SAN JOSE, Calif. – When a club ranks last in the league in terms of shots on goal per match, as the San Jose Earthquakes are in MLS play this season, two possible solutions jump out: Create more opportunities in the attacking third, or be more ruthless in converting the chances at hand.
The Quakes are hoping that the addition of Panamanian international Anibal Godoy will help fulfill the first point, by solidifying the spine of a midfield that too often dithered with the ball and gave it up in dangerous areas.
The second item has proven to be maddeningly elusive as the Quakes (7-9-5) suffered through a five-game winless streak in league play, including last weekend’s scoreless tie against Portland.
San Jose will try to increase their goals-per-game average from 1.05 (good for 18th out of 20 clubs) as they travel to Houston for a Saturday scrap (9 pm ET; MLS LIVE) between two teams desperate to gain traction in the Western Conference standings.
Of course, the Quakes were doing the same thing against the Timbers, only to come away empty-handed. San Jose mustered three shots on goal, with the likeliest candidate for a goal being Chris Wondolowski's seventh-minute chance inside 10 yards. A poor first touch handcuffed Wondolowski, however, and by the time he launched a shot, Portland goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey had moved in to make a kick save.
“Obviously, Chris’ chance was important for us, but then we have other looks on top of the box that were missing the goal,” San Jose coach Dominic Kinnear said. “And some that got blocked, as well. Being more efficient in front of goal, every team is striving for it. It kind of comes and goes. You want it to come and stay.”
The importance of Wondolowski’s shot was exacerbated by how early it fell in the match. A goal would have presumably forced Portland to loosen their midfield and backline in search of an equalizer. Instead, the Timbers walled things up and waited for counter-attacks to fall their way.
“If that ball doesn’t go under Chris’ foot and he slots it home, we get another eight good chances in that game," San Jose general manager John Doyle said. "It’s finishing that first chance. You’re seeing it in Major League Soccer right now – once a goal’s going in early, the league is pretty wide open. If a goal doesn’t go in at the start, both teams are [tightening up defensively]."
As Kinnear put it: “They sat deep, their lines were tight, it was hard to penetrate at times. So when you get that chance and score, obviously the game changes a little bit.”
San Jose rank third in corner kicks per game, at 5.90, one sign that they’re putting some pressure on opponents – just not enough to force critical saves or to beat other clubs’ goalkeepers. Kinnear has used video sessions to reinforce the idea that sometimes a less-than-perfect shot on goal is better than a perfectly lined up shot that gets deflected before it reaches the net.
“We show video, and the [message] is, ‘Hey, we’re getting to a point here, let’s reward ourselves with a shot on goal, a goal, a dangerous opportunity,’” Kinnear said “I thought our build-up play in the first half [against Portland] was real, real good. Our movement and possession were good. We were finding the right areas. So we were getting there. We were just knocking the ball off target. It’s one of those [things] where you’re not rewarding yourself for your good play. Being efficient in front of goal is rewarding good play, too.”
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One thing that may not change in search of more offense is Wondolowski’s location on the pitch. Kinnear has been using the club’s leading all-time scorer in central midfield, rather than leading the line or sitting immediately behind a target man.
The San Jose captain has suffered a drop in his per-90 minute rate of non-PK goals (0.36, compared to 0.50 last season) and shots on goal (1.13, compared to 1.38). That last figure would be Wondolowski’s lowest SOG/90 mark since before 2010, when he began his record-setting goal-scoring run with the Quakes.
The arrival of Godoy – not expected until next week – might shake things up, lineup-wise, and lead to Wondolowski being deployed up the pitch. That said, Kinnear doesn’t sound like someone who’s convinced the old way is broken.
“If you watch the game, count the amount of times Chris is in the penalty area,” Kinnear said. “He’s in the penalty area a lot from that position. Maybe he’s not there 100 percent of the time, but I’m telling you … people focus on one thing only, but they maybe lose track of the game. If you watch the amount of times he finds himself in the penalty area, it might surprise you.”
