San Jose Earthquakes
Author: Alicia Rodriguez | Cover illustration by Duane Tomaszewski
The San Jose Earthquakes are looking to get back to their glory days in 2017. Dominic Kinnear has a track record of winning MLS Cup, but the Quakes haven't reached the postseason in either of his two seasons since returning to San Jose, and the team has missed the MLS Cup Playoffs the last four years altogether. The big change in the offseason was hiring Jesse Fioranelli as general manager -- will his addition prove to be the boost San Jose need to be a contender again? The Bay Area hopes it will be.
Key Offseason Transactions
| KEY PLAYERS IN: | KEY PLAYERS OUT: |
|---|---|
| Nick Lima (D) Marcos Urena (F) Danny Hoesen (F) Florian Jungwirth (D/M) Jahmir Hyka (M) All transactions | Clarence Goodson (D) Jordan Stewart (D) Alberto Quintero (M) |
Player to watch: Chris Wondolowski
The 34-year-old has shown remarkable consistency the last seven years, and for the Quakes to compete this season, he'll surely play a big role yet again. Many wonder if this is the year Father Time will catch up with Wondo – but he's only 24 goals behind all-time MLS leading scorer Landon Donovan. Could he somehow grab the mark this year? If he does, he'll need to score early and often.
How they'll play
HEAD COACH - Dominic Kinnear
The Earthquakes have played a defense-first approach under Kinnear, looking to take chances in transition or off set pieces. Given the new personnel in town, San Jose could opt for a more balanced approach on both sides of the ball in 2017.
Projected Starting XI
4-4-2, right to left: David Bingham (GK) — Nick Lima (D), Victor Bernardez (D), Florian Jungwirth (D), Shaun Francis (D) — Simon Dawkins (M), Fatai Alashe (M) — Anibal Godoy (M), Jahmir Hyka (M) – Chris Wondolowski (F), Danny Hoesen (F)
Projected Finish
10th in Western Conference. There are a lot of questions in San Jose and few answers coming into the season. The roster is being rebuilt, while trying to keep the best pieces from last season intact. Will it be enough? If the newcomers all hit the ground running, the entire roster pitches in, and they get some luck from the Western Conference opposition, they could be a surprise outfit. But there's the lingering doubt the rest of the conference is outpacing them, so if they can't be this year's Colorado Rapids, it could turn out to be a difficult campaign in San Jose.
