star winger Carlos Fierro has joined the team. The Quakes have acquired Argentine Primera Division champion forward Andres Rios from Racing Club perhaps in anticipation of a playoff run. If that name sounds familiar, think River Plate and Wisla Krakow. Rios has played all over the world. Power rankings have the Quakes in second on MLSsoccer.com and third on ESPN. The team hasn’t lost at home since the month of March. Knock on wood!
And wait, playoffs? There’s a lot of soccer to be played. MLS has only just completed the All-Star break. However, the San Jose Earthquakes are pushing toward the top of the western division led by the only team ahead of them in the power rankings: LAFC, and only slightly edged out by the last team to have joined the western division, Minnesota United. There’s a fair gap between #1 and #2, and then there’s #3. In fact, the Quakes’ worst loss this season was at home to #1 LAFC. According to Quakes fans, that score should never be mentioned again. Have things changed enough to make things more competitive when the Quakes visit LAFC at Banc of California Stadium on August 21? That remains to be seen. However, the Quakes beat the LA Galaxy handily both up north and down south, and the Galaxy crushed LAFC recently. That may suggest the Quakes have a chance, especially with the recent roster additions. Will that be enough to claim first place in the division? Probably not. LAFC currently enjoys a comfortable lead. However, the Quakes are currently tied with #2 Minnesota, and the #4 Seattle Sounders.
Having won four straight and being unbeaten at home over the past ten matches, San Jose has momentum on their side. Two weeks ago, after beating the Colorado Rapids at Avaya Stadium, Matias Almeyda said, “we were able to take the advantage through combinations and control;” but, “we need to keep improving.” There’s no question his system is working, and the players are responding well. The team continues to improve every week, thus confirming Almeyda’s belief that they can be even better. The players believe it too. Quakes defender Tommy Thompson said, “It's been amazing to be a part of this and I think we're just getting started.” Quakes midfielder Shea Salinas echoed similar sentiments. He said, “Our staff seemed to always know that we were going to turn this around. It just took us to start believing it.” Confidence is priceless.
The newest member of the Earthquakes, forward Andres Rios, also knows Matias Almeyda and his system. Rios said, “Matias likes for his players to pressure, to play and not let their guard down, and that's important for the team that is approaching the final stretch of the season where those qualities mark the difference.” The key to the Earthquakes’ continued success is a perfect blend of confidence and focus. From the office to the locker room, there’s no question everyone in the organization is committed to doing everything it takes to succeed.
The Earthquakes tied the Columbus Crew on Saturday, August 3 at Avaya Stadium. Despite Magnus Eriksson’s penalty pick score to go up 1-0 before the half, the Crew’s Gyasi Zardes equalized during the second half and neither team scored again. The draw represented a valuable learning lesson for the Quakes. “We know we have to keep going on this path,” said Almeyda. He knows there’s more work to be done, and so do the players. While it’s always great to win, and to earn three points, especially at home, the Quakes were aggressive. They never let up. They never lost focus. “Things don’t always go your way,” said Quakes defender Tommy Thompson. All there is to do is move on to the next match, and by all accounts the Quakes were fired up and ready to get back on the pitch mere minutes after the end of the match.
The Earthquakes now begin a 3-match road trip. They face the Colorado on the road on Saturday, August 10 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. The match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Bay Area, KNBR 1050 and KZSF 1370. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. Pacific time.
The Earthquakes continue their 11-day road series by challenging Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, August 17, and LAFC on Wednesday, August 21. The club returns home to face the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday, August 24 at Avaya Stadium. The match will be broadcast live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Pacific time. Fans interested in tickets can find them through the Earthquakes website.
Ahsan Awan has been covering sports for over a decade, and has been covering professional soccer, and the San Jose Earthquakes, since 2014. All images taken by Ahsan Awan for American Presswire and ©2019 American Presswire. He can be found on Twitter as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi.
