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New Leaf Turned by the San Jose Earthquakes?

 

Over the past four years, San Jose Earthquakes fans have been equated with that clingy, gullible girlfriend who is strung along by promises of change and self improvement by the one they love.

It all started when the handsome Earthquakes’ parents moved him away in his senior year to hot and humid Texas. He was at his peak, flashing that smile that would have the fans swoon all in hopes that another MLS Cup was around the corner. They watched from afar as their love won another two trophies but for his new home and under an assumed identity, the Houston Dynamo.

Then in 2007, word spread throughout the land that their obsession would be back in the Bay Area with the Earthquakes name and the two stars affixed on their black shirts. As we started writing love notes and drawing hearts all over our 2008 calendars, we hopelessly counted down until April 12th. He showed up and yet looked different, acted different and wasn’t the winner we had hoped to see. Game after game he fought to win the wooden spoon against the LA Galaxy. Our hearts fell as we realized that our hero might just be a zero; however, our love continued to whisper words of change and to not give up on him yet. Darren Huckerby was the key ingredient and winning at home was now a steady thing through the hot summer months; but it was a little too late to make any real difference in the MLS standings.

In 2009, after a short break we thought we would be back to our winning form. It was promised to us as by his parents, as they gleefully pointed out that the steady Englishman signed for another year. We were back to dreaming of MLS Cups and Supporters’ shields and yet those dreams quickly turned into nightmares when it was made clear that Hucks had a career ending knee injury. So, we’d sit at Buck Shaw month after month without a win and when could take it no more, we’d give a hollow ultimatum. Our boy would react by pulling out 3 points at home against the Galaxy and we’d fall helplessly back into his arms, all forgiven.

Once again a new year rolled around and we asked for a break to clear our head. After a few months our beloved came back swearing he was a new man. He declared that he went to school in England over the holiday and that we just had to give him another chance. Being the eternal optimist, we agreed to come back to Buck Shaw to cheer on our ‘hero’. And sure enough, something was different with him. We cautiously watched as 3 points kept getting added to our point record. A new star was shining off the bench in Chris Wondolowski adding goal after goal to our tally by his golden boot. By October, we saw that we were back in the playoffs and perhaps we’d be drinking from that silver Cup once again. It didn’t matter that Colorado knocked us out on a fluke cross that found the back of the net, because 2011 was around the corner and Wondo was the answer to our prayers.

2011 was to be our year, where we would be back fully into that trusting, loving relationship from six years prior. Oh, how bitter unrealized dreams are. We were told yet again to believe in our boy that this year would be building upon the cohesiveness of his winning ways found at the end of 2010. Our love raised our hopes even higher on these semi-empty promises of grandeur. He was hurting physically and emotionally. He was losing weight as player after player was no longer able to continue to be fully with the team. Add his lost confidence in his own skills and moving his parts into unnatural positions; we realized that our boy was back to no longer being a hero as he set a franchise record of 13 matches without a win. But being the awesome, albeit gullible girlfriend, we futilely held on with hope to see if he would figure out a way to regain his self-confidence and get us into the postseason.

So here we are yet again, 2012 and our love has returned from his shortest break to date pleading with us that he has gone to counseling for emotional abuse and for us to just give him one more chance. He apologizes and points to the return of Shea Salinas and Steven Lenhart as gifts to restore our faith in him. He states that he brought on Tressor Moreno, a natural number 10, so that we aren’t the only team without a beloved Colombian playmaker. He implores that Marvin Chavez and Rafael Baca will add to Salinas’ speed and firepower on the flanks. He declares that with Simon Dawkins from EPL’s Tottenham Hotspur back on loan, he will be the super sub about whom we’ve all been dreaming. Finally, he simply states the name Victor Bernardez, the “backline general”, and promises that the Honduran will solidify his defense so he won’t give up as many goals. He asks that we trust him that this new leaf is really a new leaf and he won’t go back to emotionally abusing us by getting our hopes up high and then dashing them upon the rocks.

Three weeks into the season and the Earthquakes have two wins and their only loss is via a penalty. It makes us question if this really is a new man, older and more mature, or if he is still a boy making declarations which are not in his power to keep. I guess we will just have to cling onto that hope and be the eternal, optimistic girlfriend who cheers on her guy through good times and bad in order to make him believe in himself and that he can accomplish bringing home the elusive cup once again.

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