New York City Football Club are in the Bronx this Sunday to welcome San Jose Earthquakes.
For this edition of 'The Away End' presented by Berkeley College & Rennert International, we spoke to Jamon Moore, writer for Quakes Epicenter.
Hi Jamon, How long have you been covering the Quakes?
I have been writing about the team since 2018 and have had a media credential since 2019. I run the day-to-day for Quakes Epicenter, the premium independent site covering the team. We have a postgame show on YouTube called The Aftershock where fans can chat and ask questions while we analyze the game and talk to the coach and a player or two in the press conference live on the show. The opposing team's fans are welcome to join and sometimes we have media on the show that cover the opposing team as well.
What have been your highlights covering the team?
In 2019, I had the opportunity before the pandemic to get the normal press room and locker room access. Even though it was only for a season, getting to ask Chris Wondolowski questions in-person after games was an amazing experience. We also had some great opposing players and coaches come through that year that I had the chance to interview. It was surreal to be one of a very few people to come to an empty stadium and watch live matches in 2020. And then to see the fans return to PayPal Park in 2021 was something special. We've worked hard to create a community around Quakes Epicenter, so fans have support when the team is struggling and a place to celebrate the Goonies-style wins.
The club have undergone some notable change of late, how would you evaluate the start to the season?
Most of the media believe the team was underperforming their talent level under Matias Almeyda for the past couple of seasons. A fresh start will be good, along with more defensive structure. But we also see a lot of 1v1s and pressing under interim coach Alex Covelo as well. The Quakes are gonna still be an exciting, heart-attack team to watch for the fans, but maybe be a bit smarter about how they handle the defensive side of the ball. As Ronny Deila told the New York City media, opposing teams will find playing San Jose like playing the Red Bulls or Union in many ways.
The team recorded a memorable win last time out against Seattle Sounders. Are you optimistic for Sunday's game with that in mind?
Any time you are playing on the road against a team that has scored as many goals as NYCFC, Earthquakes fans are going to be nervous about giving up a lot of goals as they've seen it happen too many times before. That said, the Quakes are towards the top of the league in goals scored as well. If they can be really smart about the defensive side and not get overly aggressive with the pressing, they should be able to hang around. Quakes fans would be happy with a road draw in this one, and a win would send fans through the roof about the possibilities under interim coach Alex Covelo.
For any fans that may find themselves in San Jose in the future, are there any attractions you'd suggest they check out?
San Jose has an amazing selection of restaurants for foodies, so be sure to check out downtown San Jose in the San Pedro Square area for a few great places. And excellent food options are also in the outskirts, so get out Yelp and don't be afraid to explore. There is a local large amusement park, and you are just a scenic drive from Santa Cruz with the water and attractions there. Of course, you have the San Jose Sharks in town, and the 49ers are just up the 101 a bit. There are also several second- and third-division soccer teams now in the area as well.
