Since the return of MLS action after the World Cup, the Quakes are yet to collect three points. A team whose season started almost perfectly has hit another rough patch.
While plenty of issues popped up for the Quakes, the absence of Niko Tsakiris continues to be the most impactful problem.
While Daniel’s transfer hurt on an emotional level and the new additions continue to take their time adjusting to MLS, Tsakiris’s absence still impacts the team in every aspect. From the formation to player role changes, everything revolves around the presence of a number ten in Arena’s system.
When Bruce Arena moved the Quakes back to a 4-2-3-1, it meant that whoever played the number ten would be the key cog for the side. Even if Timo Werner stands as the most talented player, the role Tsakiris occupies is vital. Acting as both a release valve and primary playmaker, it’s the role that makes the system tick.
Plenty of things went wrong for the Quakes, but they have the flexibility to address most of them. The only problem that they are yet to fully solve is how to make up for the absence of Tsakiris. Different players and even tactical changes have been used to make up for him without any success.
Fortunately for Arena and the team, another break gives the young talent time to continue to recover.
His return, sooner or later, may be the most defining turning point as the Quakes prepare for this final playoff push.
After spending the past few seasons struggling to find a chance to break out, the academy product finally got his chance. In this revamped system, Tsakiris finds the freedom that no other manager has given him.
Previous managers and systems, including Arena’s first season with the Quakes, saw him play almost every position besides in the backline. The decision to move towards a 4-2-3-1 itself didn’t unlock the player’s potential all by itself. Rather, the transfers made by the front office over the past year made it easier to slot in Tsakiris under the striker.
In the main playmaker role, Tsakiris finds the freedom to roam across the frontline, connecting various plays and filling gaps. When either Bouda or Werner bombs forward or cuts in, as the number ten, he fills in on the wing, which allows the fullbacks to stay back. Werner remains the team’s offensive engine, but Tsakiris plays the important role of being that secondary playmaker.
This offers the team balance that they so desperately lacked in seasons past. Since his injury against Toronto in the spring, the team continues to miss his presence.
Credit: San Jose EarthquakesPerhaps the best example of how much the team misses him came via the third goal given up by the Quakes against Cincinnati. Needing to help out in the attack when Bouda drifted in to give the team more playmaking, Kikanović found himself higher up the pitch. Having pushed so far ahead, Cincy took advantage and attacked the open space.
Tsakiris’ absence not only kills the team’s balance, but forces players to do much more than expected. Fullbacks need to step up as wingers try to act as proxy number tens, leaving the backline ready to be pulled apart. Additionally, while Beau Leroux remains the team’s best midfielder, he struggles to be a primary playmaker, which he is forced to do when Tsakiris misses time.
Moving the academy product to the number ten spot unlocked another version of a Quakes’ team that never found any consistency.
While not the most talented player on the team, having a competent number ten like Tsakiris held Arena’s system together.
Unfortunately, plenty of issues continue to plague the Quakes since their return to MLS action. Ultimately, they all combine to showcase the underlying issue of the roster: its lack of depth.
Many fans point towards the departure of Daniel as the one move this summer that broke the good vibes. To be fair to the front office, getting a million in GAM for an often-injured keeper was good work. While Angus Gunn struggled in his first three games, the backline has looked shakier, and the defensive lapses don’t really land on him.
With Tsakiris still yet to return, Arena has been forced to trot out different formations and player roles in the hopes of replicating his impact. Making changes almost weekly leads to inconsistencies that hamper everyone.
Returning to the Cincy game, Arena chose to go with a 4-3-3 that saw Nick Fernandez drop deeper alongside Leroux. This came after Arena tried to use Jack Skahan as a Tsakiris replacement, but neither move made any sort of impact. All these changes forced other players in the starting lineups to go above what they feel comfortable with, kneecapping the momentum built for most of the season.
Not having another option for the missing Tsakiris forces Arena into circles to find some sort of solution. Without anyone to turn to for help off the bench, the manager needs players to step up and go beyond their limits. Ultimately, this means that players try too much, making mistakes that compromise the team.
For half a year now, this squad overperformed with the players available on the roster. Now running headfirst into a real issue that tactics can’t really solve, they’re coming up short. If the front office wants to make sure this season doesn’t go to waste, they must add some MLS-caliber help on the bench.
Despite the head start that the team built over the first half of the season, plenty of vulnerabilities existed. Now, they are grasping at straws to figure a way out of a potential death spiral.
As the Leagues Cup kicks off in the next week, the Quakes will be watching from the sidelines. Two weeks without play promises not to disrupt the team’s good play; rather, it gives them a chance to reset.
Given their struggles over the past few weeks, a break like this one gives the team a chance to get healthy and get their new players integrated into the squad.
