MLS Season Preview: San Jose Earthquakes

With the MLS season set to begin on Friday, theScore runs down everything you need to know about each team heading into the league's 20th campaign. Here, we take a look at last season's Western Conference cellar-dwellers, the San Jose Earthquakes.

Heading into the 2015 campaign, the San Jose Earthquakes need a song that is representative of their growth from last season. Something that captures exactly what happened at the club over the winter.

This seems about right:

"Things will never be the same ..."

After a 2014 season that could best be described as an unmitigated disaster, change was in the air. Out the door went Mark Watson, which paved the way for the return of Dominic Kinnear.

Unlike his previous stint on the San Jose bench when Kinnear took charge of a team that had just made an appearance in the MLS Cup final, the 47-year-old will not be tasked with turning around a club that was incapable of scoring last season. To say that the Quakes, aside from Chris Wondolowski and his 14 tallies, couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat wouldn't be completely inaccurate.

As such, the squad also underwent major upheaval. So, at least Kinnear has that going for him. Hey, it can only go up from here, right?

2014 season: 9th in Western Conference

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Head coach: Dominic Kinnear

Stadium: Avaya Stadium

Season Opener: Saturday, March 7: FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Toyota Stadium) - 8:30 PM EST

Key Arrivals

Leandro Barrera (waiver draft), Mark Sherrod (Orlando City), Marvell Wynne (re-entry draft), Sanna Nyassi (re-entry draft), Fatai Alashe (SuperDraft),  Innocent Emeghara (free transfer)

Key Departures

Jason Hernandez (New York City FC), Jon Busch (out of contract), Atiba Harris (re-entry draft), Yannick Djalo (end of loan), Sam Cronin (Colorado)

Player to Watch: Innocent Emeghara 

Only one team scored fewer goals than San Jose (35) last season. They're no longer in the league. I'm not saying, I'm just saying ...

To ensure that type of ineptitude in attack isn't repeated, the club splashed on only their fourth Designated Player in team history, snapping up Nigerian-born Swiss international Innocent Emeghara.

The 25-year-old striker will be expected to not only score himself, but help veteran Chris Wondolowski enjoy more time and space, as his ability to stretch opposing backlines with his pace and movement will, ideally, open up more opportunities for the American striker.

Some questioned Emeghara's decision to make the switch to MLS when he likely could have remained in Europe. Some, but not the man himself.

“In Europe, they are paying more attention to MLS,” Emeghara said just over a week ago. “I think if I play well, that will be no problem for the Swiss coach to call me into the national team. I believe the league is better than the Swiss league. I think I have the advantage if I’m playing well."

Keep an eye on: Matias Perez Garcia

Projected Starting XI

(4-4-2) David Bingham; Jordan Stewart, Clarence Goodson, Victor Bernardez, Marvell Wynne, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Shea Salinas, Leandro Barrera, Matias Perez Garcia; Innocent Emeghara, Chris Wondolowski

Season in a Sentence

Good luck, Dominic Kinnear (at least the new stadium looks fantastic).