2014 will be a year to forget for the San Jose Earthquakes and their fans. With a little Goonie Magic, the club and its fans are hoping for better things to come. The Earthquakes shocked the world in 2012 when they leaned on some late magic throughout the season to get the job done in several close games en route to the Supporters’ Shield but after taking a step back in 2013, they came crashing down in 2014 while compiling the worst record in the Western Conference. San Jose will get a fresh start in 2015 with a new stadium and reinforcements following a busy offseason that included landing a key striker up front.
Designated For Improvement
The biggest move for the Earthquakes came when they added a third designated player in Innocent Emeghara. The 25-year-old striker has great pace and is a quality finisher that will really benefit from being surrounded with creative pieces as an excellent compliment to what the team already has in Chris Wondolowski and Matia Perez Garcia. Emeghara played in France, Italy, and Switzerland, and will bring plenty of experience and talent to help solidify the San Jose attack as a quality upgrade up front. It was critical that they find help upfront as no other team in the entire league scored fewer goals than San Jose’s 35 last season.
The Earthquakes brass has been criticized in the past for not spending more money but the addition of a third designated player is proof that ownership is invested in the club’s success. It’s a clear message to both the team and its fans that they are committed to recapturing that Goonie Magic that has slipped from their grasp over the past two seasons.
The Magic Man Returns
Perhaps an overlooked factor in San Jose’s past success was assistant coach Dominic Kinnear, who was an assistant coach on the Earthquakes teams that won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003, and the head man when it won its first Supporters’ Shield in 2005. Nearly a decade later and after he won two more MLS Cups with Houston, Kinnear returns to take over on the San Jose sidelines for 2015. Bringing back Kinnear has changed the attitude surrounding this club following a couple of disappointing seasons and he certainly has the championship resume to think he can bring them to back to the level of contender for 2015.
New Stadium
When the Earthquakes returned to the MLS in 2008, it was with the clear understanding that there would be a new soccer-specific stadium for them in the coming years. The idea was to lobby city officials, solicit some bids and designs, and find a way to pay for it all. While it looked like a lost cause at times as the team played in a “temporary” home for seven years, it’s finally ready and the newly-opened Avaya Stadium is beautiful.
As a result, ticket sales have skyrocketed as the team has surpassed 11,000 season tickets – if you can believe that. That’s quite impressive considering this team had the second-fewest goals points in the MLS last season.
Outlook
The pressure was on San Jose ownership and management to recapture the magic of 2012 following a couple of disappointing season and the arrival of players like Emeghera, Leandro Barrera and Mark Sherrod will improve the overall talent on the pitch. At the same time, Kinnear will help maximize the potential on his roster. The Western Conference projects to be even tougher this season with Kansas City and Houston arriving from the Eastern Conference to make room for the expansion teams and that will make for an even more challenging road back to the postseason.
The offseason moves combined with a new stadium has made for a renewed sense of optimism surrounding San Jose heading in to a new year but it will be a fight from the start as the Earthquakes look to scrape their way back in to the playoffs in 2015.
