SAN JOSE, Calif. – International duty and injuries each played their parts in getting rookie San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Jackson Yueill his big break 1650507271" tabindex="0">Wednesday night.
Yet after Yueill provided a goal inside four minutes and helped marshal the center of San Jose’s midfield the rest of the way for a 2-0 victory1650507272" tabindex="0">Wednesday against the NASL’s San Francisco Deltas in the US Open Cup, Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear made it clear that Yueill fully earned his spot when his club hosts Seattle later this month in the USOC’s Round of 16.
“You want to make sure you reward guys with the work they’re putting in,” Kinnear told reporters. “And I’m glad we’ve won this Open Cup game, because next Open Cup game, Jackson Yueill will be starting that one as well.”
It was a heady end to a week that could have ended in disaster for Yueill and the Quakes. The 20-year-old Minnesota native was pressed into duty against the Deltas in part because Anibal Godoy (90 minutes for Panama vs. Honduras 1650507273" tabindex="0">on Tuesday) and Darwin Ceren (88 minutes for El Salvador vs. Ecuador, also 1650507274" tabindex="0">Tuesday) had served international duty and Fatai Alashe continues to be troubled by a knee issue.
But while lower-division sides FC Cincinnati, Miami FC and Sacramento Republic FC were all recording USOC upsets 1650507275" tabindex="0">on Wednesday, Yueill and the Quakes were ensuring the Deltas wouldn’t join that list.
“There’s no feeling like [playing],” Yueill said. “I was really honored when I was able to start. I took advantage of it from the beginning. I knew that this is my chance to show what I am capable of. That’s the mindset I went into this game with.”
The former UCLA All-Pac-12 performer showed exactly what he could do in the fourth minute when Danny Hoesen’s free kick from outside the penalty area to the right of goal bounced off a Deltas player and looped towards him. Yueill expertly swiveled and caught the volley at full force, leaving San Francisco goalkeeper Steward Ceus no chance at the far post.
It was the kind of opportunity a young player might often waste, although Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski was quick to widen the pool of those committing hypothetical mistakes.
“To be honest, with that goal, it’s young guys, veteran guys, any guy,” Wondolowski said. “That’s not an easy finish, a pop up like that, coming towards your body, right foot, and then to hit a full volley. He struck it well. His technique is pretty special.
“[Yueill] is a great player. It didn’t surprise me when it hit the back of the net.”
Notwithstanding that vote of confidence, the Quakes have opted – with the likes of Alashe, Ceren and Godoy ordinarily available in the middle of the field – to bring Yueill along slowly, allowing him to grow into his role as a professional rather than pushing the sixth overall pick in this year’s SuperDraft immediately into the starting XI.
Outside of preseason matches, Yueill’s only competitive pro games before 1650507276" tabindex="0">Wednesday were his five appearances with Reno 1868 FC, the Quakes’ USL affiliate. While playing with Reno has helped build Yueill’s physical strength, a successful appearance in the first team such as his performance on Wednesday can only bolster his mental confidence.
“I think the games at Reno have really helped me,” Yueill said. “The competition there is really good and really high, and it’s an opportunity for me to get minutes on the field, playing games. So I think playing games with Reno in the USL and then coming here for US Open Cup is really beneficial for my game. … It’s still a jump here, but it’s definitely helping me keep my momentum going.”
The Quakes hope that momentum continues when the Sounders come to Avaya Stadium. San Jose hasn’t won more than a single USOC game in a year since 2012 – when the Sounders dashed the Quakes’ hopes with a 1-0 win at Kezar Stadium. Barring injury or a change in Kinnear’s thinking, Yueill will get another chance to impress his boss.
“Every game, every player has something to show,” Yueill said. “I went into the start of the game ready to go. I was ready to play. I was excited to play. And so I think that helped me. With [Kinnear] giving me the opportunity, I didn’t want to let him down. I wanted to show him why he should put me there.”
