After a humiliating 5-1 home defeat to Sporting Kansas City, center-back Guram Kashia conceded that “it’s too late” for the last-place San Jose Earthquakes to salvage anything from their wayward season.
“This season, we are done,” the Georgian international told reporters. “Right now, we have to focus for the next season.”
This loss, their worst-ever at Avaya Stadium, showed just how much ground the Quakes have to make up on the rest of their MLS competition. SKC hardly broke a sweat as they racked up an early lead, led by two goals from Gerso Fernandes.
The visitors exerted complete control of the match with patient build-up play, and Fernandes broke through the lines up top. In the thirteenth minute, he accelerated past Nick Lima and whipped a low cross to the near post, where Felipe Gutiérrez was on hand to convert. Gutiérrez returned the favor to Hernandez just ten minutes later, sliding a gorgeous through ball in behind for Fernandes to chip over Tarbell.
The Quakes struggled to keep the floodgates closed, though Andrew Tarbell did well to deny Yohan Croizet at full-stretch and then block Gutiérrez from close range. From the very next corner, however, the goalkeeper spilled the ball for Ike Opara to score SKC’s third goal on the brink of the half.
It was only the second time in Major League Soccer history that not a single foul was committed in the first half, a testament to San Jose’s apparent disinterest and all-too-frequent lack of fight.
“We came out totally without energy,” said Quakes coach Mikael Stahre. “You can talk about game plan and structure, but playing at home you expect energy and commitment at least.”
“I think the game was already over in the first half,” added Kashia.
Many fans agreed as the Avaya stands began to empty when Krisztián Németh scored SKC’s fourth on a quick break early in the second half.
Substitute Danny Hoesen pulled one back for San Jose in the eightieth minute, but the relief lasted just a moment as Fernandes went down the other way and netted his brace. The Quakes were repeatedly overrun at the back, an ominous sign heading into a midweek fixture against Major League Soccer’s top-scoring team, Atlanta United.
So why should fans continue to support the Quakes for the final six meaningless matches this season? Speaking to reporters after the match, coach Stahre was unable to offer a single reason.
