The San Jose Earthquakes bolstered their roster with a series of moves in June and July. The added depth provided a necessary boost during the second half of the season for the Quakes.
With leading-scorer Chris Wondolowski absent for the entire month of July due to his call up to the U.S. National Team in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, San Jose traded for a known commodity in forward Quincy Amarikwa.
Amarikwa, 28, is a Bakersfield, Calif. native that was originally selected by the Earthquakes in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. After being traded away from the Quakes, Amarikwa spent time with Colorado, Toronto and Chicago over the next several years, tallying 15 goals and 10 assists, including a team-high eight goals with the Fire in 2014.
With San Jose having a surplus of defenders at the time and Chicago having numerous attacking options, the two sides became natural trading partners. Amarikwa was acquired on June 26 in exchange for center back Ty Harden.
Amarikwa wasted little time reintroducing himself to Quakes fans. In just his second start, and first on the road, Amarikwa tallied a first-half brace against the rival LA Galaxy, scoring goals in the 22nd and 25th minute, respectively.
But he didn’t stop there. Amarikwa scored six goals for San Jose, second most on the team, and added four assists. And he was involved in numerous other scoring plays for the Quakes.
Roughly three weeks after acquiring Amarikwa, the Earthquakes made their second midseason move, claiming Matheus Silva off waivers. The 18-year-old Brazilian instantly became the youngest member of the club, taking the distinction away from homegrown player Tommy Thompson.
Silva, a holding midfielder or defensive player, attended Montverde Academy in Florida. The prep star led his team to an undefeated 18-0-1 record and the top spot in the TopDrawerSoccer.com national rankings.
Although Silva did not see MLS action during his rookie year, he was active for a pair of matches. In addition, he played 45 minutes against Manchester United during the International Champions Cup North America just days after joining the team.
Two days after claiming Silva, San Jose made their third move, adding another young midfielder in Marc Pelosi.
Pelosi is a Sunnyvale native with a laundry list of accomplishments already at the age of 21. He captained the U.S. National Team at the 2011 U-17 FIFA World Cup, leading the team to the Round of 16. He chose to sign with Liverpool, joining the youth academy for one of the largest teams in the world. He competed with Liverpool’s U-18s and U-21s for four years before signing on with his hometown club.
Pelosi made his Quakes debut at Avaya Stadium against Manchester United and nearly blasted home a goal from 20 yards out, but his left-footed attempt sailed just over the crossbar.
Pelosi ultimately made seven starts in 12 total MLS appearances and provided the club with a significant boost to the midfield.
The Earthquakes then made their fourth and final move by signing a defensive midfielder from Panama, Anibal Godoy. While he may have been relatively unknown to Earthquakes fans at the time, general manager John Doyle had been scouting Godoy over the past few years, including at each of the last three CONCACAF Gold Cups, where he helped his country reach the semifinals in 2011, the final in 2013 and defeated the United States in the third-place game in 2015.
The midfielder was asked to contribute immediately, despite having very little time with his new team. In fact, he was thrown into the starting lineup against the Colorado Rapids on August 14 without ever training in San Jose.
Godoy quickly became a fan favorite, starting 10 games for San Jose in his first season with the team. In his 10 appearances, the Quakes went an astonishing 6-1-3 with six shutouts. Godoy also tallied a pair of goals, including the game-winner in a crucial 1-0 win against Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 16.
