SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Earthquakes coach Dominic Kinnear may not necessarily agree with team president David Kavalās assertion that the clubās current tactical style is āboring.ā But the four-time MLS Cup winner -- twice as Houstonās head coach and another two times as a Quakes assistant -- knows what would change that perception.
āWinning games is exciting,ā Kinnear said. āThatās my job, is to win games.ā
However, those wins -- and the attendant sense of excitement -- have been tough to find this season, a fact that led Monday to the firing of longtime Quakes general manager John Doyle.
āItās tough,ā Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com in an exclusive interview after practice Tuesday, his first public statements about the departure of Doyle, a friend for more than 40 years. āThatās all I can say. Itās definitely tough. . . . Itās terribly disappointing.ā
Kinnear, who said he was ācompletely surprisedā by Doyleās removal, received a vote of confidence on Monday but still seemed to be in the crosshairs when Kaval discussed his desire to see the Quakes make tactical changes. San Jose (7-8-11) must try to find another gear to match last seasonās mark of 13 victories -- which presumably would be enough to end a streak of playoff misses that currently runs to three straight seasons.
āIām always aware of what I do and Iām always fighting hard to make sure I alleviate pressure on my job,ā Kinnear said of the idea he is on the clock. āNo matter what you do, thereās always going to be pressure, because thereās lots of people out there that want your job, and they think that they can do a better job than you.ā
The Quakes are last in MLS with just 26 goals in as many games, and currently sit seventh in the Western Conference with eight matches remaining.
āI look at it and, yeah, weāre at the low [end] of scoring goals,ā Kinnear said. āI think the last two games, [against] New England and Columbus, we didnāt play particularly well. I think before that, weāve been consistently OK. . . .
āLast year, I thought we were pretty good. This year, we added some pieces and I thought weād be better than where we are. Obviously, injuries and call ups have hampered us. [Not] scoring goals has hampered us. But I think weāve built a good squad here. Weāre just not winning games.ā
Kaval indicated the clubās poor performances against Houston, New England and Columbus earlier this month -- losing two out of three matches to teams with fewer points -- was a final straw that led to Mondayās move.
Kinnear, on the other hand, pointed to an earlier stretch as being a critical time in coloring the outlook of the Quakesā season to date, linking the Houston defeat of Aug. 19 to San Joseās previous home game, a scoreless tie two weeks earlier against New York City FC.
āLetās be honest: We walked off the field against New York and we had more than enough chances to score and win the game,ā Kinnear said. āWe stepped on the field against Houston and we have more than enough chances to win the game. Those are five more points that we would have right now.ā
As for the idea that a move from the Quakesā predominant style through 2016 -- a 4-4-2 alignment with Quincy Amarikwa and captain Chris Wondolowski on the forward line and a pair of deeper-lying midfielders in the center of the pitch -- Kinnear offered no hints as to what changes, if any, lie in store for San Joseās massive showdown against fellow playoff hopeful Seattle on Sept. 10.
āYeah, we could always tuck a guy inside or drop Chris into midfield,ā Kinnear said. āWe have the personnel to be able to do that. Then youāve only got one player in the box, like we did last year, and then people complained that we donāt have enough players in the box. So itās always a little bit of a juggling act with peopleās opinions.
āIf weāre going to listen to a guy on the Internet who has a fake name and believe in his opinion, then weāre all struggling. But somehow, that personās opinion gets listened to and sometimes matters. Which I always find kind of . . . humorous.ā