SAN JOSE, Calif. – Mark Watson knows what kind of odds his San Jose Earthquakes squad faces in their quest to come from 11 points back with just five games left to crack the Western Conference playoff field.
He also knows what kind of odds he faces if the Quakes can’t get there.
With rumors swirling after a Houston Chronicle report claimed the Dynamo would let Dominic Kinnear join the Quakes if San Jose offered him their coaching job, the current occupant of that office took a fatalistic stance in his first comments on the topic.
“It’s part of the business,” Watson told reporters after the Quakes’ practice on Tuesday. “When you don’t have a successful season, there’s always going to be that possibility and that speculation. All I can do is just keep working with the group and whatever happens, happens.”
The Quakes addressed the Chronicle’s story with a statement reading: “All decisions regarding our technical staff and players will be made at the conclusion of the season.”
Watson took over for Frank Yallop midway through last season and nearly took the Quakes back into the playoffs with an 11-5-3 burst before falling short by a tiebreaker. If San Jose were hoping to continue that run by keeping Watson in place, it hasn’t happened; the Quakes sit on 29 points and would need help to make the postseason even if they somehow pivoted from their current 10-match winless streak and won out the rest of the way starting at home Saturday against the Portland Timbers (11 pm ET; NBCSN, live stream at NBCSports.com).
“There’s still games to play, there’s still points on the table,” Watson said. “It’s obviously an extremely difficult situation, but the best thing we can do is put all our attention on Portland on Saturday.”
Watson has been repeatedly hamstrung by absences during his first full season in charge. Speedy winger Yannick Djalo has been unable to stay on the pitch for any extended period of time due to a series of muscle problems. Star forward Chris Wondolowski was called into action for the US World Cup team. US international Clarence Goodson has missed months with a toe injury. New Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia needed knee surgery after just his second match.
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“Unfortunately for Mark, he hasn’t had the opportunity to field his full 11, or even his full 18,” Quakes defender Jason Hernandez said last week. “Most teams have guys in and out with injuries, but to have maybe three impact guys not suiting up each week, and those guys kind of rotating, and then another three are out. … He’s been fighting an uphill battle much of the season when it comes to player availability.”
To Wondolowski, the intrigue of a possible return by Kinnear – who grew up in the Bay Area and coached the Quakes for their final two years in San Jose before the franchise decamped to Houston – should not cost his teammates any focus as they prepare to host the Timbers.
“That’s not a distraction,” Wondolowski said. “It’s something you guys can write about, and it’s a good story, but once you step on the field, that has no influence on anything. … Every person is playing for their job. If you lose games, you’re not going to have a job out here. It doesn’t matter who you are, from player 1 to player 30. Everyone needs to pick it up, otherwise we’ll be looking for another occupation.”
