As the long goal kick soared over the Toyota Park pitch, destined for Bastian Schweinsteiger stationed alone in the Quakes’ half, Nick Lima converged on the World Cup winner, rising high above the German to win the aerial challenge and heading the ball back towards the center circle.
Chris Wondolowski, who 10 minutes earlier had assisted on the Quakes’ only goal of the evening, a master flick by Danny Hoesen inside the area, redirected the ball back to the right sideline, where Tommy Thompson was running into empty space in front of the Chicago Fire defense.
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The dynamic midfielder had entered the game as a substitute, full of energy and ready to make an impact, and with the Fire clinging onto a 2-1 lead, he patiently waited for the play to develop. Hoesen, who was gesturing for the ball at the top of the box, was ignored, as Thompson elected to hold possession, surveying the attacking third.
Then, he darted towards the endline, pulling his defender with him, and opening up space to pass back to the central channel to a wide-open Magnus Eriksson. The Swede juked to his left before bringing the ball back to his right, where a route to the goal had opened up. But instead of getting off a shot and potentially netting an equalizer, he inexplicitly stumbled over the ball, falling flat on his face and turning it over to the Fire.
It was as much comical as it was frustrating, for teammates on the field and for the dwindling number of fans watching the game on television back in the Bay Area. It was another lost opportunity to make an impact in a close game, and the Fire stood tall the rest of the way to claim victory over the Quakes.
Who can I turn to?
The story of the game is becoming the standard in what is shaping up to be a historically bad season in San Jose. The all too familiar individual mistakes that have plagued the Quakes in the dozen games played before Saturday night came up again in Chicago, and the team did not show the fortitude to overcome them.
The Fire’s first goal of the night was emblematic of the issue, as a dangerous, but manageable, cross was floated into the box in the general direction of forward Alan Gordon. With Jimmy Ockford struggling to stay in front of the longtime MLS veteran, goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell had a decision to make: hold his ground and ready himself to make a save, or step to the play and punch the ball from danger. He did neither.
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By the time Gordon rose to meet the ball and direct it low and to the far post, Tarbell had backpedaled himself across to the wrong side of the goal line. The Fire forward was inside the six-yard box when he made contact on the cross, an area of the field that the goalkeeper needs to command. Tarbell ceded that territory, and the Fire graciously celebrated its one-goal lead.
The Quakes had opened the game as brightly as they had any game in the last few weeks. Coach Mikael Stahre adjusted his lineup to feature Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili in a true attacking midfielder role ahead of Florian Jungwirth as a defensive shield in front of the backline. Vako looked comfortable as the No. 10, and with Eriksson also pinching in centrally, the visitors began to show confidence in possession.
But the tactical plan took a hit in the 11th minute, when Shea Salinas, chasing down Aleksander Katai near the edge of the field, pulled up lame as the Serbian international rounded him and drove on goal. Salinas fell to the turf, clutching his hamstring, and immediately signaled that he needed to exit the game. Stahre elected to move Jungwirth into the back four at left back, sending in Fatai Alashe to take his place at defensive midfielder.
The option to bring in a direct replacement for Salinas was not there, as the Quakes bench did not feature a backup fullback. The squad is woefully thin at that position, with rookie Paul Marie and MLS newcomer Joel Qwiberg the only other true outside backs on the roster, but neither was in the game day 18 against the Fire.
In order to keep the formation the same, a 4-1-3-2 with a diamond shape centrally, Stahre could have moved Chris Wehan from his left midfielder position to replace Salinas, followed by the introduction of Thompson or Jahmir Hyka off the bench. The coach could have adjusted the team’s shape and gone with three in the back, though that wouldn’t have been very prudent so early in the game, playing away from home.
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Injuries are a part of the game, and Stahre must have thought through the various scenarios when he put together his starting lineup and bench. The lack of a suitable left back has presented a challenge for the coach all season. It was a cruel moment for Salinas and the Quakes in a game they had started well.
Tears are not enough
The feeling around the team must be one of feeling snakebit, as the Quakes are not catching any breaks. Luck favors the prepared mind, as the saying goes, and Stahre and his coaching staff are working overtime to get the players ready from game to game, but they still can’t get into the win column. Jokes aside about playing Minnesota United every week, this team hasn’t found the formula to earn results.
“We are really, really disappointed actually,” Stahre said in his postgame comments. “I think we came here with our game plan and I think we followed that. I think we provoked our opponent in a good way. If you look at the stats like ball possession and the quality of the passes, I think we did well today actually.”
The diamond midfield formation, one that brought fellow Western Conference side Real Salt Lake so much success earlier this decade, is an effective setup to get your best ball handler involved more in the offense. For the Utah club, it was Javy Morales dictating play as a No. 10, backed up defensively by tough-as-nails Kyle Beckerman at the No. 6. RSL was a model of consistency over those seasons, winning the MLS Cup in 2009 and reaching the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2011. The tactical setup fit the squad perfectly.
