Team Focus: San Jose Beginning to Bubble to the Surface in MLS

By beating the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy 3-1 last weekend, the San Jose Earthquakes made a statement about where they are heading under Dominic Kinnear. Until then they had been flying under the radar, on the brink of the Western playoff spots, but the problem with statement wins is that they tend to be noticed. 

Of course, the Quakes have been a force at home for much of the campaign - as they settle into their new, state-of-the-art 18,000-seater Avaya Stadium. In fact, the Californian side have lost just once at home all season - against Real Salt Lake back in April. 

Now, however, San Jose have added results on the road too. Before Saturday’s win over the LA Galaxy, the Quakes dealt a 2-0 defeat to another Western Conference heavyweight - the Seattle Sounders. The hosts might have been missing both Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey, but victory still put down a marker for Kinnear’s side. 

The Scottish-born coach has favoured a 4-3-3 formation for much of the campaign, although resorted to something of a fluid 4-1-4-1 for the weekend win over the LA Galaxy. It was a shape that seemed to suit the Earthquakes, with the lines of defence, midfield and attack so interchangeable, allowing structure when behind the ball and forward movement when in possession themselves. 

The spine of San Jose’s starting team is relatively strong, and a number of players have come to the fore in recent weeks. The 3-1 win in the Cali Clasico against the LA Galaxy underlined what makes them playoff contenders, despite a stuttering campaign to date. 

Matias Perez Garcia might have taken his time to bed into MLS having signed for the Quakes last July, but the Argentinean is now among the best playmakers in the North American game. With an average of 2.8 key passes per match, Garcia - who has five assists this season - is by far San Jose’s most creative player. Shea Salinas, by comparison, is the closest to that mark of all players at the club with 1.4 key passes per game. 

In fact, on the basis of key passes per game, Garcia is ranked behind only Shaun Maloney (3.2), Javier Morales (3.1), Cristian Maidana (2.9), and the New York Red Bulls’ Felipe (2.6) across the entire league. He might not receive the ball that often - he certainly isn’t a hub of possession in the way someone like Osvaldo Alonso is - but he makes the most of what possession he is afforded. 

And of course in Chris Wondolowski, the San Jose Earthquakes have the best natural finisher in MLS. The US international already boasts nine goals to his name, and he is generally the Quakes’ most productive player in the final third, averaging 3.1 shots on goal per game. That ranks him the sixth most prolific shot-taker in the league, which Sebastian Giovinco (5.7) leads. 

It’s difficult to illustrate the hallmark of Wondolowski’s game - which is finding space in the penalty area and somehow evading the attention of opposition defenders - using statistics, but even using number and figures, the 32-year-old is comfortably one of the best strikers in the league. 

Although perhaps one of the biggest innovations of Kinnear’s short tenure in charge of the Earthquakes is the use of Wondolowski in a slightly deeper position, sometimes even verging on the midfield area. Adam Jahn has instead been favoured as the central striker, but even still, Wondolowski carries a significant threat as San Jose’s most reliable goal-getter. 

San Jose also possess quality and experience at the back, with Clarence Goodson a proven MLS veteran. The 33-year-old averages 7.3 clearances per game - to provide some context, Matt Besler averages the most (8) in MLS - and also averages 2.6 interceptions per game, illustrating just how pro-active Goodson is by trade. 

The Californians are at their best through the middle, which is unfortunate for someone like Sanna Nyassi - who on his day can be a mercurial wide operator - but this is simply a case of Kinnear playing to his team’s obvious strengths. In terms of their spin, San Jose are accomplished - with Victor Bernardez and Goodson at the back, Garcia in attacking midfield and Wondolowski in attack - to an extent that they are not often given credit for. 

The Earthquakes have largely gone unnoticed in MLS this season, but victory over the LA Galaxy moved them into the playoff places in the Western Conference. It will now be more difficult for them to quietly go about their business, as they have been, but that says a lot about their progression under Kinnear in 2015.

Can the Earthquakes maintain their good form to secure a playoff spot this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below