Double Trouble

PHOTO: San Jose Earthquakes

Going into their match against Kansas City, the Quakes looked to keep their good from going. Despite being down a man for most of the second half, Bruce Arena’s side left with all three points.

If the opening match showcased their defensive potential, the offensive flashes came out in Kansas.

Arena’s decision to play with a three-man backline finally turned this side into a competent defensive one. Hernán López’s sending off tampered some of the good feelings, but the first half showed how the team will create their chances.

Coming into the season, Josef Martínez profiled to be the team’s first option off the bench. After all, he bounced back last season by being the super-sub. However, the decision to play him along Arango stems from the lack of wingers.

Additionally, López’s positioning in the middle allows him to play more box-to-box rather than a traditional number ten. By freeing up space under the strikers, Arena gives his midfielders the freedom to roam up the pitch. It also gives Arango and Martínez the ability to drop back and play off of each other.

The partnership didn’t shine in the first game, but against Kansas City, the glimpses of a potentially potent offensive pairing came to light.

If the Quakes want to make their defensive improvements count, a lot will come down on the shoulders of this exciting partnership. 

Martínez’s signing felt like a greedy move, as the team already, seemingly, had their striker needs filled out. No one expected Arena to play with two strikers, so it felt somewhat redundant to bring in the MLS legend.

Traditionally, when using a two-striker pairing in this formation, you want one to be more of a hold-up threat. Take, for example, Juve with Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez. Llorente provided the aerial threat to hold the ball, allowing Tevez to play off him using his speed and shiftiness. 

Neither Arango nor Martínez fits the mold of Llorente; both are close to Tevez. However, what makes this partnership work is that both can function as poachers.

The buildup to the first goal shows this well, as Martínez drops back and allows Arango to be that lone threat up top. Continuing to play off of López, the Venezuelan almost takes the role of a winger.  He pulls the defensive attention towards him, giving Arango the space just to fire the shot past the keeper. 

Throughout the first half, the two rotated these roles, with each creating chances for the other. Given the lack of options on the wings, besides Espinoza, this is the best way to allow for a free-flowing offense. Arena realized this and trusted the two strikers to play within the flow of the offense rather than purely wait for chances.

Having a striker like Martínez makes everyone else’s jobs way easier, as he sniffs out chances to get on goal. Arango, at this point in his career, is still a better player than Martínez, but their combination makes the offense more potent. Playing either one of them as the solo option negates the true potential of this team, and Arena realized this.

By being willing to try out a new formation to make up for this team’s shortcomings, Arena struck gold.

Again, it’s still too early in the season to make any definitive claims, but, at the very least, this is the first competent Quakes’ attack in years.

Last season, Luchi’s offense revolved around López and Espinoza playing more rigid roles, creating chances for Ebobisse. While he finished the season well, López showed that playing as a box-to-box midfielder suits him the best.

Despite his red card, the Argentine played well on both sides of the ball. Being aggressive on both ends, he made his impact known. Just his presence in the middle opens up play for all his teammates.

The way that Arena built this midfield suits all players well, but López, in particular, has thrived thus far. Playing deeper surrounded by midfielders who tend to stay further back gives the creative hub all the freedom he needs to move up. In the buildup to the first goal, López felt the urge to move up from the midfield to connect with Martínez.

While his red card takes away from a relatively decent performance, López looks better in this system than in Luchi’s. In a way, Arena seems to be attempting to turn López into Carles Gil.

In New England, Arena built the system around Gil, having everything in the 4-2-3-1 revolving around him. While the Quakes play a totally different system, having López play as the central hub is clearly the hope of surrounding him with Harkes and Leroux. Additionally, playing the two strikers gives the Argentine more freedom to roam than Gil had.

The only issue with López comes from his inability to finish a game. Stemming from last season, the Argentine struggles to see out games, but with the way this team plays, it lessens that loss. By having strikers who are more willing to drop back, they can at least stop the bleeding that occurs when he heads to the bench.

Without López next week, it will be interesting to see how Arena will respond. Needing to replace that playmaking, Tsakiris feels like the obvious choice.

Last season, this Quakes team lost this game the moment they went down a player. Playing with renewed confidence and a new system, they came out of Kansas with all three points.

The defense looks better with each passing game, but the improving offense may carry this team over the top.

PHOTO: San Jose Earthquakes