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A not-so-surprising earthquake hit San Jose on Monday.
The Earthquakes announced it parted ways with head coach Luchi Gonzalez, two days after a 6-2 loss away to LAFC.
The loss dropped the Earthquakes to 3-2-14 on the MLS season. San Jose’s 11 points is the lowest in the entire league, with Sporting Kansas City having just 14, though the Quakes have a game in hand.
Assistant head coach Ian Russell will take over as interim head coach, with assistants Steve Ralston, Luciano Fusco and Adin Brown staying in their roles.
“We want to thank Luchi for his hard work, commitment to the club and professionalism,” general manager Chris Leitch said in a statement. “Luchi and his staff have worked extremely hard the past year and a half, but we have not met expectations this year as a club. We felt that we needed to make a change, and it was in the best interests of the club to move in a different direction.”
San Jose named Gonzalez head coach on Aug. 17, 2022, but he joined the club after the 2022 FIFA World Cup due to being an assistant with the U.S. men’s national team.
Gonzalez led San Jose to a wild-card playoff qualification in 2023, but the team lost to Kansas City in a penalty shootout. He ended his tenure with a 13-24-16 win-loss-draw record.
“I want to thank ownership, leadership and our fans for the opportunity and the support they gave me during my time managing the Earthquakes,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “I am very grateful to all the staff and players that worked hard every day to improve our situation and wish them the very best moving forward. I plan to take some time with my family to reflect and prepare for the next step in my journey.”
Russell, 48, spent the last year and a half as an assistant coach with San Jose and has experience managing Reno 1868 FC, the Quakes’ USL affiliate.
New signings in Hernan Lopez and Amahl Pellegrino have shown promise, with right winger Cristian Espinoza still the mainstay in attack.
However, the team lacks significant quality and depth to compete elsewhere, especially in midfield and defense.
Russell’s first game in charge will be against prime rivals LA Galaxy on Saturday, June 29.
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