Look through the San Jose Earthquakes roster and one theme becomes pretty obvious: This is a group of players who were getting pretty close to exhausting their last chance.
Major League Soccer Playoffs, Eastern Conference Finals Preview: Rapids, Earthquakes Have Contrasting Styles, But Similar Results
Whether that was Bobby Convey getting pulled at halftime of the season opener after a disappointing first season back in MLS or Chris Wondolowski entering his age 27 season with no established identity or Jon Busch accepting a backup job just two seasons after being named Goalkeeper of the Year this was a team that needed to start proving it could produce or start considering a new line of work.
Entering its third year of rebirth with two last-place finishes under its belt, a similar narrative was developing for the franchise as a whole.
In all cases, there is no longer much cause for concern. Convey has already won the league’s Comeback Player of the Year, Wondolowski is a MVP finalist and the Golden Boot winner, Busch posted numbers as good or better than his 2008 stats and the Quakes are one step from their fourth MLS Cup finals appearances.
The Rapids are a different case, almost entirely. Although success has eluded the franchise for the bulk of its existence, the recent struggles have been particularly curious because of the obvious talent the team possessed.
Conor Casey and Omar Cummings are enjoying their best combined success this season, but that has taken four seasons together in order to develop. Talent evaluators have long been drooling over Marvell Wynne, but it is only now that he's started to harness some of that potential. Pablo Mastroeni is finally giving people something to talk about other than that red card he received in the 2006 World Cup.
When they are clicking, the Rapids are as talented and fun to watch as any in MLS. The Earthquakes play with more of a reckless abandon that can be entertaining if not beautiful.
This could get very interesting.
Probable Lineups
San Jose Earthquakes (4-4-2): GK-Jon Busch; DF- Tim Ward, Jason Hernandez, Brandon McDonald, Chris Leitch; MF-Bobby Convey, Scott Sealy, Sam Cronin, Chris Wondolowski; FW-Ryan Johnson, Geovani.
Colorado Rapids (4-4-2): GK-Matt Pickens; DF-Anthony Wallace, Drew Moor, Marvell Wynne, Kosuke Kimura; MF-Wells Thompson, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Brian Mullan; FW-Conor Casey, Omar Cummings.
Key Matchups
- Drew Moor vs. Chris Wondolowski - Marvell Wynne is the higher-profile Rapids defender, but Moor will probably be the one that is more responsible for matching up with the Quakes' one-man wrecking crew. Wondolowski has been the main offensive threat for San Jose all season, and teams have failed to figure out how to shut him down with any regularity. Moor, a five-year MLS veteran, will have his hands full.
- Quakes backline vs. C+C Scoring Factory - As of writing this, Jason Hernandez's health is still undetermined. San Jose has been without starting centerback Ike Opara for several months and will also be missing captain Ramiro Corrales on Saturday. Even if Hernandez plays, this is already a patchwork defense. To say they will have their hands full with Casey and Cummings is a bit of an understatement, but that doesn't make the need to stop them any less important. Matching Casey's physicality and limiting the space Cummings is given will be key. Unfortunately, that is always easier said than done.
- Sealy and Cronin vs. Mastroeni and Larentowicz - It may be cliche to say, but whichever central midfield pairing gets the best of this matchup will make the others much easier to win. Mastroeni and Larentowicz dominated the first leg of their first-round playoff, and the Rapids dominated the Crew. They were almost invisible in Leg Two, and needed to pull out the victory in penalty kicks. With Cronin and Sealy playing more of a stacked midfield, there should be a little more room to operate for both pairs. Whether Sealy's penchant for pushing forward is a advantage or not will likely tell us a lot.
History you should know
The Rapids have been to one MLS Cup final in their history, and that was back in 1997. Since then, they have won four playoff rounds and the last three have all been in penalty shootouts. The Quakes have won two MLS Cups, but this is their first appearance in the playoffs since the franchise returned to MLS in 2008. Combined, the two teams entered this season with no playoff victories since 2006.
Head to Head
Each team won 1-0 at home during the regular season. The last game they played was Aug. 7 at Colorado with Busch scoring an own-goal for the game’s only score.
The Earthquakes will advance if: For all of Convey and Wondolowski’s heroics in the first round, the Quakes would not have advanced if not for the play of Busch. With an ailing defense, Busch will likely need to come up big again.
The Rapids will advance if: Casey and Cummings get all the headlines, but the play of Larentowicz and Mastroeni is often the thing that gives the forwards the space to operate. A game like they had at home against the Crew will likely open the floodgates.
Pick: On paper there’s not a lot to like about the Quakes, even their Designated Player is overshadowed. If we’ve learned anything this season, it’s don’t count out the Quakes who will win this game 2-1.
Matchcard, projected lineups, formation and statistics: Rapids-Quakes Preview
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