For the first half of the season, the San Jose Earthquakes were world beaters and Orlando City SC were getting beat by everyone — conceding a league-worst 44 goals in 15 games.
But in their first game back from the two-month World Cup break, the roles were reversed.
Orlando, with Antoine Griezmann making his MLS debut, came to San Jose and put four goals past the hosts, and recorded their first clean sheet of the season.
The French superstar, who delayed his arrival in order to finish his final season with Atletico Madrid in May, played all 90 minutes of the game and looked sharp, even scoring with his patented left foot to start the second half.
Both teams enjoyed roughly equal possession but it was the visitors who capitalized on their chances. All four goals, including Griezmann’s, were a result of some sort of a mistake by San Jose, either not marking someone on a set piece or turning the ball over in the back.
“The way we conceded the goals was unacceptable,” said Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena. “It was very poor play on our part.”
The hosts entered the second phase of the season tied for the top seed in the Western Conference. They did so by smothering opponents with their relentless press; disciplined and decisive defending; and confident play on the ball. They got (mostly) healthy over the break and even added three new signings to reinforce the squad.
None of those traits were on display on Wednesday. Timo Werner, back from a leg injury, created some nice chances but cut a mostly frustrated figure out on the left wing who wasn’t being served enough. The backline, which helped Daniel Munie get elected to the All-Star game, was caught out multiple times. And goalkeeper Angus Gunn, a former Premier League player, looked shaky in his debut.
More importantly for this team, Niko Tsakiris is still out. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder emerged as the team’s best creative force this season before going down with a serious hamstring injury that will likely keep him out until the fall. Despite their new signings, the Quakes have yet to replace him.
In Tsakiris’ place, Arena opted to start Nick Fernandez, who just signed as a squad player this year after getting drafted out of college. He looked overmatched against Orlando’s deeply experienced midfield and was yanked at halftime for Jack Skahan. If the Quakes want to make any additions, they will have until September to do so.
“I think it’s a good thing that there’s a game in three days,” said Quakes captain Ronaldo Vieira. “It was just an off-day.”
The nature of the loss being so lopsided, he said, is the perfect motivation for the team to commit to the grind again.
Despite needing the break to get the players healthy again, it was clear on Wednesday that the momentum that the players and fans had built up over the first 15 games had dissipated.
That start to the season, as impressive as it was — and it was, because Arena and several players got contract extensions as a result — feels like a lifetime ago. Teams like Orlando, which were close to the bottom of the standings have turned the page and re-tooled.
San Jose have built themselves a nice cushion by winning all those games early, but it really does feel like a new season, and they’ll have to prove themselves all over again.
How’s this for a next test? The Cali Clasico against the LA Galaxy at Stanford Stadium on Saturday.
