SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Clarence Goodson is happy to be part of the bulwark that underpins the San Jose Earthquakes’ defense. He just hopes he doesn’t have to prove his worth so often.
Goodson has made a successful return after more than eight months on the shelf due to foot problems that knocked him out of San Jose’s lineup last July. The 32-year-old has played in five straight matches, including the last four with fellow World Cup veteran Victor Bernardez, at the heart of the Quakes’ back line.
Two of those games -- trips to New England on March 28 and New York last weekend -- have given Bernardez and Goodson plenty of work, as San Jose’s defense has had to try to withstand sustained pressure in each instance. The Quakes gave up a combined total of 41 shots and eventually lost both matches.
“I’d rather not have to do that. As defenders, we’d like to have as little to do as possible,” Goodson told MLSsoccer.com. “It means we have good possession. It means that we’re dictating the play of the game. But it’s not always going to be that way, so you certainly want to do the best that you can and keep the team in it.”
The return of Goodson has reunited what was a strength for San Jose -- the combination of Goodson’s positional play with Bernardez’s hard-edged physicality in front of goal. The pair helped San Jose record their first shutout of 2015 earlier this month when Vancouver’s powerful attack was blanked at Avaya Stadium.
“They both read the game well and step into the gap at the right times,” Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear told reporters this week. “But they’re a little bit different; Victor is more of the physical type and Clarence more reads the game and is calm on the ball. It’s a good little balance.”
With injuries hitting his club’s outside backs, Kinnear has found some nice stability in the middle through Bernardez and Goodson.
- Get more San Jose Earthquakes news at SJEarthquakes.com
“If you were paying attention to soccer in the last two years, they were playing internationals, World Cup qualifiers,” Kinnear said. “So you know these guys are good. Looking at the team from afar, I looked in and thought, ‘That’s a pretty good partnership, if those guys can stay on the field together.’ And I think, right now, they’re very good for us.”
Goodson hopes to keep it that way as he continues to regain the form that earned him 46 caps with the US national team.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Goodson said. “I’m getting back to [full] fitness, starting to play the way that I can. Of course, there’s still room for improvement. I hadn’t played since July, so it’s quite a long time since I had last played, and really been able to get a string of games.
"I’m certainly happy to be healthy and physically able to play five games in a row. I want to build on that and hopefully, the performances will start to level out a little bit with our team, and be a little more consistent.”
