Eric Wynalda's Return - San Jose Earthquakes

Earthquakes Announce Wynalda’s Return
January 14, 2013

After parting ways with Frank Yallop last summer, whom is now the Chicago Fire manager, the Earthquakes have made the decision to bring Eric Wynalda onto the staff as the manager for the 2013 season. Wynalda left the same position with the Atlanta Silverbacks to return to the city where he began his MLS career.

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Eric-Wynalda.jpg
Eric Wynalda

You may remember Wynalda from a plethora of football action in the 1990s and 2000s. Wynalda was allocated to the San Jose Clash in 1996, where he scored the first goal in MLS history versus D.C. United in April of that year. Or maybe you remember his 107 International appearances for the Stars and Stripes, where he put away 34 goals.

On the other hand, you may remember Wynalda from his bitter relationship with Laurie Calloway- whom managed the team in 1996 and 1997. Some say Calloway was too harsh on the young forward. Others say Wynalda was a stubborn, 20-something entering his prime. But no one will ever forget when Wynalda had an airplane fly above the stadium with a banner demanding Calloway be fired.

“I knew that within the first five minutes of accepting this job, I would be reminded of that “relationship” I had with Laurie,” Wynalda said at his first press conference as the Quakes manager. “Let’s consider this the last time we bring it up, because I want to focus on building off of last season’s success- nothing else.”

The Quakes are coming off of a season in which they won the Supporters' Shield and accumulated 66 points, which led the MLS entering the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs. But despite the regular season success, a quick exit in the Conference Semifinals against the LA Galaxy left fans and players alike hungry for more.

“It’s no surprise these guys were so successful last season. You look at (Chris) Wondolowski and see that he netted 27 goals, Alan Gordon scored 13 of his own, and Marvin Chavez nearly led the league in assists (13 assists),”

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sites/league/files/imagecache/620x350/image_nodes/2012/03/wondo2.jpg
Chris Wondolowski

“We’ll rely heavily on those three moving forward, as this team will be switching from a 4-4-2 to a 4-1-3-2,” said Wynalda.

Wynalda and the Quakes have their first test of the preseason against the Wanderers of Uruguay in 12 days. The first MLS match is March 3rd, at Buck Shaw Stadium against the 2012 Western Conference regular season Runner-up, Real Salt Lake. This fixture last season produced a 3-1 win for the Goonies, as Dawkins and Wondolowski put away two goals in injury time to secure the win.

_________________________________________________________________________________________
Author's Note
How's it going everyone? As you can tell, this is my first effort at creating a story on FMScout, so I'll definitely be willing to listen to any encouragement or advice you guys have for me. I've decided to go with a story centered on Wynalda. At this point, I'm not 100-percent sure if I plan on attempting to build San Jose into a powerhouse, or if I plan on jumping ship and heading across the Atlantic to manage a different team. We'll just have to start here and see what happens. Thanks for reading, and I look forward to you joining me on my ride to the top of the football-world!

For a first story that was a wonderful start! Best of luck with Wynalda here in the MLS, keep up this level of update and you've most certainly made a follower out of me

Nice start, and good use of bbcodes. I will be following

Quakes Still Searching For First Win
March 10, 2013

Two matches into the 2013 season, many of the Quakes faithful are already concerned with the teams lack of points. Home fixtures against Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls both resulted in 1-1 draws. The two points accumulated so far leave San Jose in 8th place in the Western Conference.

"It's safe to say that we're all expecting more from ourselves, and from each other. We'll continue to learn (Eric) Wynalda's tactics and press on," said the Quakes captain, Chris Wondolowski.

Wondolowski has been less than spectacular in the early stages of this 2013 season. In four friendlies, he went scoreless, but managed to bring home two assists. Against Real Salt Lake and New York, Wondolowski has continued his lack of production, but he did manage to rack up eight offsides penalties in 180 minutes of action.

"We're going to stay aggressive, so don't expect that to change. Wondo(lowski) is this league's best scoring threat, so we'll expect more out of him in the coming weeks," said the San Jose manager.

Who are the new guys?
San Jose’s defense has seen some significant changes early in the season, as Wynalda has brought in the experience of Jose Antonio Castro (RB), Anderson Polga (CB), Kleberson (CM/DM), and JAke Buxton (CB). The only defender the Quakes lost in the early transfer window was Victor Bernardez. Bernardez was sold to FC Twente for a reported $1.2 million.

