Written By: Abram Heredia
MLS Next Pro is heading into its second season ever with the continued goal of providing a path to players and coaches, as well as ultimately helping elevate North American soccer as a whole.
Quakes II, sometimes affectionately referred to as “The Shakes”, will be looking to right their wrongs from the previous season after they missed playoffs by 5 points.
2022 Recap
Early in their 2022 campaign, Quakes II was forced to undergo a huge shift following the departure of first-team head coach, Matias Almeyda. Only three games into the season, Quakes II coach, Alex Covelo was promoted to interim head coach for the San Jose Earthquakes’ first team.
This abrupt promotion made way for academy coach, Dan DeGeer to take the reigns of a young but talented Quakes II side.
Despite losing his first two games in charge, DeGeer managed to win 50% of games over the course of the season. After 24 games, the team aggregated 41 points and a 5th-place finish in the Western Conference, just outside the playoff zone- a finish which numerically would’ve had them in second place had they played in the Eastern Conference.
This statistic will serve as no consolation to Quakes II supporters however, as many will be going into this coming season hoping to finish on the opposite side of the playoff line.
2023 Preview
Looking forward to the rapidly-approaching 2023 season, it has been confirmed that former academy coach Dan DeGeer will retain his job as Quakes 2 coach. The previous head coach, Alex Covelo, will continue to be employed by the club but now will only serve as director of “Methodology”.
The decision to persist with DeGeer likely comes from a desire to keep around a familiar face amidst all the changes that have taken place this off-season.
Departures
Two changes that fans will be sad to hear about are the departures of two players who were both integral pieces of the squad. The first of which is Max Arfsten, who ended last season with the most goal contributions in the squad. Arfsten was selected 14th overall by Columbus Crew in the MLS Superdraft in a shock move that most didn’t know was possible.
Additionally, Quakes failed to hold onto 19-year-old academy product Nathan Scott, who not only scored the first Quakes 2 goal from open play but was a mainstay in the center of midfield. Scott elected to take the scholarly path and will be lining up for UC Irvine come the 2023 season. Until the rosters for the upcoming season are released any subsequent changes will remain unknown.
New Faces
Even though losing Arfsten and Scott is a big blow for any team, the club has made several signings that will consequently strengthen the Quakes II squad. Homegrowns Cameron Cilley and Keegan Tingey have signed this offseason after completing their senior year with Stanford, a school that has provided us with talents like Tanner Beason, Will Richmond, and Ousseni Bouda.
Though these new signings may not immediately be ready to feature for the first team, they should fit quite nicely into the Quakes II squad in the meantime. The Quakes also drafted Daniel Munie, Liam Butts, and Hunter George in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft. Munie seems to be the only one of the three picks who is in the team’s plans for the future.
Ones to watch
Rodolfo Castro #53
Possibly San Jose’s best-kept secret. Not only is he Earthquakes II’s top goal scorer, but he finished 7th in the league scorer’s chart with 12 goals.
Castro’s immense finishing ability helped Quakes II place 3rd in the league for goals inside the box, though he was also a threat from the range with his deadly free kicks.
Cruz Medina #59
Most recently in the spotlight for his impressive hat trick against Barbados in the 2023 Concacaf U-17 Championship, Medina is undoubtedly the player with the highest prospects of breaking into the first team.
Until then, Cruz will be cutting his teeth with the Quakes II in MLSNextPro. Last season, Medina made make two goal contributions in 16 appearances (four of which were starts). Being another year older, expectations will pile up for the teenager.
Dan Munie #24
In his first professional preseason, he score twice– all without a number printed on his jersey. That was quite a way to make an impression.
Drafted in the first round from Indiana University, Dan Munie was named Big Ten defensive player of the year twice in a row. He made 79 appearances for Indiana, averaging a clean sheet in roughly 52% of the games he played in. Also, noteworthy, is that in those 79 appearances, Munie avoided receiving a single booking.
Predictions
A number of key members of the squad are all but confirmed to be returning. The added experience coupled with the fact they will no longer be facing MLS-caliber DPs when playing St Louis City 2, leads me to believe that this team can finish higher on the league table.
Although they will be without some very strong players, I predict Quakes II has the quality to improve on last year’s campaign and finish 3rd in the Western Conference. Once in the playoffs, they should have what it takes to reach the conference semifinals.
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