Tag: Luchi Gonzalez

Earthquakes allege use of racial epithet during Red Bulls draw

MLS is investigating an alleged use of a racial slur

San Jose Earthquakes forward Jeremy Ebobisse has alleged that a New York Red Bulls player used a racial epithet during a 1-1 draw between the clubs on Saturday night.

Per Ebobisse, the incident happened amid a scuffle following a clash between Red Bulls defender Dylan Nealis and San Jose midfielder Judson. Referee Ismir Pekmic booked Nealis’ brother Sean for his reaction, and Judson for his challenge. Sometime in the moments that followed, Ebobisse says that a player he declined to name used a racial epithet.

“Late tackles on our end, or their end, that’s all part of the game. What we saw tonight should not be part of the game,” Ebobisse told reporters following the match. “What started with a foul that was deemed to be committed by Judson, and a yellow card. Fast forward a few minutes, seconds, it ended with a racial epithet being used.”

San Jose players could be seen reacting en masse in the moments after the issue seemed to be calming down, with their attentions centering on Red Bulls forward Dante Vanzeir. Replays showed Ebobisse vehemently arguing with Vanzeir before players from both clubs ended up in a shoving match.

The situation saw Pekmic bring both coaches over to explain the allegation, and eventually saw a VAR examination of video footage to see if officials could conclusively determine what had been said, and whether it merited a red card.

That stoppage lasted 19 minutes, but apparently ended inconclusively.

Ebobisse, who is Black, said that he wanted to respect the investigation, and that “what’s important for me to share is that I know what I heard.”

The Earthquakes forward added that San Jose coach Luchi Gonzalez told his team he’d back them if they wanted to walk off the field, but said the team ultimately chose to play on.

“The reason why I felt, after a lengthy conversation, that we should continue on with the game is because that the player who said the word claimed that it was not aimed at any of us,” said Ebobisse. “Whether that is a good-faith comment or not, we’ll see how the investigation goes on.”

“Just a difficult moment. Once again, players being put in charge, forced to make a decision, manage all sorts of emotions because the system is not robust enough to capture moments and gain clarity within a matter of minutes, seconds, that these actions happen,” added Ebobisse.

“This is what it is to be Black in these situations. You can’t be wrong, you can’t overstep anything outside of what you know to be fact. So, you have to proceed with absolute caution, even in moments of hurt, where you are feeling rather powerless to handle the situation to the degree that you would like to.”

Shortly after the match, MLS confirmed that the incident will be investigated.

“Major League Soccer is aware of an incident wherein a New York Red Bulls player is alleged to have used language that violates league policy during the 54th minute of the New York Red Bulls vs. San Jose Earthquakes match tonight,” read the statement. “MLS has zero tolerance for abusive and offensive language and takes these allegations seriously. An investigation into this matter will begin promptly. Further information will be provided upon completion of that investigation.”

The Red Bulls issued a statement of their own pledging to cooperate with the investigation.

“The New York Red Bulls take these matters very seriously and promptly reported the allegations to Major League Soccer,” read the team statement. “The New York Red Bulls do not condone any form of harassment or discrimination.”

Gonzalez confirmed to reporters that he told Red Bulls head coach Gerhard Struber that he should, in the meantime, substitute the player in question. “I was adamant to suggest that the player should not be on the field anymore,” said Gonzalez.

That would follow a precedent set during the last incident involving an alleged use of a slur in a game. In 2022, Inter Miami players alleged that D.C. United forward Taxi Fountas had used an epithet, and though referee Ismail Elfath did not have evidence to eject any player in that situation, Miami insisted that Fountas should be removed from the match at the first opportunity. United head coach Wayne Rooney agreed, and substituted Fountas at the next stoppage.

In this case, Struber did not apparently agree with Gonzalez, as Vanzeir stayed in the match until the 86th minute.

“I trust my players. If they say something, they’re high-character human beings before [being] professional soccer players, so I would trust that it’s true,” said Gonzalez. “So that’s something I think the referees and the coaching staff in New York, whether true or not, I think could could act in terms of the player not being a part of the game anymore.”

