SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In a performance that was solid if not necessarily spectacular, the play that might have best summed up San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Marc Pelosi’s night against the LA Galaxy last week involved, predictably, former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.
As the Galaxy broke out in the 80th minute following a Quakes turnover in midfield, Robbie Keane played a backheel for Gerrard. The ball had just a smidgen too much power, however, taking it out of the path of the former England captain. As Gerrard tried to reverse course, Pelosi crashed into him, bumper cars-style, before ricocheting from the collision to dispossess Gyasi Zardes and cut short the Galaxy’s budding foray.
“If you’re on the field,” Pelosi said after helping the Quakes preserve a 1-0 victory, “you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
That’s an attitude that has helped Pelosi fit in immediately as part of the Quakes’ unheralded -- but critical -- summer transfer haul. The 21-year-old US youth international, who found his Liverpool career derailed by a broken right leg in 2013, made just his second career MLS start against LA. He also filled in admirably for the suspended Fatai Alashe as one of two San Jose defensive midfielders.
“Pelosi has grown a ton in the few weeks he’s been here,” Quakes winger Shea Salinas said last Friday night. “It was a big game for him tonight. We needed him to step up.”
The Quakes also needed Pelosi to stay inside himself. Where many of his previous appearances were in more of an attacking role, Pelosi was tasked with keeping things in order as San Jose tried to close down the space between their back line and midfield , thus cutting off the oxygen for Keane and LA’s high-powered offense.
“Dom [Kinnear, San Jose’s coach] talked to me and obviously we were playing with two defensive mids, me and Anibal [Godoy],” Pelosi said. “And he said just keep it a little more simple, not go forward too much. Pick your chances to go forward, but -- just stay in the middle, keep the ball moving and control the game a little more. And I think that helped us with the victory.”
Pelosi, like fellow newcomer Godoy, has shown wiry strength on the ball and a definite willingness to get involved in tackles. In fact he's the Quakes’ clear leader in fouls committed (4.92) and yellow cards received (0.70) per 90 minutes.
There have been few nerves, however, even as the Bay Area native has returned to his roots after leaving Liverpool this summer.
“The first time he stepped on the field, he looked like he belongs,” Kinnear said of Pelosi. “He doesn’t look out of place, and you think, this is maybe his third professional start. He does belong. He was really good out there for us.”
That won’t be the case Saturday when the Quakes host Philadelphia. Pelosi is in England with the US Under-23 team as it prepares for Olympic qualifying with a pair of games; he started and went 86 minutes in the Americans’ 1-0 loss to the England U-21 squad on Thursday. The U.S. wraps up their camp with a game against Qatar on Tuesday.
“We’ve got a lot of guys leaving for national team duty,” Salinas said. “That’s unfortunate. We wish him well, but we wish he was staying.”