“It’s a shame to have lost Bern(ardez) this close to the season, but we felt that it was a necessary move to help build the depth of this defense,” said Wynalda.

http://euro.mediotiempo.com/media/2006/07/05/gringo-castro-acepto-estar-en-negociaciones-con-el-espanyol-de-barcelona.jpg
Jose Antonio Castro

Castro, a 32-year old Mexican international, made 318 appearances playing in Mexico’s top flight since 2000. This is his first time playing football outside of his home country.

“Our scouts and I agree, Jose (Castro) has the stuff to be a major performer for us. He’s not the biggest guy on the team (standing at 5’8” and weighing 121 pounds), but his marking his top notch. He’s a hard worker and isn’t afraid to get physical,” Wynalda said.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/05/29/article-0-0070ACF900000258-864_306x345.jpg
Kleberson with Manchester United

Kleberson on the other hand, may provide a little more intrigue to our overseas readers. Kleberson won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, and spent two seasons playing for Manchester United, where he made twenty appearances.

“It’s unbelievable that a guy of his caliber wasn’t on contract anywhere else. Other teams definitely were interested, so we had to lock him in as soon as we possibly could. He’s such a playmaker in the midfield… with guys like Wondo(lowski) and Steven Lenhart up front, Kleberson could have a phenomenal season,” said the Quakes head man.

Lenhart on the way out?
Wondolowski’s partner up front, Steven Lenhart has been rumored to be connected to Russian side, Rubin Kazan. Reports have indicated that the Quakes have turned down multiple offers, ranging between $1.6 and $2.3 million.

“I’m not going to confirm one way or another if Rubin (Kazan) has attempted to acquire Lenhart’s services,” Wynalda said. “Just know how important he is to us, so it’s doubtful he’ll be going anywhere.”


Steven Lenhart

Lenhart has proved to be more than useful for the Quakes this season, as he knocked in a goal in the first minute of the season against Real Salt Lake.

Last season, Lenhart scored ten goals over 26 appearances for San Jose.

EDIT
Neal: Thanks for the feedback! Despite the lack of production from my captain, I hope you're still intrigued enough to keep reading
fzemdegs: Thanks for the comment as well. I'll do my best to keep pictures coming in... hopefully of some trophies by the end of the season!

March 2013 Report

Player of the Month
http://www.sjearthquakes.com/sites/sanjose/files/imagecache/620x350/image_nodes/2013/04/ChrisWondolowski032313_KelleyCox.jpg
Chris Wondolowski
*Two goals, two assists in five matches
*One Man of the Match Award (vs. Seattle)
*7.08 rating over five matches

After a slow start to the season, Wondolowski dramatically picked things up against Columbus, Seattle, and Houston. Over those three matches, he managed to score both of his goals as well as record two assists.


Clutch Performance of the Month
http://spectrumsp.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/ssp-soccer-tommy_muller.jpg
Tommy Muller

Muller’s MLS Debut came against Seattle, while Clarence Goodson was on International Leave and Jake Buxton was serving his suspension that he earned against Columbus. Muller took full advantage of his opportunity to play.

In 65 minutes of action, Muller completed 17 of his 21 passes, recorded two key tackles, five interceptions, en route to earning a 6.80 match rating. Surely, the Quakes manager didn’t imagine the rookie would have such an impressive first match.



Name the only team that is undefeated in the Western Conference:

San Jose Earthquakes

Despite not being able to close out wins against numerous teams this month, there’s one statistic that makes the undefeated feat significantly more impressive. Against Columbus, Seattle, and Houston, the Quakes finished the game with 10-men.

The 3-3 draw with Columbus was the most exciting, as the teams scored equalizer after equalizer. After Jake Buxton was sent off in the 54th minute, all hell broke loose. At the time, the score was 1-0, but over the next 46 minutes, five goals would be scored. In the all important 90th minute, Marvin Chavez was able to sneak into the box unmarked, where Wondolowski put it right on him for the goal that gave the Goonies yet another last-second point.

Due to late injuries against Seattle and Houston and the red card-incident against Columbus, San Jose spent 64 minutes in their last 270 minutes playing with 10-men. Despite the lack of a full squad 23.7-percent of the time over their last three matches, they were able to secure two road draws and a win at home. Imagine what this time might be able to do with 11-men on the field.


March 2013 MLS Standings, Stats

EDIT: I realize the screenshots of the game are a little difficult to read. I'll try to fix that for the next update.