San Jose Earthquakes: 2016 in pictures

Twenty-sixteen started as a season of hope for the San Jose Earthquakes as the club began the season with back-to-back home wins to kick off the season before going on to win five of their first 11. Simon Dawkins was back with the club for the first time since the 2012 Supporters’ Shield winning campaign and Quincy Amarikwa had given us “The Chip” to defeat the reigning MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers.

Then the season turned south and never recovered as the Quakes would win just three games in their last 23 matches and finished the season in ninth place in the Western Conference. Innocent disappeared from the matchday 18, Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia was traded to Orlando City for another defensive midfielder Darwin Ceren, General Manager John Doyle was let go late in the season, and his last signing, a historically prolific scorer Henok Goitom, finished with only one assist.

While the season seemed to have more downs than ups, San Jose did see Chris Wondolowski notch 12 goals to make seven straight seasons in double digit scoring, a feat that no other MLS player has matched, and Simon Dawkins scored a 70th minute rocket against Toronto FC while the Quakes were already down two men to red cards to record a most improbable win against the eventual Eastern Conference Champions.

Ultimately it will be another offseason of rebuilding as the club searches for a new GM and a way to improve upon the league worst 32 goals scored this year. In the meantime some of our best shots of the Quakes from 2016 courtesy of Lyndsay Radnedge of Center Line Soccer.