Earthquakes defender Chris Leitch likes to say championships aren’t won after five matches. Or 15, for that matter.
“But you can put yourself in a big hole,” he added.
San Jose lost any realistic chance of reaching the Major League Soccer playoffs with a deflating 1-7-2 start in 2009. It didn’t get better until major roster changes were made in the second half of the season.
As the Quakes play host to the surging New York Red Bulls tonight at Buck Shaw Stadium, the team involved in last year’s collapse bears little resemblance to the one wearing black and blue uniforms in 2010.
The Earthquakes have created positive feelings after a 3-2-0 start that has the underpinning of a team coming together.
The match tonight features the MLS’ worst teams from ’09 — San Jose finished last in the Western Conference, allowing a league-high 50 goals, and New York was last in the East.
“This league allows you to play well the next year,” Quakes coach Frank Yallop said.
The Red Bulls (5-1-0) have proven Yallop’s point. New York (15 points) is off to its best start in history as it has built a big lead in the Eastern Conference standings.
San Jose has its best start since returning as an expansion team in 2008. After five matches the club has a feeling of stability for the first time. Qualifying for the playoffs won’t be easy, but “we have the mentality that we can come out and get three points against anyone,” red-hot striker Chris Wondolowski said.
The way San Jose has won so far is something as a surprise. Wondolowski, fourth on the depth chart a month ago, has scored goals in three consecutive games to lead the team. Ryan Johnson, last season’s leader with 11 goals, has yet to score.
“I’m not sure what the Vegas odds on that were,” Wondolowski said.
His early emergence occurred only because Arturo Alvarez, Eduardo and Cornell Glen suffered injuries during a U.S. Open Cup match April 15 against Real Salt Lake. Another forward, Scott Sealy, only recently is fit to play after playing in Israel last year.
While five matches might not say much, Wondolowski’s play bodes well for the rest of the season. The Danville native is bound to struggle, but the Earthquakes might not miss him with so much talent on the bench.
Or Johnson could get hot. The Jamaican has had chances but failed to convert.
“It does get frustrating,” he said. “But it’s going to come.”
The Red Bulls can expect the same starting lineup because Yallop is known for not changing personnel after victories. That means rookie sensation Ike Opara won’t start because he missed the game last week while finishing the semester at Wake Forest.
Bobby Burling did an admirable job stepping into Opara’s defensive position as the Quakes defeated the Colorado Rapids 1-0. Burling’s play is just another example of what type of club Yallop has assembled this season.
“I think we’ve matured a lot since last year,” Wondolowski said. “We have guys who will fight for each other. We’ll do the little things. That’s what we were missing.”
Ramiro Corrales, a 15-year veteran who joined San Jose in its inaugural season in 1996, credits Yallop with changing locker room dynamics.
“He gave us some confidence,” Corrales said. “Now we know we can win some games. Last year at times we weren’t sure.”
Central midfielder Andre Luiz agreed.
“Ninety percent is confidence, 10 percent is physical,” he said in Spanish.
In San Jose confidence has spread after five games.
Contact Elliott Almond at 408-920-5865 and follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/elliottalmond.
