Power Rankings: Where does your team start the 2024 MLS season? | MLSSoccer.com 24 San Jose Earthquakes "It’s tough to feel great about the Quakes after how, in 2023, they faceplanted about a half mile from the finish line and just kept skidding until the end of the season. But there’s some reason for optimism. Daniel should be a candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year after an outstanding introduction last season, plus they brought in winger Amahl Pellegrino from Bodø/Glimt to help offset Cade Cowell's transfer to Chivas. Pellegrino won back-to-back Eliteserien Golden Boots and was named 2023 Eliteserien Player of the Year. Their big question mark, though, is a DP No. 10. Until that's done, this squad is incomplete."
Why your MLS team will (or won’t) win it all in 2024 | MLSSoccer.com San Jose Earthquakes "Why they will: Amahl Pellegrino is legit Look, am I 100% sure the 33-year-old is going to hit on the left wing for the Quakes this year? No. But am I 100% sure the Norwegian is awesome and was a dynamic goalscorer for Bodø/Glimt, bagging 49 goals in his last two seasons in Scandinavia? Absolutely. Between Pellegrino and Cristian Espinoza, San Jose’s wingers can carry them while Daniel takes care of business on the other end. Why they won’t: The rest of the West got better Once they add a DP No. 10, San Jose will be stronger on paper than they were last year. But a bunch of other Western Conference playoff bubble teams stepped up in the offseason, too. FC Dallas broke their club transfer record to add a DP striker, Sporting KC are (mostly) healthy, Portland fixed their biggest issue, the Galaxy are more dynamic, and the Rapids don’t look like a bottom-feeder anymore. The Quakes are better. But are they better enough?"
It’s worth noting that the Galaxy finished 8 points back of the Quakes. For the Scum to eclipse the Quakes in one season would take the same effort as the Quakes to eclipse LAFC — eight points ahead and second overall in the conference. As for Colorado, they were 17 points back of the Quakes. An equivalent leap by the Quakes gives them first in the conference. Dallas and SKC were already ahead of the Quakes (the latter by a disreputable tiebreaker; unlike the Quakes they lost more than they won). So what if they’re better? Quakes still make the playoffs. Bubbles. Describes the level of substance.
MLS: San Jose Earthquakes lose opener 2-1 on late Dallas goal (mercurynews.com) "FRISCO, Texas — Dante Sealy scored his second career goal, finding the net in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time to rally FC Dallas to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in a season opener on Saturday night. San Jose jumped out to a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the match on a goal by Benjamin Kikanović, matching his total in 24 appearances last season. Dallas pulled even in the 25th minute on Asier Illarramendi’s first career goal. Illarramendi notched an assist in seven starts and 11 appearances last year in his first season. Sealy’s only other goal came during the 2021 season with Dallas. He has made three starts and 22 appearances in parts of five seasons with the club. San Jose leads the all-time series 29-22-22, but Dallas improved to 14-12-10 at home. Dallas played without all three of its designated players. Jesús Ferreira is nursing a muscle injury. Alan Velasco is still recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the playoffs last season. Newcomer Petar Musa is in Croatia awaiting a work visa."
A few random thoughts after opening day... 29 Takeaways: One thought on every team after MLS is Back | MLSSoccer.com "...déjà vu for the Earthquakes, ...brutal" San Jose Earthquakes "It's a double shot of déjà vu for the Earthquakes, who lost their 2023 season opener 2-1 at Atlanta United on a Thiago Almada stoppage-time brace. To start this year, Dante Sealy's 94th-minute goal handed them a 2-1 defeat at FC Dallas. Brutal." LA Galaxy "We only saw it for about 20 minutes (plus stoppage time), but that new Galaxy front four of Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil on the wings, Riqui Puig as the 10 and Dejan Joveljic up top… they're going to cause serious trouble for opposing defenses. Their average age is also narrowly over 24, reflecting LA's new transfer-market approach. And they should be force multipliers for each other. "I think we have, for the first time, a really nice balance between guys who want to play in between the lines and guys who want to play and go to goal and get behind and take people on one-on-one. And your team always has to have balance," head coach Greg Vanney said after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Miami." Our backline is about to get tested for real this weekend.
Thank you to @Nikotsakiris30, @CriisEspinoza7, @SalinasSJ11, and @Ousseni_bouda for stopping by @AmericaSCORESBA and Catholic Charities of Santa Clara After-School Program at the Franklin-McKinley School District to help grow the game and drop off some soccer gear! pic.twitter.com/c8KKC9peUx— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) February 29, 2024 GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
My D3 Councilman Omar Torres on left of leftmost photo. Coincidentally, I had a meeting with him in his office at City Hall on an unrelated topic this morning, and his staffer told him he had to dash to another event (likely this one). He did mention that he hoped to be at the Quakes opener on Saturday. I told him I can always score him tix but I'm sure he's got connections.
