San Jose is ready to open their new stadium come March 22th.
Photo credit John Hefti
3 Hopes and One Fear for San Jose Earthquakes
John Marshall, San Jose
With the start of the 2015 season (hopefully) a few days away, we take a look at the season to come for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Hopes:
1. New signings and more speed in midfield improves attacking threat
After last years disaster finish, new head coach Dominic Kinnear will be looking to right the ship as the team opens a brand new stadium. To do so, the team brought in speed this offseason by signing midfielders Sanna Nyassi and Leonardo Barrera as well as defender Marvell Wynne in the hope that they can exploit the wings on a wide pitch and put pressure on opposing defenses. Both Nyassi and Barrera showed off their ability to push the pace against LA in their final preseason match and San Jose hopes their streaking speed means a vast improvement in the midfield.
2. Bulkier means better for Adam Jahn
Another twist to the offensive attack could be Adam Jahn after the Stanford grad scored 7 goals this preseason. Jahn looks noticeably stronger on the ball after bulking up during the offseason. He continued his scoring run against LA with a streaking header off of a Matias Perez Garcia corner, showing off both his deceptive size (he’s only listed at 6’3”) and his eye for goal. The Quakes will be hoping for him to continue his scoring trend and have a legitimate offensive threat coming off the bench.
3. The 2014 injury curse is over
San Jose’s biggest hope though will be to remain healthy. Last season found the Earthquakes ravaged by injury and the absence of Clarence Goodson and Matias Perez Garcia had a huge impact on the team’s performance. Staples such as Jordan Stewart and Steven Lenhart missed preseason time as well as newcomers Mark Sherrod and Innocent Eemeghara.
One Fear:
Should injury issues arise, the team’s number one fear will be struggling with continuity and consequently struggling to improve on last season’s record. Last year found the team in dead last in the Western Conference and with Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo joining this year, things only get tougher for the Quakes. If the team can’t perform come game day, we could see a regress to the status quo for San Jose.
