With the 2017 season officially in the books, the San Jose Earthquakes have plenty to be proud of on and off the field. A trip to the postseason for the first time in five years and a spot in the U.S. Open Cup semis for the first time since 2004 highlight the calendar year.
Let’s takes a look at how individuals on the team fared this year and how they impacted the club.
Victor Bernardez
The Earthquakes’ eldest statesmen, Victor Bernardez, proved to be youthful and spry down the stretch of the season.
Coming off a 2016 season where he played in 33 of 34 games and registered nearly 3,000 minutes, Bernardez wasn’t asked to do quite as much in 2017, although he still finished with 25 starts and more than 2,200 minutes. His leadership and value was never more on display than it was in the team’s vital 2-1 win over the Portland Timbers on Sept. 30. His physicality and flair helped the Quakes push around what ended up as the Western Conference’s top seed in the playoffs.
The 35-year-old faced competition for his centerback role from numerous teammates, including Andres Imperiale and midseason acquisition Francois Affolter, but ended up as head coach Chris Leitch’s top choice alongside Florian Jungwirth down the stretch. He started each of the team’s final three regular season games, helping San Jose go 2-0-1 during that span and punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Offensively, Bernardez failed to score a goal for just the second time in his six-year MLS career (2015), but provided a terrific assist in Week 2’s comeback win over Vancouver.
