What is there to say about a team that is so relentlessly average that you have no feelings one way or another about them? The San Jose Earthquakes were bad last year. Not the worst, but certainly not good. They brought back Chofis as a DP for another six months and still have Cristian Espinoza who was probably not a great deal for a DP.

Does 2022 look better for the Earthquakes than 2021? Probably not, but let’s dive in.

Key Additions

Jan Gregus was selected in the Re-Entry draft after a few solid years with Minnesota United. Presumably he’ll take a spot in the starting midfield.

San Jose also traded for Jamiro Monteiro from the Philadelphia Union. Monteiro was previously a DP with Philly and showed flashes of brilliance mixed with... less than that. If he can come anywhere close to his peak form, he’ll help a San Jose attack that was in the bottom half of the Western Conference.

Francisco Calvo was added in free agency after a stint with the Chicago Fire. He might be a starter at CB or potentially just depth. Either way, it’s a very MLS move but not an impact move that turns San Jose into a contender.

Key Departures

Not a ton. Luciano Abecasis made 23 appearances with 14 starts for San Jose last year. In his 1,200 minutes on the field he chipped in two assists and was largely anonymous. He left on a free transfer to go back to Argentina.

The biggest departure is that club legend, Chris Wondolowski, retired. The ageless one. The king of MLS goal scoring while wearing clothes that went out of style in the late 90s. Wondo only logged 1,200 minutes and scored five goals last year but his locker room presence had to count for a lot. Losing Wondo changes the team’s identity for the first time since the Bush Administration.

2022 Season Outlook

I have no clue. They didn’t add much. They didn’t lose much. Cade Cowell is a really talented young player. Jackson Yueill is...fine. Jeremy Ebobisse can be a good player some days and absolutely invisible for half a season. Matias Almeyda has made it clear how displeased he is with his roster build and only has a year left on his deal. It’s hard to envision this as anything other than a lost season for San Jose before they start a full rebuild next year.