RECAP: Victory on the Wings; San Jose Defeats Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 2-1

With hopes of three points slipping away, Jamar Ricketts connected with DeJuan Jones. Not needing a heavy touch, Jones squared the ball to Judd for the winner.

At that moment, the importance of wingbacks to Arena’s system was highlighted to the MLS.

The wingbacks dominated the game for the Quakes. Both goals for the team came through their wingbacks’ ability to pull backlines apart.

A 3-4-3 demands that creativity comes from the wingback position. Especially as the team morphs into a 3-5-2 through a game, with Espinoza moving behind the duo of Arango and Martinez, Costa and Jones become the main creators.

One interesting aspect of the offense highlighted on Saturday was how aggressively Arena plays with the wider players. When the team bombs down the field, the wingbacks essentially become wingers. The formation transforms into a 3-2-1-4, which does create an imbalanced, but deadly side.

Arena’s decision to give the outside backs more freedom continues to pay off, with them taking center stage on Saturday.

As it continues to be this season, the wingbacks can decide games.

For the majority of the game, until he came off, Costa played the best game out of any Quakes player. Jones, though, finished the game as the clear man of the match.

Against an almost perfectly balanced team in the Whitecaps, every player needed to be cognizant of when to take their chances. In the first half, Costa played like an extra attacker, constantly finding himself in the final third, ready to receive the ball. After the red card, Vancouver pushed their defenders more central, which gave Costa all the room he needed, eventually resulting in him winning a penalty.

The Brazilian, who Arena noted has been excellent this season, proved to be the most threatening player on the pitch. In a game where the front three struggled to find space, Costa provided them with a release valve. On almost every overhit or missed cross from the right, the left back found himself completely open to follow up on.

Tired legs eventually got the better of Costa, with Arena bringing in Ricketts to give the team a final push. This substitution allowed them to have that extra energy required to find the winner.

Out of all the wingbacks, Jones found himself with the toughest defensive task. Needing to cover Jayden Nelson, one of the trickiest wingers in MLS, Jones and Munie kept the winger from having any impact. The two worked well to provide two lines of defense, with Munie shadowing Jones to near perfection.

With Espinoza often drifting out wide, Jones’ offensive workload was less compared to his Brazilian counterpart. However, his late runs eventually gave the team the win. When Espinoza moved behind the strikers towards the end, the impetus fell on Jones to be the threat on the right.

San Jose’s fullback transformation remains one of the most impactful moves made by Arena.

Instead of relying too much on his midfield, he trusted the team’s excellent roster of fullbacks to be the team’s creators.

Another reason why the outside backs felt so free on Saturday was the midfield composition. With Harkes out due to yellow card accumulation, Arena opted to play Mark-Anthony Kaye in a more defensive role.

In perhaps a sign of things to come with the Ronaldo Vieira move, the team started with a defensive midfielder alongside Leroux. With Leroux playing that box-to-box role, having a midfielder to clean up in the space vacated by him balances the side. While Harkes remains one of the team’s better players, the fit doesn’t make the team super balanced.

Kaye, who was most expected to be a starter when the season began, filled that role perfectly. For the majority of the first half, he shadowed J.C. Ngando, rendering him useless. After the red card, with the team up a man, he felt free to roam defensively.

With the wingbacks and Leroux bombing forward, the Canadian international essentially filled in the gaps everywhere defensively. For example, if the Whitecaps came down the right, he would be there to help Jones and Munie.

Despite Kaye’s defensive impact, the team missed the way Harkes pulls the strings for the team. As this game proved, to truly get the most out of Leroux, he needs another playmaker next to him. Earlier in his career, Kaye provided this, but in a two-man midfield, it may be asking too much of him.

However, this continues to underline the issue with the team’s current roster. To make this formation work, they needed a defensive midfielder who could alleviate some of the offensive responsibilities from Leroux. The youngster may develop into a much more well-rounded player, but to help him, Vieira needs to be a passable playmaker at least.

One of the unsung heroes of Saturday’s game, Kaye’s inclusion gave fans a glimpse of how a fully built-out version of Arena’s vision may look. With a defensive maestro in the middle, all the gaps left by the team’s attacking options may be covered up.

While not the prettiest game, very few games this season provided the emotional relief that Judd’s last-gasp winner did. Built on the foundation of good wingback play, Arena’s gamble paid off yet again.

Further supported by Kaye’s midfield presence, Saturday’s game gave the fans a look into how this team envisions itself.