Quakes hope to avoid rebuilding year

Editor's note: ESPN.com is in the middle of previewing all 12 MLS teams as they prepare for the 2005 season. Marc Connolly is tackling the clubs in the Western Conference, while Ives Galarcep is profiling the teams in the East.

2004 record and finish: 10-9-11 (third place in the Western Conference)

Key additions: D Chris Aloisi, D Wade Barrett, F Ronald Cerritos, M Ricardo Clark, M Brad Davis, F Alejandro Moreno, M Danny O'Rourke.

Key losses: D Jeff Agoos, M Ramiro Corrales, M Landon Donovan, M Ronnie Ekelund, D Todd Dunivant, M Richard Mulrooney.

Three questions facing this team: 1. How in the world will they replace Landon Donovan?

No team in the league has to replace a player like Donovan, who was the league's top all-around player for the better part of the last three seasons. Now that he's off in Germany playing with Bayer Leverkusen, head coach Dominic Kinnear said that his side won't be the type of team that relies on one guy to "go and win the game for us."

Instead, several different players will have to pick up the slack to make up for Donovan's production. At the top of that list will be newcomer Brad Davis, who was traded from FC Dallas in a draft-day deal that involved Richard Mulrooney, Arturo Alvarez and draft selections. Only 23 years old, Davis has averaged four goals a season over his three years in the league. The left-footed midfielder will take the free kicks for San Jose, and will be a player that will roam between the left side and center of the midfield as the team's playmaker. So far, the coaching staff has been quite impressed with his passing abilities and the way he has quickly fit in with the side. They also feel that he'll really stand out at home, where the smaller field plays to his strengths and will allow him to cheat inside a little more.

Brian Mullan, the team's fixture at right midfielder the past two seasons, will go from being a tremendous role player that often took on second-fiddle duties to someone that Kinnear will rely on to play an even larger role in the offense this season. Currently in training camp with the U.S. national team, the soon-to-be 27-year-old Mullan is entering the prime of his career and seems poised to have a Best XI type of season in 2005.

2. Who will be the leaders in the locker room?

It's no secret that the San Jose locker room has been the model for team chemistry and harmony dating back to the 2001 season when Frank Yallop came in as the head coach. Mulrooney, Donovan and Agoos, in particular, played a big role in maintaining that type of atmosphere, both vocally and by example. Now that all three players are gone, there'll be an entirely new leadership structure with the Earthquakes.

Kinnear said that there hasn't been one player that has taken the leadership reigns of this team on his own. Instead its been done through a collection of veteran players such as goalkeeper Pat Onstad, defender Troy Dayak and even Wade Barrett, who is back with the side after playing the past two seasons abroad. Brian Ching, though quiet, has also stepped into a veteran role nicely now that he's got two seasons under his belt and is a respected member of the U.S. national team.

3. Who will start up front?

Now that Dwayne DeRosario has re-signed with the league after going on several trials in Europe during the off-season, the striker position is quite crowded in San Jose. One has to figure that Ching and DeRosario will get the nod off the bat, but they will certainly be pushed considering that Alejandro Moreno has been impressive during the preseason and veteran goal-scorer Ronald Cerritos still has some tricks up his sleeve.

Ching finished third in the league in scoring last year with 12 goals and 4 assists, while DeRosario found the back of the net five times while only starting 12 matches due to injuries. It'll be interesting to see how they do without support from Donovan, not to mention the added focus the defenses around the league will have for them now that they don't have to worry about number 10 in the middle of the field.

Should Moreno continue to play well in the run up to the season opener, combined with the late start DeRosario has had getting into camp, the former L.A. Galaxy striker could win a starting job.

Biggest X-factor: Ricardo Clark

Kinnear has been elated with the play of this versatile midfielder ever since he arrived from the MetroStars in January. One of the top young players in the league, Clark was not a player that Bob Bradley wanted to part with, yet he was one of the only players on his team that he knew he could move and get value for.

Clark is slated to play alongside rookie Danny O'Rourke in the center of the midfield with two-way responsibilities. While there was often a crowded midfield with the MetroStars, leaving him as the odd man out on occasion, this will not happen in San Jose, where he will be looked upon to play 90 minutes from the beginning. Having to follow someone like Mulrooney in this role will not be easy, but Kinnear believes he got a steal in Clark, and is expecting a lot out of him in 2005.

Breakout player to watch: D Eddie Robinson

The inspirational leader of the team, Robinson is finally fully healthy with a starting job in hand. With Agoos gone, Robinson will take over as the organizer of the back four alongside either Dayak or Ryan Cochrane. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, the 26-year-old is one of the more rugged and imposing centerbacks in Major League Soccer. When he hasn't been fighting off nagging injuries, he's proven himself as a ball-winner and a solid marker in the back, enough so to earn call-ups to the national team on various occasions. Now entering his fifth season with the Earthquakes, the San Jose coaching staff expects him to be one of the better central defenders in the league this season.

Outlook: While other teams in the conference, such as the L.A. Galaxy and Chivas USA, have built their clubs by going the international route, Kinnear has pieced together his team by making trades within MLS. For the 'Quakes to make the playoffs and have the type of season their fans have now grown accustom to, the new acquisitions will have to pay off just as players like Mullan, Ching and Corrales did when they were brought in without much fanfare.

O'Rourke, who has quickly gained the respect of his teammates by working hard and by keeping a low-profile, and Clark need to gel and form a solid partnership in the middle of the field. How that duo fares, along with the impact that Davis has on the side, will be critical to how well San Jose does in '05.

Kinnear has been happy with the team's progress throughout the preseason. Kinnear notes that a different player stands out each day and that the veterans have quickly taken to the newcomers. If all goes well, this could be a little bit like the Revs side in 2002 that didn't have a lot of big names, but had a lot of role players, hard-nosed defenders, and workmanlike strikers with great team chemistry. However if things don't progress in the way the coaching staff believes they are, than it'll be nothing but a rebuilding year in San Jose.

Predicted finish: Third place in the Western Conference.

Marc Connolly covers soccer for ESPN.com. he can be reached at: marc@oakwoodsoccer.com.