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Luchi Gonzalez to take San Jose Earthquakes head coach job after World Cup

With Gonzalez, San Jose may finally be thinking long-term

Luchi Gonzalez is coming back to MLS.

The U.S. men’s national team assistant coach will take over as the head coach of the San Jose Earthquakes once the 2022 World Cup comes to an end. Interim head coach Alex Covelo and his staff will remain in place for the rest of the MLS season.

“I’m really excited for this opportunity with one of the league’s founding clubs,” said Gonzalez in a team press release announcing the hire. “I thoroughly enjoyed working with the club’s leadership team throughout the interview process and was impressed by their vision for the future, both on and off the field.”

“Chris Leitch and his team have put together a solid foundation of players and I’m looking forward to working with them. As excited as I am for this opportunity, I’m going to remain focused on helping the U.S. National Team be as successful as possible through the FIFA World Cup and I will be ready to give everything for San Jose once that journey is over.”

San Jose has been under interim leadership since mid-April, when former Argentina national team midfielder Matias Almeyda was let go after the Quakes began the season on a seven-game winless run. Under Covelo—who was moved up from the club’s MLS Next Pro side—San Jose improved, going 5W-4D-3L in their first dozen games. However, a recent six-game winless run has brought them back into the race for the Wooden Spoon, as they have 24 points with nine games to play.

“Luchi has all of the attributes that we sought in our next head coach,” said San Jose GM Chris Leitch. “He has had success coaching in Major League Soccer with playoff appearances in his first two seasons and has a very strong track record in youth development. His strengths and desires align with our short and long-term goals as a club, and we look forward to him taking the reins after the World Cup.”

Previously, Gonzalez moved from enormous success with the FC Dallas academy—arguably the most productive youth program in MLS—to the head coaching job in Frisco. Gonzalez took Dallas to the playoffs in 2019 and 2020, but was dismissed in September 2021 after winning just six of 26 matches.

Gregg Berhalter hired Gonzalez as a USMNT assistant just three months later, where he helped the team work its way through the Octagonal to qualify for the World Cup.

What can Quakes fans expect?

Gonzalez’s teams in Dallas preferred to build out of the back and, without the ball, relied on an aggressive counter-press to win it back. There aren’t major differences between how Gonzalez’s sides played and how Berhalter’s USMNT does, which makes sense given how quickly the former joined the latter’s coaching staff once he became available in 2021.

Gonzalez’s approach is certainly a departure from Almeyda’s all-or-nothing man-marking system, which contributed to the Quakes being a must-watch team for good and bad reasons. A 4-3-3 formation is likely the first choice, though Gonzalez showed during his time in Dallas that he’s not particularly dogmatic on that front.

Hiring Gonzalez is also the kind of move you make when your club is ready to start fielding young players on a regular basis. The Quakes have not been that kind of team in 2022, with only three players under the age of 23 (Cade Cowell, Benjamin Kikanovic, and Marcos López) getting more than 118 minutes of playing time.

López has already moved on, being sold to Feyenoord in the summer window, but San Jose may be ready for a longer-term youth movement. They had 11 players called up for various USYNT squads this spring, and their MLS Next Pro side’s first season has been reasonably successful, with only six teams doing better than the 31 points that Earthquakes II have managed this season.

Gonzalez also has reason to feel like his FC Dallas departure came a bit too soon, with the club’s problems at the time relating more to repeatedly missing on big-money signings while also losing high-end youngsters to European transfers. Dallas didn’t improve, either, winning just one game in their final eight.

For San Jose, a long-term direction would be welcome. The Quakes have arguably been MLS’s most aimless club in recent years, making the playoffs just twice in the last decade, and have not won a postseason game since November 4, 2012.

In other words, Gonzalez is taking on a big challenge, but the stage is also clear for him to try to build the club into something formidable for the first time in years.

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