SAN JOSE, Calif. — If you play right back for the San Jose Earthquakes, you might not want to chance calling in for a sick day.
Tim Ward was all set to be coach Frank Yallop’s first choice on the Quakes’ First Kick starting XI – until he had to pull out just before the team’s final preseason match after tweaking his strained right hamstring.
That injury opened the door for Chris Leitch, who boldly stepped through and has reclaimed a spot that had been his for the first half of last season.
“I feel like whenever I do get to start, hopefully I make the most of it,” Leitch told MLSsoccer.com. “That’s my job. If I’m not doing that, then I need to look for alternative employment.”
There’s no need for Leitch to be sending out resumes. Ward, who didn’t train fully on Tuesday, is still a question mark in terms of his availability.
Even if Ward were healthy, however, Yallop said he wouldn’t be making a change coming off a 2-0 road win against FC Dallas. Especially not since Leitch, a 10th-year veteran who turns 32 on April 1, has been thriving at both ends of the pitch, as evidenced most notably by his neatly lobbed assist on Chris Wondolowski’s first goal of 2011.
“Chris is a fighter and he wants his spot,” Yallop said. “There’s nothing wrong with competition for places, and I think Chris has played very well in two games. The back four’s done great with Jon [Busch, the Quakes’ goalkeeper]. You wouldn’t break that up.”
Leitch has been solid defensively, but his value has been amplified by his offensive skills, which are a perfect match for what the Quakes want out of their fullbacks in this year’s preferred 4-3-3 scheme: Dangerous runs that unbalance an opposing defense by overloading them with attacking players in need of attention.
“The way that Frank and [assistant coaches Mark Watson and Ian Russell] want us to play, I like it a lot,” Leitch said. “The thing about it is from my perspective, when we keep solid possession, that means I can be more dynamic.”
Retaining control of the ball has been maybe the biggest item on the Quakes’ to-do list this year as Yallop feels like his club has amassed enough talent to shed the direct, almost brutish style that marked its first three seasons after being reinstated. As San Jose have gained belief in the scheme, the success has fed on itself.
“I can, quote-unquote, risk a little more going forward, because if we’re in solid possession, it’s not really a risk,” Leitch said. “When you have that trust in your teammates that they’re going to make the right passes ... that gives me confidence. So then I can just run a little more freely.
“I think that’s what we developed at times last year and we’re going to try to continue this season. Having trust in your teammates, knowing that they’re going to make the right passes and do the right things with the ball, goes a long way.”
Geoff Lepper covers the Earthquakes for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at sanjosequakes@gmail.com. On Twitter: @sjquakes
