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It was a miserable year for the San Jose Earthquakes. Finishing 9th in the western conference, you can expect a massive shake-up to their current roster. Some veterans will likely be let go, while they’ll most assuredly bring in some new talent.
With the poor performance this season, comes a poor roster to dissect. We did our best to come up with their potential protected list and who might be available. Here’s what we came up with:
Projected Protected List
- Fatai Alashe
- Quincy Amarikwa
- Victor Bernardez
- David Bingham
- Darwin Ceren
- Simon Dawkins
- Anibal Godoy
- Andres Imperiale
- Alberto Quintero
- Chris Wondolowski
- Marvell Wynne
Exempt List
- Tommy Thompson
Available Players
- Innocent
- Chad Barrett
- Cordell Cato
- Kip Colvey
- Shaun Francis
- Henok Goitom
- Clarence Goodson
- Steven Lenhart
- Bryan Meredith
- Shea Salinas
- Kofi Sarkodie
- Mark Sherrod
- Matheus Silva
- Jordan Stewart
- Andrew Tarbell
Potential Targets for Atlanta United: Kofi Sarkodie, Cordell Cato
Jason: Slim pickings here for Atlanta United as San Jose only has a few intriguing options available in the Expansion Draft. Kofi Sarkodie would be my best option from the Earthquakes. He’s an athletic right back who can get forward and should do well in Tata Martino’s system. His development has stagnated a bit since he came into the league with a lot of promise in Houston.
Cordell Cato, Kenwyne Jones’ teammate with the Trinidad and Tobago national team, is another option. He’s primarily a wide midfielder, mostly on the right side, who has played some at right back. For depth on the outside, and potentially a project at right back, Cato could be under consideration.
Rob: Cordell Cato seems like a solid shout for a late round pick if only because of his familiarity with Kenwyne. Couple that with his versatility and experience and you have yourself all the makings for a solid Expansion Draft pick. I’m not sure he’d be a starting candidate, but as a depth player he could be valuable if there’s no impact players available late.
Sarkodie is another in the moderate line of promising young prospects who have fizzled out by dropping down their respective team’s depth chart. The former U.S. youth international has played about half the season in the last two years, so he’s got the needed experience, but is he worth one of the five picks? There will likely be better options available.
Shea Salinas a guy I’d be interested in as well. He’s fallen off a bit this season, but he’s still just 30 years old. He’s recorded at least five assists in his last five seasons. He’s a decent playmaker from the wing position and reliable on the defensive end. It’s just a matter of him fitting into Tata’s system or not.