It was almost the perfect sendoff. After 413 games and an MLS record 171 goals; after 17 seasons and countless awards, trophies, and memories, Chris Wondolowski played his last game for San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday against FC Dallas, on the final day of the 2021 MLS regular season.
The game finished 1-1 but no one really cared about the result. This day was only about one man. And he didn’t disappoint.
On 34-minutes, San Jose worked the ball cleverly from the right to left, cut it back to the penalty sport and there was Wondo, running in to apply the expert finish. It was what the fans wanted, one last goal from the man who has scored more for this club, and in this league, than any other.
No one would have guessed things would turn out so well for the 89th pick in the 2005 MLS draft. But Wondo has made a career out of confounding expectations.
Sunday’s game featured two of US soccer’s brightest prospects in the Quakes’ Cade Cowell and Ricardo Pepi of Dallas. But Wondo comfortably upstaged the two 18-year-olds who have got International scouts paying close attention. If his journey shows us anything it’s the value of handwork, persistence, and self-belief. Before the MVP awards and Golden Boots, Wondo put in the work.
Talent is just one aspect of the equation. Sometimes you have to earn your luck, and Wondo certainly did that, but his longevity and numbers are remarkable. Any young player coming through could learn a lot from his approach to the game and life. Wondo started out in the era of $13,000 rookie salaries when you could earn more coaching high-school than playing in MLS.
Who knows how much of this was running through his head on Sunday?
The day was certainly set up to honor the hometown legend, even if nothing had been announced officially about his future beforehand. Upon entering PayPal Park fans could pick up Wondo posters and baseball caps with his signature sowed on the side. There’d been chatter about his possible retirement for months, years even, and during the game the stadium announcer implored fans to stick around after the game for a “Very important announcement.” At 38 the writing was certainly on the wall.
Wondo was actually one of the Quakes better players in an almost absurdly open end-of-season encounter. With neither side anywhere near playoff contention, there was nothing left to play for but pride and both sides duly went at it.
After Wondo’s opener Dallas struck back in bizarre fashion. First the excellent, but strangely subdued, Pepi smacked a penalty against the bar. The Quakes then broke immediately to force a corner but left themselves almost laughably exposed when the kick was cleared allowing Jader OBrian to run in completely unopposed to equalize.
The draw flattered Dallas somewhat, the Quakes had 28 shots, most of them from Wondo, but no one was really thinking about the result. The Quakes fans chanted “Wondo, Wondo, Wondo” throughout the game and on full time he addressed them directly.
“I just want to thank you,” Wondolowski said, his voice trembling.
“Instead of doing this in a press conference in front of a bunch of cameras later on I wanted to do this in front of you guys because you guys have been there from day one. This is the last ride. I told myself I would cry, and I knew that tears would be coming, but thank you, guys. It’s been an amazing ride. I can’t thank you guys enough. It starts with my teammates and literally the league. These guys have been there, and that’s what I’m going to miss, the locker room, practices, the battles.”
He went on to thank his family and former teammates from the Mustang youth club and De La Salle High School, to Chico State and even his softball team.
“The cool thing is that I get to do this with my hometown team,” Wondo concluded. “Thank you guys for this wonderful ride. Thank you for being a part of me, pushing me on. I can’t thank you guys enough. This organization is going to do big things. I can’t wait for it and we’ll be here for the future. Thank you to the fans. From Faultline to Epicenter, the Ultras, and everyone here. I can’t thank you guys enough. You guys mean the world.”
But this is the end of a chapter, but not necessarily the end of Wondo’s San Jose story.
At a Tuesday press conference, it was announced that Wondolowski would take on a new role with the Quakes as a special assistant to newly announced General Manager Chris Leitch. His experience could be invaluable.
This is certainly an interesting time for the organization. Regardless of Wondo’s retirement, this is a team in transition.
There are legitimate questions to ask about the future of coach Matias Almeyda and the aforementioned Cowell.
This was the first-year San Jose failed to reach the playoffs under Alymeda’s watch. Whether they are a better team now than when he assumed control in 2019 is delicate.
Speaking after the game Almeyda reflected on the erratic nature of the past campaign.
“This was a very particular year,” he said. “We were very competitive in some moments, and not so much in other moments. Surely this is a year of many lessons. Looking at some of the teams that didn’t qualify, with the investments they made, I say we could have been there. It’s a year full of lessons from what’s to come.”
On Wondolowski though, Almeyda was effusive in his praise.
“Today was a special farewell because I was able to coach the leading goal scorer in this country for three years,” he said. “I think in time, everyone will recognize his accomplishments. I would have loved to coach him when he was younger. I learned how to coach him and accepted how he is. I don’t have many words for how he is as a person. As a professional, he scored 30 goals for us in three years. He was always the first to trainings. I would have loved for him to lift a trophy with us.”
Whether the Quakes are challenging for a trophy any time soon may have a lot to do with how, and where, Cade Cowell develops.
Sentimental fans will mourn the passing of Wondo but the more pragmatic ones will be concerned at the possibility that Cowell might also have played his last game for the club.
Reports linking the 18-year-old with FC Barcelona earlier this season have not developed past the internet-rumor stage but he is undoubtedly talented. Despite some rough edges this is a player with the raw materials to be competitive in a major European league. Smooth those edges and this is a player who could be a diamond in years to come.
Against Dallas, he was operating at a pace above most other players on the pitch and certainly outshone Pedi in the battle of the tyros. Will his career be best served staying at San Jose or joining a club in one of Europe’s top leagues?
Wondolowski stayed true to the Quakes throughout his career, not discounting the spell in Texas when the franchise moved to Houston. But times have changed since he entered the league. There is great value to be had in American prospects these days and it is surely a matter of time before Cowell tries his luck in Europe.
Wondo achieved pretty much all he could with the Quakes. A player who made the most of the gifts and opportunities that came his way. His legend will live on.
Almeyda seemed at pains to use Wondo’s example to inspire his players, now and into the future.
“Hopefully our young players have recognized the path Chris has taken and follow it,” Almeyda said. “Chris leaves a huge legacy behind, which is the nicest thing to leave behind. Many leave titles, many leave huge numbers, but he leaves a special legacy as the all-time leading scorer. With time, he and many others will realize how important that is.”
