Down one goal, with the game on the line, Earthquakes manager Luchi Gonzalez was searching for answers. His side had entered the contest against expansion side St. Louis City SC as favorites, playing in the comforts of home, supposedly hungry after an embarrassing 4-1 drubbing they took three days earlier in Houston.
The table was set for a big bounceback performance. Despite sitting atop the chaotic Western Conference, the visitors entered Paypal Park winless in their previous four matches. Manager Bradley Carnell fielded a heavily rotated lineup, with Brazilian star striker Clauss still out with injury, and opted to leave several of his starters on the bench perhaps sensing that this would be a throwaway result. The Quakes were, after all, undefeated at home this year.
Yet, it was the hosts (sans Cade Cowell because of Gold Cup duty) at full strength, who were down 2-1 to a team of backup journeymen and academy products. After his starters huffed and puffed for 80 minutes, Gonzalez brought on Tommy Thompson. Yes, that Tommy Thompson—the loyal club servant who was their first homegrown signing in 2014(!!!).
The same one who’s outlasted Dominic Kinnear, Mikael Stahre, Matias Almeyda and—bless him, if results don’t go his way—maybe even Gonzalez himself one day.
In a twist of fate, the ball (of course) found Thompson in the 96th minute, with a shot to rescue the game, and he didn’t convert. In fairness to him, he was met by former Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki, who put on a man of the match performance for St. Louis, stopping big shot after big shot San Jose fired on goal. Still only 32 years old, the Swiss international stands out in MLS and gives City a solid base to build from.
Let’s be clear. Thompson wasn’t the reason why the Quakes lost. To carve out a decade-long career as a professional soccer player as he has is an impressive feat not to scoff at. But here’s the thing, he and his fellow substitutes never looked like they were going to win their team the game either.
That’s been the story of this year’s Quakes. Reborn under an American coach—who on their best of days, with everyone healthy, can compete with the best in the league. This year they’ve already beaten last year’s finalists LAFC and Philadelphia Union at home; and Seattle on the road.
But the MLS season (and travel) is long, and this same team has shown that it, for as much as it wins, it also fades when pushed beyond its first line. Take Jack Skahan for example. The 2020 draft pick spent the last three years playing, albeit sparingly, as a center midfielder. But on Saturday, he was asked to deputize on the left wing for the aforementioned Cowell.
“I thought [Skahan] gave us ‘Cade-esque’ moments in terms of his verticality,” Gonzalez said of the choice to start him over natural forwards Benji Kikanovic and Ousseni Bouda, who have more often than not, flattered to deceive. “[Skahan] hasn’t had many opportunities to play this year, but credit to him for always having a great attitude in training and helping us compete today.”
Therein lies his predicament. The replacements simply haven’t brought the same level of production as his preferred starting XI. After churning through his bench options, Gonzalez was left looking for something out-the-box. And after that too didn’t work, he had no choice but to turn to past regimes’ old solutions to his new problems.
“Every team is analyzing its roster right now,” said Gonzalez when asked about the current transfer window. “And so are we. But even if there are no changes, we feel like we can compete.”
The coach was defiant. Insistent even, that he was proud of how the Quakes responded to their last loss.
“We’ve earned what we earned,” he said. “Look at where we are in standings—we’d be in the playoffs if the season ended today.”
“I’m happy we performed in a very protagonist way,” he said. “We were on the front foot, we pressed, and we created with the ball. Our guys pushed until the very end, but it just didn’t shake out our way.”
St. Louis on the other hand, which is playing in its maiden season, grew stronger as the game wore on. Academy product Aziel Jackson filled in and played bravely in the number 10 role and drew the game-winning penalty in the 55th minute. And 6 ‘5 striker Samuel Adeniran, who was most recently on loan this year with San Antonio FC in the USL, bagged a brace—his first goals in MLS.
Once Carnell realized he had won with house money, he replaced them with US international Nicholas Gioacchini and playmaker Tomáš Ostrák, who was signed from Bundesliga’s FC Köln.
The frantic hosts tried to claw the game back. Centreback on-loan Rodrigues flung himself at free kicks. MVP candidate Cristian Espinoza whipped his left foot through the kind of shots that probably would have beaten any other keeper except Bürki. Thompson (!!!) had the shot at the very end.
This is the fine line they’re treading. Good enough to flirt with the top. But slightly short of the numbers needed to stay there.
Next week, they shouldn’t need any extra motivation. The LA Galaxy are coming to Stanford Stadium.
