SAN JOSE The Earthquakes made a strong case Saturday night for the title of Major League Soccers most aggravating team.
OK, lets just be blunt: the leagues worst team.
The promise of a new era of younger and better fell as flat as a tortilla in an embarrassing 3-1 home defeat to lowly D.C. United at Avaya Stadium.
Its fortunate so many blue seats sat empty because the announced crowd of 17,644 tortured fans who witnessed a first-half debacle showered their team with boos. Had there actually been 17,000-plus fans in attendance those jeers would have reverberated throughout Avaya.
Its clear San Jose (2-6-3, nine points) got the message. This wont do as the Quakes wasted all the goodwill from a successful two-game trip only to return home to signal they probably wont be competing for a playoff spot come summer.
San Jose stumbled to 1-3-1 at Avaya as United ended a 10-game road winless streak.
All it took was 22 minutes of recreation-league errors by the home team. If not for Danny Hoesens sixth goal of the season in the 43rd minute it would have been nothing less than abject failure.
Rookie coach Mikael Stahre wasted no time in reverting to a more traditional look, sending captain Chris Wondolowski into the lineup to start the second half and utilizing a four-man backline.
But not even the clubs most storied player could salvage this mess. The second half devolved into a clownish performance by both sides. United (2-5-2), for example, flubbed two easy threats that should have ended any question of a San Jose comeback that never materialized.
Wondolowski, MLSs No. 2 all-time leading scorer, found himself on the bench for the third consecutive game as the Quakes transition under a new regime –and new approach.
Stahre started Chris Wehen, the 2017 USL rookie of the year from Reno. That left midfielder Anibal Godoy, who joined the team 2 ½ years ago, as the most senior member of the starting XI.
After defeating Minnesota and trying Vancouver, the Earthquakes expected to take advantage of one of the leagues worst defenses. United, playing its third of eight consecutive road games, had allowed three goals in its two previous contests.
The roles reversed in the first 45 minutes.
Two miserable mistakes led to five minutes of disaster for San Jose, which fell behind 2-0 by the 20th minute.
United scored in the 15th minute when Zoltan Stieber slipped behind the defense for an open shot off a long serve from Luciano Acosta. Defender Florian Jungwirth responded a moment too late to disrupt Stiebers shot past goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell.
The most maddening moment came five minutes later when Valeri Qazaishvili sent a lazy pass toward Jackson Yueill in San Joses third of the field. Acosta was the culprit again, slipping in front of Yueill. The United midfielder fed teammate Darren Mattocks, who easily got his fourth goal of the season.
Jungwirth gathered teammates near the Quakes circle imploring them to do better.
They did worse.
United scored three goals for the first time this season with Yamil Asads shot in the 37th minute. Boos rained down after the goal that came on a clumsy defensive giveaway by Yueill.
The Quakes head back on the road for consecutive games, starting Friday against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Then its off to Chicago before home games against Los Angeles FC and the New England Revolution.
All four opponents are superior to United. By the time San Jose plays New England on June 13, this season could be history.