3 MLS Teams Are Celebrating 50 Years of North American Pro Soccer This Season (usnews.com) "For Earthquakes coach Luchi Gonzales, the anniversary celebration this season is about pride. “We stay connected to members of this community and people that were involved in the club when it was in the NASL days. They come by and visit and we connect and it’s so important that we remember where this club comes from and what it took from the city and all the effort over the years, of staff and players, to make it what it is today," Gonzalez said."
Monterey Bay F.C., San Jose Earthquakes to enter 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Competition – KION546 Hopefully Quakes can get past Monterey Bay F.C. this year!
San Jose Earthquakes 2024 season: Here's what fans can expect on and off the field for team's 50th year - ABC7 San Francisco (abc7news.com) "The 2024 homestand for the San Jose Earthquakes begins with a California Clasico against the LA Galaxy. "It's a game we take very personal," Earthquakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez said. "Fans do, we do, the players, our new players are integrated - they understand the history. We want to take care of business in front of our fans. Rain or shine, they're going to come out and give us a lot of support. They were huge last year and we want to make them proud.""
“NEWS: Earthquakes Begin Year 2 of Quakes Community Coaching Course in Partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance” (SJEarthquakes.com - Monday, 3/4/24) GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
29 Takeaways: One thought on every team after Matchday 3 | MLSSoccer.com San Jose Earthquakes "San Jose are reportedly pursuing Carlos Vela, who would solve a lot of their chance-creation problems. But their woes extend well beyond that after Saturday's 3-1 Cali Clásico defeat to LA. Head coach Luchi Gonzalez intimated as much: "It's a derby, and we didn't play with enough pride, physicality, or energy. We are just really disappointed. … If you don't focus on the future, you can't control the past, which is about how people respond. I do believe in our group.”" Wonder what Luchi means here?
SJ Earthquakes fall in home opener vs Galaxy; report links Carlos Vela (mercurynews.com) “There’s a lot of points still to play for,” Gonzalez said. “And that’s the only positive from tonight, honestly.” “It’s a derby and we didn’t play with enough pride and physicality and energy reflecting that,” Gonzalez said. “We’re just really disappointed and I apologize. I’m responsible for that as a head coach. I apologize to our fans. I do believe in our group to respond.” “We can talk about the speed in our recovery and tracking but it’s also intensity, closing things down right away,” Gonzalez said. “So just having a little bit more aggressive shape and organization to be able to shut down those counters, or be physical and take a foul.” "“The aggressiveness is more important than any tactics you can have,” Gonzalez said. “I know we’ve got that in us in our group.” “We have the pieces to have a response now,” Gonzalez said. “This group, whether with an addition or not, our team is good enough to take care of business. And so that’s the focus right now.”
It was just an awkward phrase to mean that they need to focus on Vancouver, at least in the immediate term. They can’t mope around all week thinking about the LA game. And that’s not to say that they won’t look at what went wrong against LA and try to fix things. He said they’d do that, specifically “on Monday” with presumably film session and discussion and plan of action.
I feel bad for our coaches and players, they were badly outmatched in this one from the get-go. Same old story. Hopefully they can bounce back Saturday.
Unfortunately losing can breed more losing. You lose confidence or you start to press and think too much instead of reacting naturally. Both bad. They need to get over the hump. Even a tie could help, as sad as that is - 1 point in 2 home games. Another loss would be bad.
I agree, that would be pretty demoralizing, even at this early stage of the season. at least a 1-1 tie would be a positive step in the right direction, something to build on. I'm sure they know what they were up against in this one. LA improved significantly over the offseason.
Yeah, if you want to put some kind of positive spin / rationalizion on it, the Quakes played a decent away game in Dallas, albeit with Dallas missing some key players, but they were what 30 seconds from a reasonably good result from a road game. Then they played a team that quite honestly had practically run Miami off the pitch, at least in the 1st half, and may be one of the top teams in the league this year and playing with a lot of confidence. So kind of a tough luck start. Hopefully they can rebound soon.
MLS Power Rankings: Atlanta United and LA Galaxy soar up - ESPN 29. San Jose Earthquakes Previous ranking: 27 The ball is moving too slowly in San Jose. The same goes for the front office's pursuit of a third DP.
Not quibbling with the Quakes' last place in the rankings, but the rankings are incoherent. LAFC is ranked sixth, yet SKC drops two places from ninth to eleventh after earning a draw against them?
We all know LAFC have to look good, while no qualms where they are, SKC should be above them, they're a better team than LAFC and the way Melia + Defense played against LAFC was some of the best I've seen this year. Red Bull is also a quiet sleeper.