This is one in a series of team previews preparing fans for the 2023 MLS season. Check out the full list; teams will be revealed in predicted order of finish from Feb. 10-24.
What San Jose Earthquakes did last year
Well, it wasn’t pretty, given that this was the consummate Quakes highlight of last season.
Siri, show me the most Quakes goal ever scored. pic.twitter.com/iuXuF8hzgT
— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) July 4, 2022
The big question heading into 2022 was how long would head coach Matias Almeyda last; the answer was “until April 18.” From there, the Quakes showed moderate signs of life under interim head coach Alex Covelo, but finished dead last in the West, only saved from a Wooden Spoon from the ineptitude of two East teams.
Key additions
Midfielder Michael Baldisimo (re-entry draft), goalkeeper Daniel (transfer from Internacional), defensive midfielder Carlos Gruezo (transfer from FC Augsburg)
Key departures
Goalkeeper Matt Bersano (option declined, moved to Austin FC), midfielder Jan Gregus (option declined), midfielder Eric Remedi (contract expired), midfielder Shea Salinas (retired)
Making the case for San Jose Earthquakes
New head coach Luchi Gonzalez and new arrival Carlos Gruezo are automatic upgrades that make San Jose better. The problem is, all the teams around them made more upgrades, and the Quakes were already pretty close to rock bottom last year. The most positive prognosis for the team is that Luchi gives them new hope and belief, and they channel some of their trademark chaos into a more controlled and winning approach.
Players to watch
Gruezo, the former FC Dallas player returning to MLS from Augsburg, is an Ecuadorian international with a bit more bite to his game than Jan Gregus, the team’s prior focal No. 6 that didn’t quite work out. It’s also another season in which league-wide and national team observers are looking for Cade Cowell (3 goals, 5 assists in 1548 MLS minutes) to make a considerable leap. 2022 MLS Comeback Player of the Year candidate Jeremy Ebobisse (17 goals, 3 goals in 2951 MLS minutes) will once again be the focal point of the offense. If those two players can click, and Gruezo provides backup, San Jose could improve upon 2022's performance. (Unless the defense lets them down in a big way. Could happen.)
A nerdy tidbit
According to FBref, San Jose tied for second in possession in 2022, matching NYCFC’s 56.4% for the year, only behind Atlanta’s 57.1%.
A fun tidbit
Earlier this week, the world celebrated International Clash Day, a holiday created by Seattle radio station KEXP to celebrate legendary punk band The Clash. Well, the Quakes social media team went ahead and extended the greetings to remind everyone that the Quakes (actually, the Quakes franchise that turned into the Dynamo, but that’s a long story), were once the Clash. Of course, fans in San Jose have long since intertwined the band with the Nike-coined team name — look no further than the supporters’ group called the Casbah, named after the fictional place the Clash once implored people to rock.
Happy #InternationalClashDay. 🦂 pic.twitter.com/2kAsVIEDRV
— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) February 8, 2023
Also, that was a great first MLS goal in retrospect, and those vintage Clash uniforms are incredible.
Projected finish
13th in the West
Look, we’d like things to be better for Luchi, we really would. I think he’ll get a lot out of this squad and they’ll be fundamentally better than they were last year. It’s just that so many other teams attempted more ambitious roster upgrades than the Quakes did. Gruezo will help, but they could still use upgrades in so many different places. But fans will like their team under their new manager’s leadership. To borrow from The Simpsons, “they’re not saying booooo, they’re saying Luuuuuuuchi.”