It was only a few weeks ago that many had the San Jose Earthquakes as one of the favorites to win the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando where they made it to the quarterfinals.
After the worst defeat in club history, 7-1, at the hands of the Seattle Sounders, the Earthquakes now find themselves in last place in the Western Conference (2W-4L-3D) with the most goals conceded by any team in MLS history (26) after nine matches in a regular season.
So what happened in a span of a few weeks?
Highlights: Seattle 7, San Jose 1
“In this restart of the regular season we’re really doing bad,” Quakes head coach Matias Almeyda said after the 7-1 loss in Seattle. “When we had reached a level to be competitive [in Orlando] it’s because defenders, midfielders and attackers played the same way. And today there was not a defender, midfielder or attacker who has played better than the others. The coach, and that’s me, and the team played really poorly and we have to get ourselves out of this.”
Almeyda said his team “played like a last-place team and Seattle played like the last champions” and he noted how the Earthquakes were unrecognizable from the side that played the Sounders during the 0-0 draw on July 10 at the MLS is Back Tournament.
The Argentine manager, who’s been at the helm since the start of the 2019 season, shouldered the blame – “I always say that the person responsible is the coach because the coach picks the 11 to start,” he said. But when asked whether the drop-off from the MLS is Back Tournament is down to physical condition or simple execution, Almeyda said that winning and losing matches was impacted by the players’ interpretation of the game plan.
“When the interpretation [of the game plan] is good and we do what we plan, we’re competitive,” Almeyda said. “But when we’re far away, especially against a team like this [Seattle] with preset schemes [movements] and you mark at three meters away and not half a meter like we planned. When you have the ball and instead of giving it to a teammate you give it to the opponent, it’s difficult.”
San Jose captain Chris Wondolowski agreed with his coach’s assessment, saying that the players knew exactly what would be coming from the Sounders.
“I think we need to execute the game plan. That’s the biggest difference,” Wondolowski said. “When you play unselfish, some special things happen. When it doesn’t, it’s a fine line between the haves and have-nots, especially in this league. Right now we’re getting punished, and rightfully so, and it’s not good enough all across the board.
“I think the biggest thing that changed [from Orlando] is a fine line of when you’re marking. You can be a yard away and you think that you’re close. That’s not close enough. That’s the difference,” Wondolowski continued, pointing out that the Quakes press was a step late all over the field. “We’re trying to get away with just a little bit of the easy thing and trying to do the bare minimum. And that hasn’t been our M.O. from the start. I think that we need to go back to what’s been successful. And a lot of it has been our hard work and energy. We have to outwork teams and we know that.”
Jordan Morris races past SJ's Paul Marie during a 7-1 Sounders win | Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Wondolowski called it a “painful night” and Almeyda talked about the losing causing him “internal pain.” But despite the anguish that comes with a 7-1 loss – it’s San Jose's third defeat in their last four matches – the Earthquakes are still only three points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand on most Western Conference teams.
Almeyda said it would be a challenge to implement many new changes with so few training sessions to work on them due to the condensed schedule, but he’s focused on finding a way to get the players’ confidence back. Wondolowski is challenging himself to do just that ahead of the Cali Clasico against the LA Galaxy coming up at home on Sunday (11 pm ET on UniMas, TUDN and Twitter in USA).
“I think that where this club is and the strides we’ve taken, it’s still headed in a great direction and those strides are still along the way and still on the right path,” Wondolowski said. “Does tonight hurt? Yes, absolutely. Tonight is absolutely a gut blow. It hurts me. It hurts my ego and it hurts everything. This one is going to keep me up at night. And again, this was on me and I have to make sure I get these guys ready and get myself ready. I turned the ball over so many times in the middle of the field, it was embarrassing.
“We have a game Sunday. It’s another Clasico and we better come ready. And it’s not just about connecting passes, but it’s about the energy we bring. And that’s been lacking as well.”
