It’s been a whirlwind of a week for Alex Covelo. Just a few days after the San Jose Earthquakes parted ways with head coach Matias Almeyda and named Covelo interim manager, he found himself celebrating the Quakes’ first win of the season on the touchline, a frenetic 4-3 comeback vs. Seattle Sounders FC that will live on in fan lore for decades to come.
“I tried to hold in my emotions during the game because it was not an easy game,” said Covelo after the match. “It’s a big emotion because I love this club. I’m going to do whatever I have to do for this club. It’s special.”
Things didn’t start well for Covelo’s side. The only winless team in MLS entering the match, the Earthquakes found themselves 2-0 down within the first 20 minutes. And after snatching a goal back just before the break, they found themselves in a two-goal deficit again with just over 30 minutes to play.
That’s when things turned around.
Cristian Espinoza’s cross attempt took Stefan Frei off guard and found its way into the goal. Just 50 seconds later, Jackson Yueill leveled the score. And in the final moments of second-half stoppage time, Espinoza completed a hat trick from the penalty spot to deliver a memorable first win for Covelo’s side.
“It was not easy to be down 3-1 and come back into the game,” Covelo admitted. “It was difficult because we only had two days. We tried to analyze Seattle. We tried to coach the points that we want to work on. We tried to put more attention on us to see if we could start to see certain moments when the game developed.”
San Jose ultimately took advantage of those moments, spurred on by a vibrant crowd at PayPal Park. The atmosphere was not lost on Covelo, celebrating with fans after the final whistle.
“[The energy] is unbelievable. I cannot describe it,” he said. “I have been here since 2017, and it is amazing that the fans are providing to the club. Always.”
With their first victory of 2022 under their belts, the will to win displayed on Saturday will serve San Jose well over the remainder of the season. The fight and determination the Quakes showed against Seattle certainly didn’t catch Covelo by surprise.
“I learned one sentence here when I came,” he grinned. “A friend of mine told me, ‘Goonies never say die.’ So here we are.”
