SAN JOSE, Calif. -- When San Jose Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear looks at in-season friendlies, it’s not exactly through the eyes of a stifled innovator awaiting a breakout moment.
“Everybody knows everybody,” Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com Monday, on the eve of his team’s International Champions Cup match against Mexican side Club America (10:30 pm ET, FOX Sports 1). “Changing formations, go three at the back ... I don’t think we’re going to go [that route]. We’re going to keep it similar.
“You always want to try to have guys in the position where they’re the most comfortable. To have somebody play out of position in these types of games would be a bit of a mistake. You want guys to get minutes, you want them to get chances for confidence, but also you want to keep them hungry.”
That said, Kinnear is planning on doing some rearranging when it comes to what specific players are on the pitch at any given moment Tuesday night. In MLS play, some clear preferences have been seen in Kinnear’s selections, but the veteran coach -- now half a season into his first year back leading San Jose -- wants to try different combinations against the reigning CONCACAF Champions League titlist.
“It won’t be like, the guys who have been playing [as one whole unit] and then the guys who aren’t,” Kinnear said. “I think we’ll try and mix and match, because somewhere down the line, we’re going to need those guys to play with each other.”
This month’s extra matches -- the Quakes also host Manchester United next Tuesday in ICC play -- come at a poor time for San Jose, who are missing key pieces to injury and Gold Cup duty.
“It’s not perfect,” Quakes left back Jordan Stewart told MLSsoccer.com “Our squad’s not the biggest at the minute; people are away, people are carrying a few knocks and bruises. You have to manage the team and try to give people minutes who haven’t played a lot, but also players like me, who couldn’t play in the game on Friday, may play longer than what I’d normally play [in a friendly]."
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The Quakes could use a confidence boost at the attacking end. They are on a 288-minute scoreless streak across all competitions after a 2-0 loss to Houston on Friday, having failed to find the back of the net since Cordell Cato’s 72nd-minute goal capped a 3-1 win against the LA Galaxy on June 27.
Perhaps a couple of scores against Club America -- who are in preseason training and coming off a 2-1 defeat to the Galaxy on Saturday -- would turn the corner for the Quakes, who make their own journey to the StubHub Center this Friday (11 pm ET; UniMás).
“You get competition,” Kinnear said of the role of friendlies in an MLS season, before stressing the quality of opposition. “It’s good competition, too. It’s not like it’s just a game. We have to show up and play.”
