SAN JOSE, Calif. – Considering he’s a winger, Shea Salinas has been finding himself in the center of the pitch a lot lately for the San Jose Earthquakes.
Nowhere was that more obvious than on Saturday, when Salinas, whose usual home is along the Quakes’ left flank, struck for his first goal of 2015 – from the right side of the Columbus penalty area.
“I think teams know that I like to get the ball out wide and take guys on one-on-one,” Salinas told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “So it’s nice to add a different dimension to that.”
In the absence of injured striker Innocent, the Quakes can use all the different dimensions they can find. Salinas’ performance in San Jose’s 2-0 win against Columbus could portend greater contributions from the 28-year-old, who delivered 23 assists with four goals in the previous three seasons after rejoining the Quakes following a stint with Vancouver in 2011.
Salinas’ ability to bring down Adam Jahn’s header, feed Matías Pérez García, accept a return pass and switch it with one touch to set up a right-footed finish from 8 yards – all of it in a congested Crew SC penalty box – showed how far the veteran has come from his early days of being more runner than complete player.
“I think that’s something that he’s really developed into his game,” Quakes captain
Chris Wondolowski
said of Salinas. “He’s very confident, especially in tight spaces. He gets the ball, he’s able to maneuver it. With his speed, the way he can one-two guys, it’s very hard to keep up with. I think he’s starting to understand the game and see the game and have a lot better ideas out there.
You can definitely see growth from him.”
Sometimes, that growth happens in a matter of minutes. Salinas’ goal came just four minutes after he sent a left-footed try over the crossbar from 14 yards – a sequence that was still lingering in his mind.
“I kind of ran that one through my head and wished I had taken a touch there,” Salinas said. “So when I got that chance later in the game, I had a little more composure.”
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Quakes coach Dominic Kinnear was happy to see Salinas as an integral part of breaking down the visitors’ 10-man defense.
“We always try to get the guys to be in good areas to receive the ball, whether it be forwards, attacking midfielders or the outside midfielders,” Kinnear said. “I think if a guy hugs the line, it’s a little bit feast or famine – you’re either getting the ball a lot or not getting the ball at all.”
The return from injury of left back Jordan Stewart, an offensive-minded player who often overlaps to deliver crosses as he did on the Quakes’ first goal Saturday, has also helped free Salinas to make runs to the middle of the field.
“I think Jordan’s pretty good at getting high and getting crosses in,” Salinas said. “That allows me to come inside more and receive the ball. I think it helps Matías and Fatai [Alashe], to not have to cover as much ground in the middle. So I think it just helps us maintain possession overall. Hopefully, I can keep doing that and keep allowing us to have an outlet.”
