SAN JOSE — A down 2018 season, with his San Jose Earthquakes at the bottom of the MLS standings, and a new coach on the way in, Chris Wondolowski had to prove himself again.

At 36 years old, just a couple goals away from breaking the all-time MLS scoring record (145) held by Landon Donovan, the former Chico State men’s soccer star of the early 2000s found himself at a bit of a career crossroads.

Incoming head coach Matias Almeyda would demand a lot of his players, veterans included.

“We just finished dead last, so obviously we weren’t doing the right things,” Wondolowski said. “(I) knew that it was going to be a very demanding preseason and year … I didn’t know if I could cut it.”

Of course, Wondolowski and his teammates have done more than cut it. The run started in May, once Wondolowski broke the all-time MLS scoring record with a four-goal effort against the Chicago Fire. Adding a 3-1 win over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday at Avaya Stadium, the Earthquakes (11-7-4) have lost only once in their last 11 outings.

“I’ve had to re-prove myself, in a sense,” Wondolowski said. “I’ve been very fortunate the last few years, but at the same time, you can get comfortable, you can get content and I knew I had to grow as a player. Doesn’t matter what time in your career.”

On Saturday, during a turnaround season for both Wondolowski, who’s now up to 153 career goals, and the Earthquakes, it was a fitting homage to celebrate his Chico State career some 15 years after he left.

The California Collegiate Athletic Association inducted Wondolowski into its 2019 Hall of Fame class in a ceremony following the match, with family, former college coaches, teammates, alumni, Chico State Athletic Director Anita Barker and CCAA Commissioner and former Chico State associate athletic director Mitch Cox on hand. Wondolowski, one of six inductees this year, became the first Chico State athlete honored in the hall of fame’s five-year history.

“Those years were amazing,” Wondolowski said. “They’re great to remember and I still think about them a lot. I made friends that are lifetime friends, that at the drop of a hat, will fly down from Portland just to come see this … It means the world to me.

“I kind of remember going into my first double days in Chico at mountain camp, not knowing what to expect, but having to prove yourself. I kind of took that same mentality here,” he said.

Save for one left-footed shot in the 13th minute, Wondolowski made most of his moves in the background of the Earthquakes’ attack, which included goals from Vako Qazaishvili and Shea Salinas.

Yet even when he’s not scoring, Wondolowski’s mere presence on the pitch can affect a game in a variety of ways.

Just one minute into the match, Earthquakes winger Cristian Espinoza crossed the ball to Wondolowski in front of goal, a single defender, Lalas Abubakar and goalkeeper Clint Irwin to beat.

Before Wondolowski could extend the tip of his boot to get a touch on the ball, it deflected off Abubakar and into goal.

“It’s always better to score than being scored on,” Almeyda said through a translator, when asked about the importance of the early goal. “Our idea is always to maintain the same mentality, when they score an early goal on us, or when we score early. Our idea of play is always the same.”

Wondolowski subbed off in the 60th minute in favor of Danny Hoesen, with San Jose protecting a 2-0 lead.

Wondolowski’s night comes to an end in the 60th minute — subbed off for Danny Hoesen. Wondolowski finished with one shot, and a small share of San Jose’s first score while in the vicinity of Rapids defender Lalas Abubakar on the 1’ own goal. pic.twitter.com/mtihDZRDIt — Will Denner (@WillCDenner) July 28, 2019

Perhaps Saturday’s CCAA Hall of Fame induction will be a footnote in a season full of team triumphs and the individual accolades.

Not for Wondolowski though. The night served as a reminder of where he came from, and upon leaving Chico State, how he began a professional path that ultimately led him here.

The disappointment of 2018 seemingly carried over into the start of the 2019 season. San Jose lost each of its first four games. The fourth, a 5-0 drubbing March 30 at the hands of LAFC, was the most lopsided to date.

Mike O’Malley, Wondolowski’s head coach at Chico State, attended the afternoon match and had plans to have lunch with Wondolowski after. O’Malley, along with college teammate Robby Busick and their wives, waited nearly two hours for him to emerge from the stadium.

Whether or not Wondolowski knew then that he would be relegated to the bench, he didn’t show a hint of disapproval publicly.

“That was the turnaround game for them because after that, Chris was put on the bench,” said O’Malley, now head coach of the Butte College women’s soccer team.

“But he was telling us that he really likes (Almeyda) and he loves the style and the process that this coach believes in. We asked why there some good players that weren’t playing. And he said, ‘because they’re not buying into the coach’s philosophy of play.’”

So after seven games coming off the bench, appearing in six of them, he returned to the starting lineup May 18 against the Chicago Fire. On a whim, O’Malley decided to venture down from Chico to watch the game. He got a chance to see his former player run through the tunnel before the game, and he could tell his former player was excited.

“He was fired up because he was starting,” O’Malley said. “Because he’d been pretty frustrated before that. I could tell there was something in his face that just illuminated enthusiasm.”

Needing two goals to break the all-time scoring record, he got four. After the fourth, on a Jackson Yueill cross to the far post toward a waiting Wondolowski, O’Malley, watching from the stands, broke down crying.

Since the 4-1 win, Wondolowski has returned to the starting lineup full time.

“I just think it took so much stress and weight off his shoulders,” O’Malley said. “It just put a smile on his face while he’s out there playing again. He’s just having so much fun. The results of that kind of pressure being let go is … he’s going to score goals.”

The end of Saturday’s match and the ensuing ceremony coincided with a one week break between games for the Earthquakes, minus Wondolowski.

He’s bound for Orlando on Wednesday to play in the 2019 MLS All-Star game — the fifth such time he will appear in the game, and first since 2016.

At age 36, nearing the twilight of his career, he isn’t taking the moment for granted, knowing it might be the final time on such a stage.

“I’m just going to take it all in, just enjoy it,” Wondolowski said. “It’s a game you get to enjoy and be mentioned with some of the all-time greats … I think this one (is) probably going to be the last, so it’s one where I’m just taking it all in.”