The first time Chris Wondolowski met Cade Cowell, the San Jose Earthquakes legend wasn't in a good place.
It was 2018, and the Quakes were in the midst of a wretched season in which they would finish dead last in MLS. Wondolowski wasn't in the starting lineup either. So when he was put with the reserves in a team scrimmage, including a smattering of academy kids he assumed were heading to college, he wasn't surprised. He soon noticed Cowell "absolutely destroying" Joel Qwiberg, one of the team's left-backs, but the player's crosses were way off, consistently missing Wondolowski in the box.