2016 MLS Season Preview: San Jose Earthquakes

With the MLS season set to begin on Sunday, theScore runs down everything you need to know about each team heading into the 2016 campaign. Here, we take a look at the San Jose Earthquakes.

If you subscribe to the theory that one single player can propel a team to greatness, then welcome to San Jose, where the Earthquakes have relied on one Chris Wondolowski for far too long.

Wondo's back in 2016, and he's not the only player returning to the Bay Area: Simon Dawkins re-signed with the Earthquakes as a Designated Player, and is now gearing up for his second stint with the team. Unfortunately for Earthquakes fans, his signing alone doesn't look like it'll be enough to help squeak San Jose into the playoffs this season.

Defensively, the team is in fine shape. Having only conceded 39 goals last season, the Earthquakes' back four is among the best in the entire league. Up top, the team's strikers potted enough goals to compete, but not enough to thrive, and that's where head coach Dominic Kinnear will focus on improving his squad in 2016.

Luckily, the Earthquakes possess enough solid pieces, including the likes of Matias Perez Garcia and Anibal Godoy, to safely avoid the Western Conference basement. Anything more would likely be a bonus.

2015 season

Regular season: 7th in Western Conference

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Nuts and Bolts

• Head coach: Dominic Kinnear
• Stadium: Avaya Stadium
• Season opener: Sunday, March 6: San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids (Avaya Stadium) - 3 p.m. ET

Key Arrivals

• Simon Dawkins (free transfer)
• Andres Imperiale (free transfer)
• Alberto Quintero (on loan from Lobos BUAP)
• Chad Barrett (free agent)

Key Departures

• Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi (option declined)
• JJ Koval (waived)
• Khari Stephenson (option declined)
• Leandro Barrera (loaned to Atletico San Martin)

Player to Watch

Chris Wondolowski knows how to score goals.

He's a specialist, if you will, at finding the back of the net, and has been working his goal-scoring magic in San Jose for quite some time. Wondolowski reached a milestone last season when he notched his 100th career goal, and comes into this year with 109 league goals to his name. He's scored in the double digits in each of his last five seasons, including a tremendous 2012 campaign where he notched 27 goals in league play.

That's what Wondo does, and it's why the 33-year-old remains San Jose's first choice up top for an eighth consecutive season.

Keep an eye on: Simon Dawkins

Projected Starting XI

Season in a Sentence

There are a few questions surrounding this current crop of Earthquakes; perhaps the most pressing one is how Dawkins will re-integrate himself into the team. The Englishman has scored just seven goals in the last three years, production that somehow earned him a DP contract - but if he can perform well enough to justify his price tag, he'll silence quite a few critics.