SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For any team that fails to reach the playoffs, the end of the MLS regular season is about as cheery as a funeral. The recriminations are in full swing, while the players say their goodbyes, some for good. But while the San Jose Earthquakes were certainly disappointed to see their season end, it's with the knowledge that the expansion side put up a good fight, and has a foundation in place for the future.
The Quakes finished their comeback season with 33 points, far eclipsing the marks set by Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA, and Toronto FC in their inaugural campaigns. And while the team ultimately failed to match the playoff-qualifying feats of 1998 debutantes Miami and Chicago, they did manage to stay in the playoff race until the season's penultimate weekend.
On that occasion, a 3-2 defeat in Kansas City put an end to their playoff dreams. Yet in looking back on 2008, manager Frank Yallop saw plenty of positives.
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"I think we had some great spells," said Yallop. "We had some bright performances, and we were consistent [in our effort] throughout the year. ... I liked the guys' attitude. I thought it was terrific."
When the season began, it was clear that the team's expansion status was the single biggest impediment to reaching the postseason. Not only was piecing together a quality roster difficult for Yallop and general manager John Doyle, but the cohesion evident on other, more established MLS sides would take a while for the Quakes to match, not that they were using that as an excuse.
"We never looked at ourselves as an expansion team," said midfielder Ronnie O'Brien. "At the start of the season, we were pretty confident. It's just that some early results didn't go our way."
The reason for that was simple. While Doyle and Yallop succeeded in putting together a solid defensive unit, there were some gaping holes in the team's offense. O'Brien was the only player with any attacking pedigree, and teams quickly realized that if they could limit the Irishman's influence, then that would go a long way towards stifling the Quakes' attack.
As a result, goals were about as abundant as Galaxy fans at a San Jose watering hole. The Quakes stumbled out of the gate with a 1-6-1 record, and it wasn't until late May that they recorded their first home victory, a 2-1 win against former San Jose residents Houston Dynamo.
The team tried to acquire more offensive help, with Peguero Jean-Philippe and Jovan Kirovski arriving in May. But both players were injured shortly after their arrival, with Jean-Philippe's troublesome right knee shelving him for the season.
As spring turned into summer, the question on everyone's mind was: Could the team survive until the July transfer window opened and more reinforcements could arrive? And could those new arrivals turn around the season?
The answer to the latter question turned out to be an unequivocal "yes." Midfielder Francisco Lima arrived on a free transfer, adding substantially more bite to San Jose's midfield. Attackers Scott Sealy and Arturo Alvarez were acquired via trades with Kansas City and Dallas, respectively, giving the Quakes a massive upgrade up top.
But the single biggest acquisition was the landing of English winger Darren Huckerby. After a protracted struggle over his rights, the Quakes succeeded in acquiring the Englishman by sending some allocation money to Toronto, and once Huckerby donned San Jose black-and-blue, the transformation of the Quakes' offense was dramatic.
Huckerby's marauding runs down the left wing added a dynamic element to the San Jose attack that they had previously lacked, and it served to create more space for the forwards, as well as O'Brien on the opposite wing.
"Teams couldn't overload my side," said O'Brien of Huckerby's impact. "I lot of times I was going up against guys I had never played against before because teams had two left fullbacks out there. He changed things for me because obviously he's a different threat."
With the offense retooled, the Quakes embarked on a nine-game unbeaten streak that began in late July and stretched into September. At that point, with a slew of home games against conference opponents on the horizon, a playoff place was in their grasp.
But the sheer effort required to get back in the race, combined with some untimely injuries to midfielder Ramiro Corrales and super-sub Ryan Johnson, exposed the team's lack of depth. The Quakes stumbled to a 1-4-2 finish, with home losses to Chivas USA and Real Salt Lake proving to be the killer blow.
So in the end, was it the start or the finish that doomed San Jose's playoff bid?
"The finish, because we had six games to go and we needed to win three of them to sneak in," said Yallop. "We managed one win in the game [against Toronto] that didn't matter. ... That wasn't good. We showed too much promise to just go, 'Oh, we were an expansion team and we didn't quite make it.' I don't like that. I think we failed."
The Quakes' inability to make the postseason aside, the team can take solace in the quality core of players that has been established. Goalkeeper Joe Cannon was solid in goal, and helped keep the team afloat during their early struggles. Defender Jason Hernandez enjoyed perhaps his best season as a professional, ultimately securing a spot in the center of defense, and leading the Quakes to the third-best defensive mark in the league. Corrales delivered a solid season with his two-way displays in the center of midfield, and it can be argued that had he stayed healthy, the team would have fared better down the stretch. And with Huckerby, O'Brien, and Alvarez leading the offense, San Jose find themselves in a much better position than when they began the campaign.
"I think if we had started the season with the team we finished with, we would have made the playoffs," said O'Brien. "No question in my mind we would have been in the playoffs, and I think we would have made it early. But we didn't."
Now comes the hard part of adding more playoff-caliber pieces to the roster, a task made harder by the possible departures of Sealy and Lima. Sealy is out of contract, and has made no secret of his desire to explore options in Europe. Lima, in spite of the fact that he signed an 18-month contract, is thinking of heading back overseas as well.
Losing those two players would certainly be a setback, but a bigger concern for Yallop is increasing the size and power of his team, and that starts with acquiring a Brian McBride-like presence up top.
"We need a strong forward," said Yallop. "McBride has made a difference for Chicago. He's made it easier for guys around him to play. You need those type players. They're the unsung heroes really."
O'Brien is also of the opinion that not much is needed.
"All we need is two or three more players," he said. "There's a good core of older players and younger players, so if we can add a little more quality, I think we'll be a good side."
And then the Quakes can shed the expansion tag for good.
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