The Quakes have trotted out a host of different formations so far in 2018, though none has looked ideal for the roster at hand. Against the Fire, Stahre tasked Vako with the attacking midfielder role, one that seems particularly well suited to the Georgian designated player, and the Quakes did respond with better passing numbers in the central third of the field. Vako made the decisive pass to Wondolowski that ended with Hoesen’s goal: a lightning quick sequence that highlighted with the Quakes are capable of doing.
“We had a little bit more of a direct approach,” Stahre added. “We created some really open chances, so we’re really disappointed with the result, but it was an absolutely decent away game. But of course at this point we need points. That’s the most important thing in soccer.”
Indeed, the loss, the Quakes’ third in a row, dropped their record to 2-8-3. The separation between them and the top six teams in the West, those that will be competing in the MLS Cup playoffs come the end of October, has widened even further. With only 0.69 points per game so far in 2018, the Quakes are on pace to finish with the lowest points total in their 21 seasons of Major League Soccer play.
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Rolling sevens
In searching for something positive in the 2-1 loss in Chicago, the pickings are slim. Lima, the only player on the roster besides Tarbell to play every minute this season, made a crucial goal line clearance in the 57th minute to keep the Fire from extending its lead to 3-0. His acrobatic kick-save was a beaut, highlighting the versatility and athleticism the right back brings to the Quakes. Without his intervention, the Fire likely cruise to an easy victory instead of having to sweat it out till the end of stoppage time.
The goal from Hoesen, his seventh of the season, was also a sight to behold. The flick from the Dutch striker had a high degree of difficulty, but it was the right choice in the moment to beat Chicago goalkeeper Richard Sanchez. And the cross from Wondolowski was sublime, as the Quakes captain lifted his head to see the run of Hoesen and delivered the ball with perfection.
But there wasn’t much else to take away from Toyota Park. Quincy Amarikwa made a late appearance as Stahre looked to ignite the offense, and the forward fought hard to keep the Quakes’ desperate attempts to lump the ball long alive against a Fire side that was visibly tired.
A trio of corner kicks in the final five minutes also gave the visitors hope of finding an equalizer, the last finishing with Ockford’s looping header that skimmed over the crossbar in the waning moments. The defender went up uncontested for the ball, chipped into the area by Thompson following an initial clearance, but he just couldn’t keep the ball down enough to draw the Quakes even.
“Yeah, it was really close at the end when Jimmy (Ockford) headed it after the corner kick,” Stahre said. “If I am frank, that was a great chance to get a score late. I am standing here again, and talking about a decent away performance with zero points.”
That was then but this is now
The Quakes won’t have long to rue the 2-1 loss in Chicago, as the next week and a half on the calendar shows three games in quick succession. The first is on Wednesday night in Portland, as the Quakes enter the fourth round of the annual U.S. Open Cup tournament against a familiar MLS foe. The next two games will be held at Avaya Stadium against league opponents Los Angeles FC and the New England Revolution.
By the time MLS takes a short break starting June 14 to coincide with the upcoming FIFA World Cup group stage, the Quakes will have played four games in 12 days, a daunting gauntlet for any team, but potentially even more challenging for a side that even its best performances go for naught. The summer solstice is right around the corner, and the Quakes are still at single points in the standings.
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And so it will be interesting to see how Stahre and the Quakes prepare for the Open Cup game midweek. The elimination format means that every contest could be their last in their quest to win the country’s oldest soccer tournament, first held in 1914. The Quakes made a stirring run to the semifinal round last year, losing to eventual champions Sporting Kansas City on penalty kicks, and an inspirational run this time out could provide a silver lining to an otherwise forgettable league campaign.
Most MLS coaches choose to stock their Open Cup starting lineups with backups and fringe players, even going so far as to calling up players from their lower division squads. The Quakes have quite a few candidates available to take the field in Portland, including Qwiberg and Marie, who might be needed in the first team with starting left back Salinas out with a hamstring injury. Gilbert Fuentes, just 16 years old and waiting to make his first appearance for the Quakes, is another intriguing option. Roster rules for the tournament governing the number of internationals allowed in the squad will further dictate Stahre’s decision making.
Whatever the lineup, and whatever the tactics, the Quakes have a timely opportunity to try and earn a win and restore some confidence in the squad. The knockout nature of the tournament is a fertile proving ground to see how players respond to the pressure of the situation. And maybe some will step up and show they deserve their chance on the bigger stage against LAFC this Saturday. It’s a game that will reveal a lot about what there might be to look forward to.
(Top photo: Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)