Matias Almeyda is out as manager of the San Jose Earthquakes, the MLS club confirmed on Monday.
Alex Covelo, who has been head coach of Earthquakes II in the inaugural season of MLS NEXT Pro, was announced as interim head coach. Earthquakes legend Chris Wondolowski will serve as interim assistant coach, alongside Steve Ralston and Luciano Fusco, with Almeyda's backroom staff also departing.
The decision was made to part ways with the Argentine hours after the Quakes tied Nashville SC, 2-2, extending San Jose's winless start to the season to seven games, and making it the only team in MLS without a win. It isn't clear the extent to which Almeyda will be paid the remainder of his contract.
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Sources told ESPN that Almeyda told the team after last week's 4-3 loss to Houston that he was "done" as San Jose manager and that he would talk to the team the following Monday. But when Monday came there was no further clarity as to his future. Those sources also said that this is something that Almeyda had said to the team more than once over the years in the wake of difficult losses.
"We've had ongoing discussions and for sure this past week," general manager Chris Leitch told media members on Monday.
"I think that culminated in just both parties realizing that this was the best for everyone. So without getting into all of the details of what happened, when and who said this, and that, I think the most important part is just that Matias and his staff as well as our club, we realized that we both endeavored to have better results than than what we've shown not only this year, but in years past."
Almeyda concludes his three-plus seasons in San Jose with a regular season record of 31-42-25. He was signed to great fanfare and high hopes just prior to the end of the 2018 regular season. Almeyda's man-marking system was expected to turn around the fortunes of a team that had qualified for the playoffs just twice in the previous eight seasons.
"I want to thank the Earthquakes for this time together, thank you to the fans, directors, staff and John Fisher for their trust, thank you to the players for their effort and thank you to MLS for giving me this opportunity," Almeyda wrote on Twitter following the announcement.
While the team played some exciting soccer at times during Almeyda's tenure, the team lacked consistency, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Once the rest of the league became more familiar with his tactics, the team's results suffered. San Jose did reach the playoffs during the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, but that was done with the benefit of MLS expanding the playoff field in the Western conference to eight teams, with San Jose sneaking into the final spot.
For his part, Almeyda has on multiple occasions criticized San Jose's lack of spending in comparison to much of the rest of the league.
Names already being suggested as possible replacements include El Salvador manager Hugo Perez, as well as former Quakes player and assistant Ian Russell, who managed the team's affiliate in Reno for four seasons.
"I will prioritize the MLS experience part of it," Leitch, who said the search for Almeyda's long-term replacement would begin immediately, added when asked what the club would be looking for a in a new coach.
"We're looking for club-centric staff and head coach, those with a high tactical acumen and flexibility and someone that's a leader, a good culture builder, because honestly, this club deserves and needs to win. We haven't been successful in the more recent years. This is a winning club that's lifted multiple trophies. That's where we want to get back to."