ORLANDO – Nobody would blame Mark Watson if he maintained at least some bitter feelings toward the San Jose Earthquakes.
But that’s not the case as the current Orlando City SC assistant coach prepares to face the team from which he was sacked less than a year ago.
"There is no negative emotion,” Watson told MLSsoccer.com ahead of Sunday’s nationally televised match between OCSC and the Quakes (7 pm ET; Fox Sports 1). “Five years there, and a lot of good times. I’ll go back with pure focus of doing what I can to build on a great win against LA.”
Watson began his time with the Earthquakes in 2010 as an assistant coach under Frank Yallop and took over as the interim head coach midway through the 2013 season after Yallop and the team mutually parted ways, nearly leading the team to the playoffs that year after a dismal start.
The Quakes removed the interim tag for the 2014 season, but Watson didn’t get very far, and after posting a disappointing 6-15-11 record in a season marked by frequent injuries, suspensions and international call-ups, he was fired late that season to make way for current San Jose boss Dominic Kinnear.
With Watson looking for a new job, Orlando City head coach Adrian Heath jumped on the opportunity to hire him for the Lions’ inaugural MLS season.
"Mark's expertise complements our existing technical staff, and we look forward to his contributions as we continue to build and prepare the team for our MLS debut," Heath said at the time.
Both Orlando City and San Jose come into the match riding an upward trajectory. OCSC are coming off a 4-0 demolition of the LA Galaxy on Sunday, while San Jose are on a three-game unbeaten run after their 2-0 win Saturday over Columbus Crew SC.
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"They are a good team that has picked up some results lately, so we know it’s going to be difficult,” Watson said. “We will be focused."
Asked if he had any insider information, Watson wasn’t shy to say how his knowledge of San Jose would impact Orlando City’s game plan.
"Yes. I have a lot of familiarity with some of the players,” Watson said. “… They have picked up some good results earlier in the season. They will be aggressive and competitive, and they have Wondo [Chris Wondolowski], one of the best goalscorers this league has ever seen. He is someone we will mention and have to look at closely."
