It was November 7, 2012, and the San Jose Earthquakes’ famous 2012 Supporters’ Shield winning side had been defeated by their bitter rivals, the LA Galaxy in the second leg of their MLS Cup playoff tie. It was Simon Dawkins’ last game on loan in San Jose from Tottenham Hotspur. In a solemn dressing room at Buck Shaw Stadium, he said that he hoped to sign permanently with the club.

The deal didn’t pan out and Dawkins returned to England, but he stayed in contact with the Quakes’ front office. This winter, a return from Derby County on a free transfer materialized and Dawkins said in his first meeting with reporters since that November night in 2012: “I knew I wanted to return, it was just about when.”

He’s here on “unfinished business.”

“Losing to the LA Galaxy in the playoffs, that’s something that I want to rectify,” he said. He’ll get his chance later this month when the Quakes play LA Galaxy at the end of their two-week preseason training camp in Arizona.

He says “there’s always pressure coming back, but [pressure] is nothing new for me.”

“I’ve had some good years over in Europe but one thing I haven’t had is a break. I got to [have some time off] before signing here in San Jose, giving my body a rest, and now I’m just getting my fitness back. I should be fine by [the start of the season]. I’m using every day to get fitter and stronger.”

San Jose’s squad is hardly recognizable from the Goonies’ 2012 vintage, but Dawkins said it was good to see old faces such as Victor Bernardez and Chris Wondolowski again. He also knows left-back Jordan Stewart “quite well” from his time in England.

The club has also built Avaya Stadium, which was just an idea when Dawkins was last in San Jose. “When I first arrived, John Doyle took me there and showed me around,” said the winger. “It’s amazing. It’s just what San Jose deserve.”

He’s happy to start this “new chapter” of his career.

The Quakes’ other new signing Andrés Imperiale also joined Dawkins on a conference call this afternoon. The twenty-nine-year-old left-back said he is happy to settle in the United States after a career that took him from Argentina to Costa Rica and Cyprus and the organization of the league was a major pull for him. “One of my targets has always been to play here,” he said.

“Because I had a good season last year, I had a chance to sign in this country. It was a good offer for me and my family.”

“The league is amazing, the organization of everything is amazing, it’s really different in my country. In Argentina, we are very passionate, but we don’t have the same organization. Here, you know when you’re going to play, when you’re going to train, when you are [traveling], and this is very good for the players. You only have to think about training and playing, nothing else.”

Fellow Argentine team-mate Matias Perez Garcia has helped persuade Imperiale to relocate to the Bay Area and also to help sort out his living situation. “After I received the offer from San Jose, I sent [Garcia] a text and we kept in touch,” said Imperiale. “I asked him about everything: life [in San Jose], the housing, and the cars. It’s very good for me.”

The defender is well rested — his last match was in December — and confident going into preseason. “It will be very hard but I trust myself…with hard work maybe I have a chance to play. This is my target for next season.”