With less than ten matches left in the season, the San Jose Earthquakes have some work to do if they want to keep up with the pack in the Western Conference. I look around at the teams around them in the standings to see who they play in the next month. Up first for the Quakes is an LAFC team that has been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all season long.
Going into the All-Star break the San Jose Earthquakes are one of the hottest teams in MLS. On top of that, they beat the LA Galaxy in a lopsided Cali Clasico in Carson. They aren't the only Bay Area soccer team charging up the table, Oakland Roots are on an unbeaten run of their own and are looking to find a way to sneak into the USL Championship playoffs but have a tough task ahead of them against Tampa Bay Rowdies.
The San Jose Earthquakes signed Nathan to shore up their leaky defense, and it has paid dividends so far. Unfortunately, their inability to score goals has prevented them from moving up the Western Conference table. One of the most difficult parts of the schedule is coming up. What might it look like in September?
The San Jose Earthquakes are still dealing with a winless streak that dates back to early May but a glimmer of hope has showed up in the form of a 6'2" Brazilian named Nathan. He was recently named to his first MLS Team of the Week in just his third MLS start. I look deeper into his performance in his first three matches to show that he has been one of the best defenders in MLS since his debut.
The San Jose Earthquakes have lost their last four matches and are looking to change their fortunes in Texas this weekend. In front of them are 11 determined players and a whole city ready to show off to a national audience. It seems like a daunting task but the Quakes under Almeyda have thrived in these kind of tension filled matchups. Also I finally get into the Oakland Roots and how their first season in the USL Championship is going. That Oakland vs. Sacramento rivalry is getting spicy!!
The strong start the San Jose Earthquakes enjoyed the first month of the season has come to a screeching halt as the quality of opponents has gone up. They have a chance to get things back on track this weekend when they face the Galaxy in the first Cali Clasico of the year. Galaxy has relied on Chicharito for their offense and nothing else while their defense has given up 11 goals. How do I think they can leave Los Angeles with three points? Listen and find out!
The San Jose Earthquakes took the lead in the first minute when Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez scored his first Major League Soccer goal and never looked back against D.C United. For the second week, they overwhelmed their opponent, with 17-year-old Cade Cowell taking the lead. His 1 goal 2 assist performance earned him Player of the Week Honors and sent a buzz across the nation. Next up for the Quakes is a Real Salt Lake team that sprinted out of the gate and has won both matches they have played this season.
The San Jose Earthquakes had one of their better performances in the Matias Almeyda era beating FC Dallas 3-1 in the first match at PayPal Park in over a year. 17-year-old Cade Cowell was a one man wrecking crew scoring a goal and dishing up one of the cleanest assists you will ever see. Next up for San Jose is a D.C. United team that got its first victory last week in sloppy fashion.
The San Jose Earthquakes kicked off the 2021 Major League Soccer season on a stormy Texas evening against Houston Dynamo. The team came in slightly unprepared as many factors prevented them from having a normal offseason, and it showed on the pitch. Now the team must regroup and face a stronger opponent from Texas in FC Dallas. What can Almeyda do to get his team the first points of the season?
The Major League Soccer offseason is almost over, and we are finally going to get to see what Matias Almeyda can do with a roster of his choice. I decided to pull out my crystal ball and see what I think the Western Conference will look like at the end of the season. I also break down the Earthquake's week 1 opponent Houston Dynamo and go through their depth chart to see what Wondo and the boys might be up against on Saturday.
We are a couple of weeks away from the start of the 2021 Major League Soccer season, and now we know the full schedule that lies ahead for the San Jose Earthquakes. Matias Almeyda has been building his roster for the last three seasons, and now it may be his last chance to show the people of San Jose how far he can take this squad. Will the jam-packed schedule of this year help or hurt the Quakes? We will start finding out in 10 days.
Matias Almeyda loves to take his teams to sunny Mexican beaches for pre-season training. The current travel restrictions prevented him from doing that this season so the ho-hum beach town of Santa Barbara will have to this season. Also, what insight could a potential sale of Orlando City give us into the current value of MLS squads.
The 2021 MLS season inches closer, and I dig deep to try to find some Quakes news to talk about. Luckily a year packed with soccer all over the world is about to begin. Up first for Jackson Yueill, JT Marcinkowski, Cade Cowell, and the rest of the U-23 men's national team is the Olympic qualifying tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. Continuing the USMNT talk, I speak on a tap of a finger by a member of the senior team that made me realize, again, how much of an outsider I am in the country I was born in.
The San Jose Earthquakes continue to build their roster for the 2021 season by adding three players to their roster. Eric Remedi comes over from Atlanta United and adds much-needed depth on the defensive side of the midfield. The Quakes also found a replacement for Nick Lima, who Austin FC signed. Luciano Abecasis comes from Paraguay's Club Libertidad with a tough task ahead of him. Finally, the Quakes stayed local while looking for offensive help with the signing of 21-year-old forward Benji Kikanovic. Will these moves make the Quakes competitive in 2021? These are my thoughts.
Just when we thought we could focus on the upcoming start of the MLS preseason, Chile enters the mix and seems to be interested in Matias Almeyda's services. As is standard in San Jose, nobody knows much about anything, but we, the supporters, hope for at least one more season of the Argentinian on the sidelines. Also, a new USL team is coming to the Monterey Bay area, giving us one more option to watch live professional soccer.
The San Jose Earthquakes selected Cal forward Thomas Williamson and North Carolina State midfielder George Asomani last week in the Superdraft. Both players will add some depth to a squad known for their high-intensity play that can sometimes hit a physical wall. The big signing news of the week was the addition of midfielder Eduardo "Chofis" Lopez, who will fill the hole in the lineup left by Magnus Eriksson's departure. Matias Almeyda is hoping to use more of his magic ability to revive players' careers and take the Quakes farther than the first round of the playoffs. That is if he is here next season.
The Superdraft is upon us! It has never been the major event Major League Soccer would like it to be but there are some good players ready to make the jump and teams like the Earthquakes can find some key pieces. Oz think they can bolster their defense here leaving more money available to sign a goal scoring threat. Can a player like Ben Di Rosa or Justin Malou come in and fill in the gap left by Nick Lima?
As the Major League Soccer offseason grinds on, not much news is coming out of Coleman Avenue. We still don't know if we will be allowed to see our Quakes in person this season, but the players can look forward to an updated pitch at the stadium. After struggling to keep their playing surface together last season, the team upgrades to one of the most sophisticated in North America. The yearly Almeyda rumors are quickly quieted, but the Quakes remain silent on the new signing front.