SAN JOSE, Calif. — All through the preseason, the San Jose Earthquakes talked up the versatility and depth of this year’s roster.
Saturday against Toronto FC (10:30 pm, Direct Kick, MatchDay Live), they’ll get their chance to prove all that chatter isn’t just idle boasting.
In the wake of a 2-2 home draw to Seattle last weekend, in which the Quakes had to come from behind twice, Ike Opara is expected to be inserted into San Jose’s lineup at center back, with Jason Hernandez sliding to right back and Chris Leitch heading for the bench.
Additionally, coach Frank Yallop is set to reshuffle his attackers in San Jose’s 4-3-3 attack. Khari Stephenson and Simon Dawkins should pair as central midfielders, with Chris Wondolowski moving into a lone striker role, Ryan Johnson shifting from striker to left wing and Bobby Convey flipping sides from left to right. Joey Gjertsen, previously the right midfielder, is the odd man out.
[inlinenode:332759]“I feel the squad is capable of doing anything that I want to do, and I think that’s the beauty of having a good squad,” Yallop said. “It’s a deep team, and we don’t miss a beat if we move people around.”
Defensively, the change was prompted in part because of Yallop’s dissatisfaction at allowing three goals over the first three matches, but also as a preemptive measure against Toronto’s tall front line, which features 6-foot-3 Alan Gordon and 6-1 Maicon Santos.
“Toronto has some very dangerous players on crosses and set plays, so one of the reason I want to get Ike into the lineup is that he’s very good in the air, very good at marking,” Yallop said.
The movement up front allows Yallop to pair Convey – who is more dangerous offensively than Gjertsen – with Hernandez, who is a downgrade attacking-wise from Leitch. It also means Johnson will be back on the left side, where his best work came for the Quakes last year.
[inlinenode:332163]However, Wondolowski has never found great success as a lone forward. The most recent example of him manning that spot came in January, when he did so against Chile in his US national-team debut. Starved of service, Wondolowski was a non-factor during much of his 60 minutes on the pitch.
This doesn’t deter Yallop, who thinks the Quakes can solve that problem by having Dawkins play almost as a withdrawn forward, linking up with Wondolowski, while Stephenson – whose 30-yard blast won last week’s MLS Goal of the Week honors – shepherds the attack from midfield.
“Simon’s going to join more, he’s a forward [in the past],” Yallop said. “I feel that ... Ryan is an attacking player that’s going to help the workload if Wondo’s out there. It’s just the setup for how we’re going to kick the game off.”
For his part, the relentlessly upbeat Wondolowski wouldn’t fall prey to any negativity.
“I think it helps me get closer to the goal, [from] which I can make runs, and it gives us a good midfield,” he said. “It gets me around a lot more chances – rebounds, deflections, stuff like that. I think I can do well on that.”
On the injury front, the Quakes won’t have one of Yallop’s favorites available as an attacker in reserve. Scott Sealy, who made his season debut last week, is out with a strained ligament in his right shoulder, suffered in a collision against Seattle. Sealy said he hopes to get a full week of practice in next week, then see where he stands after that.
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com. On Twitter: @sjquakes
