Despite many pre-season predictions the San Jose Earthquakes will take a step back this season, Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez hopes to build on last year’s playoff appearance.
“We’re part of a league where everyone wants to get better, and that is exciting for us,” said Gonzalez. “We want to do it our way – the San Jose way – and to show our identity.”
What is the ‘San Jose Way’ according to Gonzalez?
We want our fans and families to admire the way we act and play, and that is something we can start doing for real now this weekend, even more so away,” he continued. “We’re excited about that, and we’re also excited to kick-start [our home opener] the following weekend. So bring it on.”
The Earthquakes start their 2024 campaign on the road against FC Dallas on Saturday at 5:30 pm PST. Many pre-season predictions have the Quakes finishing 11th place and out of the playoffs.
“There are a lot of rankings out there and opinions about seeding, about this and that,” noted Gonzalez. “All that does is motivate us and give more fire and fuel to who we are, our identity, and how we want to show that we’re the best collective group on the field.”
The Quakes transferred out dynamic winger Cade Cowell during the offseason to Mexico. Still, they brought in Amahl Pellegrino to score goals and hope to have continued improvement from midfielder Niko Tsakiri this year.
The Earthquakes will once again lean on the play and leadership of Cristian Espinoza on the field for another successful season.
“There is a lot of excitement around the locker room and with the guys,” said Espinoza. “We had a really good pre-season preparing everything and every detail to get to the first game in good shape. We are ready to go.”
After their game against Dallas, The Quakes start their home campaign on March 2nd against archrival LA Galaxy.
