San Jose were bounced from postseason contention on the final day of the 2015 season, and hoped to carry their momentum forward with them into the next year. That of course did not happen, the team fell to ninth in the Western Conference and longtime general manager John Doyle was sacked from the club in August as a result.
The Earthquakes opted for a European hire for Doyle’s replacement, Jesse Fioranelli, a member of the sporting direction unit at Italian side AS Roma, was hired by the club just last month. San Jose additionally made changes to its roster, removing from the roster many of the high-priced players who, over the years, failed to deliver on their contracts.