The San Jose Earthquakes just beat Chicago 2-0 and won their group. From a neutral perspective, they’ve been more entertaining than most and more likable than maybe all. It’s hard not to like a team that responds to every question and criticism in style. It’s why this team might have a tightly crowded bandwagon the rest of the way in Orlando.
It’s too hot. They won’t be able to keep it up.
They’ve obviously been able to keep it up. Through three games, San Jose has been able to not only survive to the very end but at times bring its best late in the game. It’s led to seven points and the top spot in Group B.
There were plenty of worries about the Quakes collapsing under the weight of the central Florida heat, but it hasn’t happened yet. Having five subs at your disposal helps, yet it’s remarkable that anybody on the team has been able to go a full half without keeling over. But there’s a special vibe around this team. And it stems from a culture where guys are willing to man-mark for as long as their bodies will let them for the sake of the teammate next to them as much as protecting their own.
It’s rare in sports to get buy-in to a culture that’s genuine and isn’t drowning in cliche. When it happens in soccer, it feels big. Something about collective sacrifice and mentality being more readily apparent, I think. You know, dumb things that don’t seem real until you actually see them in action. Things that get us to be earnest which makes us feel equal parts gross and inspired. Matias Almeyda and this San Jose team live in this feeling and soak in it. They’re constantly trying to drag you in with them. And it’s why they’ve become one of the best stories of the tournament.
Everyone has them figured out by now anyway. They lost like thirty games down the stretch last season.
This almost seemed true. The last month-plus of 2019 went as poorly as it could. And with the Quakes down 3-1 to Vancouver the other night, it looked like we might get the same version. But last year was as much about establishing a culture as it was getting results. Now the culture is starting to shine through. Of course they came back from 3-1 because they’ve been growing together until they could face challenges like that head-on.
“We [the coaching staff] were brought here because things weren’t going well and we're building San Jose both on the soccer and human side," Almeyda said after the win over Chicago. "My objective as a coach is that the players could grow day-to-day and they could grow in value. Our system of play exposes them for good and bad. They’ve interpreted it to expose themselves in the best way. And it's there that I see the growth, where everyone knows what to do. And we train for this. But wins always give happiness and we’ve been in difficult moments where we've doubled down and the team emerges because they have a great group and this is fundamental.”
Everything Almeyda says about his team sounds like an expert giving advice on how best to raise a child. “Let them make mistakes. Support them in good and bad. Foster their personal development. Encourage them to ask questions.” And again, it would be so annoying if this team didn’t buy in and came out flat every game. But the effectiveness of Almeyda’s humanistic approach makes it endearing.
There have been plenty of incredible speeches that have ended with the speaker’s side getting thrashed. There’s a reason no one makes movies about those. We want to see ideals and philosophy matter. It makes us feel like we can control things. Right now it doesn’t seem to matter that teams know everything they need to about Almeyda’s system, and it’s hard not to be invested in that.
It’s not like they’re going to score much. Who’s going to do it? Wondolowski?
Yes, of course it’s going to be Wondo. He’s already grabbed two off the bench. But the rest of the team has been stepping up when it matters. Andres Rios, Oswaldo Alanis, Shea Salinas and Cristian Espinoza each have a goal a piece, and players like Jackson Yueill have put in less flashy but no less impressive performances. Even better, it looks like they’re having fun doing it.
“We’ve created a group that enjoys being around each other on and off the field," Yueill said. "That’s the most enjoyable thing we have. We enjoy being around each other and it translates to the game. You want to work hard for your friends and make them look good on the field. It’s a representation of the locker room group.”
They just can’t turn it off. Everyone seems to “genuinely like each other” and “care about the other” and “want to have fun playing sports.” It might seem weird to some but it’s a mindset that’s clearly working and a joy to watch.
The Quakes care about each other, and they care about you, the viewer. They’re not going to stop being entertaining anytime soon. They want you to enjoy yourself and they’re going to gain a lot of fans because they want you to view soccer in the same way they do: in a special way.
“As a technical staff, we feel and we experience soccer in a special way," Almeyda said. "We don’t get stuck on a result but instead on the path to achieve the result. We’re conscious of a lot of things. The world is living through a difficult moment and I’ll repeat it: We’re playing soccer in Disney. How would we not transmit happiness in the place we’re at, with this chance that they give us and the way they treat us? You will know and many know how I manage the group. I prioritize the human side and then comes the soccer side.”
Right now, both sides are putting on a show.
