SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Earthquakes look to build on last season's success

Not too many soccer pundits picked the San Jose Earthquakes to finish in the top four in Major League Soccer last season, but in just their third season back in the league after a two-year hiatus, the Quakes made a surprising run all the way to the MLS Cup semifinals, where they lost in a 1-0 nail-biter to the eventual MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids. Along the way, they finished with a 13-10-7 regular-season record and knocked off the Eastern Conference top-seeded New York Red Bulls in the opening round of the playoffs. The Quakes hope this is just a glimmer of what's to come.

MLS Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski.

Leading the charge as the team attempts to return to the playoffs for the second consecutive season is MLS Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski. The striker was acquired in a June 2009 trade with the Houston Dynamo for fellow forward Cam Weaver in what turned out to be a coup for General Manager John Doyle. The local lad thanked his childhood club in the form of goals, surprising everyone when he exploded for 18 after having netted just seven league goals in his career up to that point.

The stingy back line, which conceded just 33 goals last season, good for sixth-fewest in the league, returns all of its key members and will be led by a group of veterans in team captain Ramiro Corrales, Jason Hernandez, Chris Letich, Brandon McDonald and Tim Ward. Second-year center back Ike Opara should also be a key contributor this year.

San Jose also brings back two key veterans in goalkeeper Jon Busch and midfielder Bobby Convey. The left winger, one of the most experienced players on the squad, is coming off a stellar season in which he posted 10 assists, good for fifth in the league, and was named MLS Comeback Player of the Year. Busch led the team with a 1.06 goals-against average last year, and has a firm hold on the starting goalkeeper spot entering the 2011 campaign.

On the offensive side, last year Wondolowski accounted for over 50 percent of the team's goals. The team has switched over to a more offensive 4-3-3 scheme in the preseason in an effort to boost the attack. Ryan Johnson and newcomer Steven Lenhart will be looked upon to contribute firepower up top, along with longtime MLS veteran Scott Sealy.

"Our main goal is to make the playoffs," head coach Frank Yallop said. "Short-term, the goal is to get off to a good start. Last year, after a bad first game, we went on a bit of a run and got some good results. The season is long, 34 games, so it gives you a chance to make up points, but starting well is important."

With two expansion teams joining the Western Conference, anything less than a return to the playoffs would be a disappointment.