Offseason Outlook: San Jose Earthquakes

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By Jamon Moore (@jmoorequakes)

It was a tumultuous season for the Quakes, which saw them fall from a midseason peak of second in the Western Conference down to eighth – four points out of a playoff spot. Based on publicly-available contractual information Earthquakes fans were expecting some mass departures at the end of 2019. Contracts were up for fan favorites Chris Wondolowski, Florian Jungwirth, Judson (on loan), and Cristian Espinoza (on loan). Earthquakes General Manager Jesse Fioranelli quickly addressed the first three, and then paid approximately $3 million, to Villarreal for a permanent transfer for Espinoza. However, other contracts that seemed to be expiring had been previously extended (Andrew Tarbell and Shea Salinas) or curiously had their option picked up (Matt Bersano), while only three players had options declined (Francois Affolter, Jimmy Ockford and Kevin Partida) with one contract allowed to expire (Harold Cummings).

Areas of Depth: Goalkeeper, Wingers/Outside Midfielders, Right Back

The Earthquakes have five goalkeepers on their 30-man roster. Yes, five. Not only that, but the starting job for all 34 games in 2019 went to 35-year-old Argentine Daniel Vega, who played for Matias Almeyda at River Plate in 2012 but had spent the last few years in the US second division. JT Marcinkowski, a homegrown player who displaced Tarbell at the end of 2018 – and a virtual lock to feature for the US U-23s during Olympic qualifying – spent almost the entire season playing for affiliate Reno 1868 FC, along with Matt Bersano. Marcinkowski and Bersano alternated in the gameday 18 in 2019. This offseason, San Jose signed their second homegrown goalkeeper, 14-year-old Emi Ochoa. Retaining Matt Bersano, who hasn’t played a league-game minute for the Earthquakes over three seasons, is a curious move indeed, but one has to expect that some movement such as a trade or season-long loan to Reno 1868 or another USL club is possible for Tarbell or Bersano. Fioranelli is so confident in this group that he traded the homegrown rights to Quakes Academy alum and Cal standout keeper Drake Callender, who has the potential to be a top MLS keeper in a few years, to Inter Miami FC in this offseason.

In signing Espinoza, the two current Designated Players on the Earthquakes are wingers. Vako, who was expected to mature into a 10 in MLS, has instead found himself getting all of his starting time for Almeyda on the left wing while Espinoza covers the right. After being benched following the first few games of the season, Vako found motivation, perhaps temporary, in being left off the roster for the Georgian national team mid-season, and began to step it up for his club team, scoring eight goals between May and August (which earned him his national team spot back). However, his production again tailed off when the team needed it most, resurrecting some old questions. Also available on the wing is Carlos Fierro, Shea Salinas, and 2019 MLS SuperDraft pick Siad Haji. Haji showed a couple moments of brilliance when given a shot, but spent most of the 2019 season in Reno. Fierro so far has shown none of the form that made him a top prospect for Chivas Guadalajara following being a key part of the Mexican U-17 World Cup winning team in 2011. Salinas, now 33 years old, helped jumpstart the Quakes turnaround by adding four goals in May – six overall – and is likely still the best off-the-bench option Almeyda has, regardless of the situation, given his ability to play a variety of positions.

Lima 2018

Lima 2019

Thompson 2019

The right back situation was a stable, yet contentious, situation in 2019. While Nick Lima was away at USMNT camps, playing a false fullback for Gregg Berhalter, and providing Rooney-esqe tackles and assists, Almeyda saw the right back he needed for his unique system with the talented but directionless Tommy Thompson. Once Lima returned, he struggled to figure out Almeyda’s system. Lima instead found some time at left back alternating with 19-year-old Peruvian national team youngster Marcos Lopez, but that’s a story for later. Even more depth can be found at right back with 2018 MLS SuperDraft selection Paul Marie who looked pretty good in his limited opportunities. Marie can also provide depth at winger, and it’s been quite common for Almeyda over the years to put quicker, smaller midfielders who are able to read the game in front of them, such as Marie and Thompson, into defensive spots.

Areas of Need: Striker, Central Midfield, Left Back

The ageless Chris Wondolowski had his most productive season since his MLS then-record-tying 2012 season with 16 goals, tied for fifth in the league. He will likely be expected to carry most of the load in 2020 with support from Danny Hoesen and Andrés (Andy) Rios. Wondolowski was clear that 2020 will be his final season, although if 2019 was any indication, he could easily play another two or three seasons. If Hoesen, who only had five goals on 8.9 xG, can regain his 2018 form (12 goals on 9.8 xG), this will take some of the load off of Wondolowski. Rios, who arrived midseason and is most often used as a second forward in various game states, scored only one goal but made the most substitute appearances on the team after his arrival. While the Quakes appeared in the market for another striker chasing Alan Pulido, there is a big question about their seriousness. Last year, the Quakes also added a promising young physical beast of a 16-year-old homegrown, Cade Cowell. Cowell scored in his first game for Reno 1868 FC as well as in a friendly against Liga MX powerhouse Monterrey.

Another surprising change Almeyda made in 2019 was turning winger/forward, and former Swedish Allsvenskan 2018 golden boot winner Magnus Eriksson, into a 10. It largely paid off, with Eriksson scoring six goals on seven primary assists matching up well with his xG and xA numbers. Eriksson’s 101 key passes were third in MLS behind Diego Valeri and Carlos Gil with a compensation (per MLSPA) less than 20% of those in front or immediately after him in that department, although San Jose’s shoot-on-sight mentality throughout the middle of the season yielded Eriksson a much lower xG/shot than these other assist merchants.

