When the San Jose Earthquakes signed Vako last summer, general manager Jesse Fioranelli and the club knew exactly what they were getting – an uber-talented, attack-minded midfielder who would prefer to speak with his play than his words.
The Quakes finished last week 1-1-0 after competing against two of the best teams in the Western Conference. Vako scored three goals in the two matches, including a pair in the win over first-place FC Dallas.
Vako has been red-hot since the start of August, scoring five goals and adding an assist in six games over that span. Only four players in Major League Soccer have tallied at least five goals and an assist since the first of August, with D.C. United’s Luciano Acosta, Sporting Kansas City’s Diego Rubio and Real Salt Lake’s Albert Rusnak joining Vako.
Vako has tended to score against the top teams in the league, with eight of his nine goals this season coming against teams currently above or within three points of the red line, including four against FC Dallas and one each against Sporting KC, LAFC, LA Galaxy and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
His run of form seemed to coincide with the arrival of friend and Georgia National Team teammate Guram Kashia, who he also played with extensively at Vitesse.
“Guram is here and I think that’s helped,” explained head coach Mikael Stahre following the team’s training session on Tuesday. “He’s that guy that can give him a little bit of a push.”
Kashia was signed on June 14 and later made his Earthquakes debut on July 25 vs. Seattle Sounders FC. Prior to signing, the 31-year-old Georgian center back was lauded for his leadership on and off the field. In addition to being an important player for the team, he has also served as a great ambassador for the organization and was recently named UEFA’s first-ever #EqualGame Award winner after making a public stand for equality and inclusion in soccer.
“It’s not just about the 90 minutes and the training sessions, they also speak a lot outside of the game,” said Stahre. “It’s more than just being together in the locker room.”
Vako has appeared in 40 matches for San Jose since being signed as a Designated Player last year. He has tallied 14 goals and seven assists, contributing to a goal in more than half of his appearances. He currently ranks second on the team in goals (9) and tied for first in assists (5). Should he score at least one more goal before the end of the season, he’d become just the second player other than Chris Wondolowski with 10+ goals and 5+ assists in a single season since Landon Donovan in 2003 (Alan Gordon – 2012).
Stahre also said the decision to play Vako higher up the pitch has allowed him more freedom and makes him much harder to defend.
For the first time since 2008, it appears there will be a tight race for the team’s Golden Boot award, with Danny Hoesen (10), Vako (9), Chris Wondolowski (8) and Magnus Eriksson (6) all in contention. Nobody other than Wondolowski has claimed it since Ryan Johnson in 2009.
Stahre’s vote for who leads the team at the end of the season?
“I think they’ll all tie.”
