San Jose is 2-1-0 to begin the season, but signs may be present to show a looming problem within the Earthquakes roster.

Earthquakes Roster Problem

In all three 2016 games, the Earthquakes have opted to run a flat 4-4-2 (aka the Empty Bucket), a formation which focuses on controlling the midfield while allowing an option for the fullbacks to make attacking runs in which the defensive midfielders or midfield wingers can drop back if needed. This double-pivot formation has been adopted due to the emergence of defensive midfielders Fatai Alashe and the acquisition of Anibal Godoy last season. The formation is more defensive in nature, with six players already in a defensive position and two more ready to drop back if needed. It should come as no coincidence that the formation relies upon the counter-attack, rather than possession in the attacking half. The results have been less than spectacular for San Jose, as the Quakes have been dominated in most offensive stats in all three games.

The problem is simple: the Earthquakes roster is not built for this formation. The Quakes only have two true defensive midfielders on their roster: Alashe and Godoy. The only backup appears to be 19-year-old Matheus Silva (officially listed as a midfielder on the Earthquakes roster) as the Quakes cut J.J. Koval in preseason and Marc Pelosi is out 3-4 months due to knee surgery. To make matters worse, Alashe is just coming off hernia surgery and is still building towards match fitness. Simply put, the Quakes have been playing a handicapped version of the flat 4-4-2 without any depth.

The Quakes are also strained on defense in general. Starting left-back Jordan Stewart has been sidelined with an Achilles injury, Shaun Francis has a quad injury, and Clarence Goodson was out last week with a back injury. Both Goodson and his counterpart Victor Bernardez are getting more injury-prone in as they continue to age into their mid-thirties; the pair only played together five times last season due to one or the other being injured and/or suspended. Third-round pick and third-stringer Kip Colvey has been expected to fill in at left back while Marvell Wynne has been playing right-back. The only other defender the Quakes have: Andres Imperiale. That’s not a lot of defensive depth for running a defensive-based formation.

The Earthquakes exacerbated the roster problem during the SuperDraft. The Earthquakes drafted a goalie (Andrew Tarbell) and an attacking midfielder (Patrick Hodan) with their first two picks. If Earthquakes Head Coach Dom Kinnear was planning on running the flat 4-4-2, why not draft for it?

The irony is that the Earthquakes roster is built for the attack. Designated Player forward Innocent is fully match fit, forward Chris Wondolowski is in the midst of a three-game goal-scoring streak, forward Quincy Amarikwa already has a goal, and the Quakes have three other forwards ready for action in Mark Sherrod, Chad Barrett, and Adam Jahn. That’s a ton of depth!

The Earthquakes also have plenty of attacking/controlling midfielders at their disposal, including homegrown Tommy Thompson, DP Matias Perez Garcia, Shea Salinas, DP Simon Dawkins, and Sanna Nyassi. Midfielder Cordell Cato is also making a recovery and could be available soon.

It’s time for a formation change. The Earthquakes cannot be a sit-back, defend, and counter team with the limited amount of depth they have at defensive mid and defenders in general and the huge amount of depth they have on the attack. Instead, the Earthquakes should adopt a single-pivot diamond 4-4-2, 4-1-3-2 or 4-3-3, formations which press the attack, press on defense, and provide more opportunities for their huge numbers of midfielders and forwards to get plugged into games. Continuing to bench the best players in favor of running a formation without much depth to it may make a playoff run much more difficult later on in the season.

Main Photo: Victor Decolongon, Getty Images