Player Team Pos G xG xPlace G-xG KeyP A xA A-xA xG+xA Comp ($K)
Diego Valeri POR CAM 8 9.4 0.0 -1.4 125 8 9.51 -1.51 18.91 2420
Carles Gil NER CM 10 8.1 2.5 1.9 106 12 9.80 2.20 17.93 2338
Magnus Eriksson SJE CAM 6 5.8 -1.4 0.2 101 7 7.86 -0.86 13.71 450
Maximiliano Moralez NYC Wing 7 10.2 -0.7 -3.2 97 12 9.13 2.87 19.30 2000
Carlos Vela LAFC Wing 34 25.7 5.3 8.3 93 10 11.41 -1.41 37.10 6300
Nicolas Lodeiro SEA CAM 7 6.2 -1.2 0.8 86 7 9.34 -2.34 15.49 2502

While Eriksson still feels like a bit of a square peg in a round hole for Almeyda, the experiment cannot be considered anything less than a success, even if you can envision a true Mexican or Argentinian 10 with a higher upside under Almeyda. Eriksson’s defensive ability is above average, although his pace is far less than desirable. The bigger issue is that his backup is unclear. Is it Andy Rios? Perhaps Vako? The Quakes would do well to get a true 10 in the summer transfer window, but that’s been the most common conversation by the fans surrounding the team since 2012 and nothing has happened. With Fioranelli focusing his scouting in Latin American countries, there is optimism his scouts will identify a young 10 to bring in at some point in the next 12 months, perhaps midseason.

Two huge bright spots in central midfield include USMNT breakout player of the offseason, Jackson Yueill, who is on the last year of his contract, and Judson who was brought in on a loan in 2019 from the Brazilian second division and was signed on a permanent transfer. Much debate among fans has been made about whether Yueill is better as a box-to-box or a regista-style six, but he’s certainly shown a strong ability to sit deeper and spray accurate switches around the pitch. For his part, Judson, a true defensive midfielder, may have the best side-to-side movement to shut down counter attacks in the league, often compared to Diego Chara for his coverage of space. Now that Godoy has departed the team, the players behind Judson and Yueill are murky. Eric Cavillo, formerly of the most recent NASL version of the New York Cosmos, has promise as an option for Yueill, but is much more box-to-box and lacks Yueill’s ability to hit those aforementioned switches. Luis Felipe Fernandez showed high promise in 2018, even making regular appearances in ASA editor Ian L.’s weekly columns, but was rarely seen in 2019. Without Godoy, “LFF” is currently the most logical backup to Judson at this point. The future has rarely been seen on the Avaya Stadium pitch, but Gilbert Fuentes, signed as a 15-year-old homegrown two years ago and making a cameo debut in 2018, has been getting more time at Reno 1868 FC and is making strides toward time with the first team. Fuentes faced disappointment this offseason, missing out on the U-17 World Cup with the USYNT, but he’s widely considered one of the best young central midfielders in the country.

It’s tempting to list left back as an area of extreme need, but I’m restraining myself here given there are two starters and even an emergency backup. As mentioned earlier, Nick Lima and Marcos Lopez both cover the position, and Almeyda tended to play the more lukewarm hand throughout 2019. Lopez regained the spot while Lima would be called away to USMNT duty only to make some gaffe which gave the position back to Lima. Lopez is not a natural left back, and may more naturally succeed in a formation and system that uses wingbacks given his relative success as an 18-year-old winger with Sporting Cristal in the Peruvian league. The Peruvian media was baffled at the Earthquakes insistence to play Lopez as a regular left back, although that’s his position on the national team. Again, given Almeyda’s tendency to play midfielders at outside back positions, there seems to be a lot of patience with Lopez to pick up the position while using Lima in more crucial situations in the meantime. The issue is while Lima has elite upside as a right back, sadly he’ll probably never be more than above average as a left back. That emergency back I alluded to is Shea Salinas who played there out-of-position in 2018 for then head coach Mikael Stahre. Salinas both fits Almeyda’s enjoyment of midfielders at fullback and probably has most of the risky offensive characteristics Almeyda likes in Thompson, while he lacks some defensively.

Area of Extreme Need: Center Back

Florian Jungwirth appeared on the outs with Almeyda in the 2019 preseason and early-season losses but flourished when finally given the opportunity and was instrumental in the turnaround that followed. His reading of the game in Almeyda’s system is excellent, and he does well directing traffic in front of Vega and anticipating situations. Finally comfortable with his career move to center back, Jungwirth is a fan favorite and locker room leader who shares the blue collar ethos of the club.

Guram Kashia’s 2018 entry into MLS, via his good buddy Vako, was intended to bring a fire extinguisher to the dumpster fire that was the 2018 backline of the Earthquakes. Given the athleticism of MLS compared to the Dutch Eredivisie where he was an elite defender and team captain, he didn’t have as big of an impact as desired, but showed enough to earn his opportunities in 2019, forming a solid pairing with Jungwirth. However, he occasionally lost markers in key moments that factored into losses down the stretch. His experience is invaluable and his willpower is present, but, at age 32, he’s physically less able to meet the season-long demands of Almeyda’s system.

Given the departures of Cummings, Affolter, and Ockford – all center backs – the only other center backs on the roster are two young homegrowns, 17-year-old Jacob Akanyirige and newly-minted 16-year-old Casey Walls. Center back has become a dire position of need for San Jose. Fioranelli, in a recent roundtable with media members in which I participated, admitted this is an area of focus for the rest of the preseason. When pressed why he hadn’t signed available center backs from within MLS, Fioranelli called the MLS center back market “stale”. With only one international slot remaining at his disposal, Earthquakes fans should expect more green cards to be obtained in order to make a least two more center back signings before the season begins.