Ignored in San Jose
Dozens of fans belly up to the crowd barriers on a cool night outside the San Jose Earthquakes’ locker room, pleading with the weary players to sign soccer balls, jerseys and photographs.
But most of these fans can’t shout the names on the blue shirts of Major League Soccer’s most dynamic team. Landon Donovan, the United States’ biggest soccer star, is long gone from San Jose, and none of the remaining Quakes is anything close to a household name, even in soccer-crazy households.
“Do you even know who I am?” forward Brian Ching asked one young fan in a blue scarf and jacket. She shook her head sheepishly, but smiled when Ching still signed her poster.
That’s life for the Earthquakes -- an overlooked, disrespected and often unloved club that simply refuses to stop winning.
Despite turmoil in the front office and turnover on the field, despite shaky fan support and the imminent possibility of relocation, San Jose is finishing up one of the best seasons in MLS history. At 16-4-8, the Quakes have a 10-match unbeaten streak and just one loss in their last 18 matches entering the weekend.
Without an All-Star on the roster, they’re headed to the playoffs with a good chance to win their third championship in five seasons. While Donovan, Freddy Adu and other stars grab the national headlines, the quiet Quakes are on top of the league under the leadership of coach Dominic Kinnear, a former MLS player who assembled his unassuming roster and led it to remarkable heights with structure, teamwork and a harmony that overpowers every distraction.
“I don’t know who said we’re starless, because they must be blind,” said Canadian midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, who had the Earthquakes’ first two-goal game of the season in a 2-0 victory over Chicago on Wednesday night.
“Every guy on this team is a star, and they prove themselves day in and day out. Guys come here because they love to play. I know whoever Dom brings in here, they’re going to fit our team. Not every guy fits. We only choose the ones that do.”
The men who defined the Earthquakes’ championship seasons are gone. Speedy superstar Donovan, who scored 10 goals in 14 career playoff games in San Jose, spurned the Quakes in March by choosing to play for their archrivals in Los Angeles.
Donovan’s highest-profile teammates, nine-time All-Star Jeff Agoos and sometime U.S. midfielder Richard Mulrooney, were traded in the off-season. Alexi Lalas, the former U.S. star hired as general manager in early 2004, was moved to New York in June by the ownership group that controls nearly half of MLS’ teams.
But the biggest loss was Frank Yallop, the respected coach who built the MLS champions in 2001 and 2003. He departed after the second title to take over the Canadian national team, leaving his job to Kinnear, his wiry 37-year-old former assistant who was raised in nearby Fremont.
In less than two seasons on the job, the former U.S. player has fine-tuned Yallop’s formula for success: While many MLS teams are built around one offensive superstar, the Quakes get offense -- and defense -- from every spot in Kinnear’s 4-4-2 alignment.
“I think Alexi and Frank and I all value the same things in players,” Kinnear said while relaxing in his office after San Jose’s victory over the Fire.
“We want guys who fit into a system, who are willing to play their role. I think they like each other, and you see it out on the pitch.”
Kinnear claims no special secrets, but his success has turned heads both nationally and abroad.
Since starting the season 3-3-4, San Jose has been practically unbeatable with a craftily assembled roster of durable MLS veterans such as Ronald Cerritos and Mark Chung, revitalized acquisitions such as Danny Califf and Alejandro Moreno, and rising young talents including Eddie Robinson and Ricardo Clark.
“The only motivational thing I say is, ‘I put my trust and confidence in every single one of you,’ ” Kinnear said.
There were fewer than 10,000 fans at Spartan Stadium for San Jose’s latest win, with the most enthusiastic ones banging drums and singing in “The Casbah,” a cheering section behind the north goal.
They were treated to a typical Earthquake victory: cohesive defense in their own half, clever passing and an opportunistic streak that frustrates opponents.
“Guys believe in the system, and that’s what works,” said Ching, who played for the U.S. team earlier in the year but has missed much of the MLS season with a hamstring injury. “When you’re in a league like this where the talent is pretty even, the difference is your team chemistry. We have players who believe in each other. Our team concept is unbelievable.”
Donovan’s return with the Los Angeles Galaxy in June was a treat for the fans, who booed him constantly while holding signs such as “Donovan is Traitor Scum” and “PrimaDonovan.” Best of all, San Jose beat its biggest rival, 3-0.
Another team might be bitter after losing the league’s biggest star, but not the Quakes.
“If Landon Donovan going to L.A. strengthens MLS and carries it on for five or 10 years, I’m all for that, because I believe in American soccer,” Kinnear said. “He had four great years here, and he’s a good person. Everyone has a right to live their life the way they want to live their life, so good luck to him.”
The Earthquakes’ off-season is less promising than the postseason.
San Jose is one of five MLS clubs owned by AEG, which repeatedly has tried to sell or move the franchise, citing the small crowds and aging stadium.
“I think about it when I go home, because you want to know what’s happening, and I want the team to stay here,” Kinnear said. “But we don’t talk about it at all. We can’t control it. The only thing we can control is working Monday through Friday, and then [playing] Saturday.”
