In MLS circles, March is the time of year when every comment about a team or player is followed up with the phrase, "Yeah, but it's preseason." When a team wins, the statement is applied in recognition of the fact that no team is the finished article at this time of year. When a side struggles, the utterance is used to ease any concerns that the regular season will see more of the same.
Based on their performance in last week's Carolina Challenge Cup, the first usage certainly applies to the San Jose Earthquakes. The expansion side won all three games during the competition, and while much work remains to be done, in many respects the team looked well beyond the "getting to know you" stage so endemic to first-year sides.
"I thought from the first minute of the first game, to the last minute of the last game, we improved," said San Jose head coach Frank Yallop. "That was the whole thing we were trying to do."
Anyone who watched the webcasts of the Quakes' matches in Charleston will know that since 2004, the winner of the Carolina Challenge Cup has won either the Supporters' Shield or MLS Cup. But league historians will also recall that in 1999, the San Jose Clash won a preseason get-together, that being the league's Spring Training tournament, and that side ended up missing the playoffs altogether.
So for the Quakes, do such results give a team confidence, or are they something best forgotten?
"Right now I think it's a little bit of both," said defender Jason Hernandez. "It was good to go down there and get some good results like we did, and gel, and play solid from back to front. I think that's important. But we're not going to take too much from it. It's a very long season."
While two of San Jose's victories came against MLS sides, it's worth noting that both teams were missing players due to their participation in the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament. Toronto FC was missing defender Marvell Wynne, midfield workhorse Maurice Edu, as well as several players from the Canadian under-23 team. New York, meanwhile, was without forward Jozy Altidore as well as defender Hunter Freeman.
That didn't stop Yallop from taking away some positives. The backline looked composed, so much so that goalkeepers Joe Cannon and Preston Burpo were rarely tested. And the attack, the source of so many questions this preseason, created plenty of chances.
Yet the organization shown by the side was probably the biggest surprise given the relatively short time the team has been together. It's something that Yallop chalks up to the unity that has been quickly established within the Earthquakes squad.
"This is a group that has bonded really well," said Yallop. "They're not really looking to pick fault with each other. We haven't kicked off yet, but I can tell that they're not really laying into each other. They're going to help each other to try to win games, because they know how tough it is to win games in this league."
A quirk in the schedule will see San Jose sit out the league's opening slate of games this weekend. Instead the Quakes will head to Portland on Friday for one final tune-up prior to their April 3 opener against Los Angeles at The Home Depot Center. Once Friday's match is completed, the mantra of "It's only preseason," can be put to bed for another year.
Jeff Carlisle is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
