Jul 15
San Jose Making Moves: Will it Really Make them more Competitive?
San Jose, a proud and storied franchise;the proud owners of two MLS Cup trophies have not had the same fortune this year as they have had in the past. San Jose’s prospects for the season weren’t great but not many expected it to be as bad as it is. San Jose has mustered a lowly thirteen points in sixteen matches, and has one of the worst records in MLS history. Is there anything positive coming out of the bay area? Maybe there’s a small light at the end of the tunnel. San Jose has shown they want to compete with their most recent transfers.
Goals have been hard to come by but their most recent transfers have to inspire some hope. Darren Huckerby and Scott Sealy address the teams need for a major offensive upgrade. San Jose has scored a league low eleven goals. Let’s face it, Kei Kamara and Ryan Johnson aren’t good enough to compete in MLS. The two new additions should be able to come in and immediately make an impact. San Jose certainly has other needs as well, a porous defense and a shaky midfield. We are going to take a closer look at there newest transfers.
Darren Huckerby
Huckerby has been a consistent scoring threat in England since he broke onto the scene in 1993. At 32 however, you have to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Another concern is San Jose’s inability to give their forwards good service. Huckerby is used to high quality service having played for much of his career in the premiership, now he will play with a hapless San Jose midfield and you have to think Huckerby could become frustrated. San Jose signified their desire to win by signing Huckerby. They had to aquire rights from Toronto before signing him. It’s a good move for a proven scorer and it will certainly be an upgrade over Kamara and Johsnon
Scott Sealy
The second forward San Jose signed is Scott Sealy from Kansas City. Another good signing that will certainly improve the offense, but Sealy will also suffer from poor service. Sealy is a proven goal scorer in MLS having scored 28 goals in 88 matches. Sealy is also a native of Trinidad & Tobago and has not enjoyed much success with the Socca’ Warriors. Only 2 goals in 12 matches. Sealy is a quick and fast forward which could open up space for Huckerby to operate in.
Is this the turning point for San Jose? I’d have to say no for now. The midfield and defense are still poor and must be improved to have any realistic chance at finishing the season positively. If Sealy and Huckerby can foster a strong partnership, San Jose could be a force to reckon with this year. The one good thing about playing in the Western Conference is that thirteen points doesn’t put you that far away from a playoff spot. As poor as San Jose has been, they are only eight points from a playoff spot and a strong finish to the season could be enough to make the playoffs.
What do you think of San Jose’s new signings? Will it make any difference for the league’s worst team? Put your thoughts below.
July 15th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
How much is their stadium (Santa Clara Univ) congtributing to their success?
July 15th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
It’s not. They really need to move to a new stadium and their plans fell through last year. They are trying to ge a stadium near the airport and their best case scenario gets them in the new stadium by 2010.
July 19th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
San Jose is an expansion team they always suck, this is about what I expected out of them this year give em a few and they may be competitive
July 19th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Agreed, but is interesting to see whether these moves will do anything. They’re only 8 or so points out of a playoff spot so they’re not out of it yet.