Football Season Review

The San Jose Earthquakes had a very mixed 2017 Major League Soccer Campaign. Despite making the playoffs for the first time since 2012, the Earthquakes would crash out in the first round stage, suffering a devastating 5-0 defeat at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Scoring just 39 goals all season, the Quakes would have the joint third worst scoring record in the league. Chris Wondolowski was as usual their saving grace. The veteran striker would set a personal best of 8 assists, additionally bagging a total of 13 goals for the side, setting a new record after reaching double digits for the seventh straight season in a row. With 134 career MLS goals, Wondolowski is now only 1 goal away from claiming the number two spot for most goals scored in MLS. Injuries would be a constant problem for the Californian side throughout the season, with the absence of a number of players certainly not helping their cause. Fullback Nick Lima’s campaign would be cut short due to injury, while centre back Omar Cummings would fail to make a single appearance for the team, with a long term injury issue. In order to make yet another push for the playoffs in 2018, the Quakes have been looking for another strong designated player to add to their roster. Simon Dawkins was largely ineffective during the 2017 campaign and will need to be replaced as soon as possible. The recent acquisition of Swedish striker Magnus Eriksson might just be the man the Quakes have been looking for. Joint top scorer in the Swedish league in 2017, Eriksson has the potential to bring some real quality to the squad, and could prove to be a big player for them in 2018. If the Californian side want to make any sort of improvement next season they will need to shore up their incredibly leaky defensive back line. Conceding a total of 60 goals, the Quakes had the third worst defensive record in the Western Conference, and will surely be looking to bring in a number of defensive reinforcements over the winter period.

Player of the Season: Chris Wondolowski