The San Jose Earthquakes will play under the lights for the first time at their new home ground Avaya Stadium, but rather than the venue, it will be the Quakes’ performance in the spotlight this weekend. Whilst the new stadium dominated the headlines in their home opener and “soft” opener, the Quakes’ 1-0 loss to Real Salt Lake last weekend exposed a less glamorous storyline on the pitch.

In the beautiful game, the scoreline doesn’t always tell the whole story, but none could be more representative of what happened in Real’s 1-0 win over the Quakes. Jeff Cassar’s men put together an organized, sturdy defense that frustrated the Quakes’ throughout the ninety minutes, and resorted to “desperate defending,” in the words of Quakes’ coach Dominic Kinnear, to hold onto the lead that they established via Javier Morales’ superb individual effort.

However, the Goonies had problems of their own. Chris Wondolowski admitted they were “too individualistic” at times, mirroring his manager’s thoughts — Kinnear said: “We’ve sometimes got to be a bit less selfish.”

It was a problem throughout the team, but Innocent Emeghara was the worst offender. It wasn’t all his fault, though, given he too often had few options going forward; indeed, Kinnear’s formation change may very well be the cause. Adam Jahn started up front and Chris Wondolowski was dropped back to spearhead the Quakes’ midfield triangle, but the former was tightly marked and had trouble connecting with the midfield, although excelling on the end of long balls. Wondolowski admitted he had trouble getting on the ball, while Kyle Beckerman and Luke Mulholland, who sat in front of RSL’s back-line as the game wore on, prevented the USMNT forward from penetrating into the box.

At the end of the day, Kinnear conceded the day was a “downer” for the Quakes and that we likely won’t see the same setup this weekend. When asked about the result of the changes, he simply said: “Well, we lost. It was just for today.”

The question becomes, what will he try next? The Quakes looked good in a 4-2-3-1 in preseason, as well as in their Avaya Stadium opener, a win against the Chicago Fire, getting the best out of Emeghara’s pace as well as Wondolowski’s finishing. Fatai Alashe, JJ Koval, and Matias Perez Garcia would presumably start in the midfield, with Emeghara and Sanna Nyassi or Shea Salinas out wide; indeed, all of these game together in their scintillating 3-2 win over the Seattle Sounders.

But that win seems long ago: the Quakes have lost their last two games. At the moment, their goal is to resurrect their form from the Seattle win. However, Emeghara is suspended for the upcoming fixture after the MLS Disciplinary Committee gave him a one-match suspension as a result of his high challenge on Luke Mulholland last weekend. Kinnear may slide his men into a 4-4-2, then, with Perez-Garcia thrown out wide. Fullbacks Shaun Francis and Jordan Stewart are out, as well, while Kinnear is yet to declare whether Marvell Wynne will return, either; thus, Cordell Cato can be expected to win another start.

The Whitecaps, though, certainly aren’t the team the Quakes would’ve liked to face as they attempt to rebuild their confidence. 4-0-1 so far this season, the Canadian club sit top of the Western Conference three points clear of the nearest challengers, FC Dallas. Vancouver forward Octavio Rivero, a tall target man and MLS Player of the Month in March, already has five goals this season and will certainly test the Quakes’ back-line. Given Rivero’s physical presence, Kinnear will likely start with the bulky Victor Bernandez as a center-back alongside with Clarence Goodson.

Vancouver aren’t the best defensively, allowing two midweek against the Columbus Crew, and although they’re likely to take the game to San Jose, may be hampered by limited rest following their Wednesday night draw with Columbus.

Nonetheless, the Quakes will need to pick up their form to win the three points and prevent a decline down the standings — they are already in sixth in the Western Conference. Given their upcoming home match against the Montreal Impact was rescheduled a few days ago, it will be Kinnear’s last attempt to impress the Bay Area for over a month.