Caught between a rock and a hard place with major roster issues but little salary space and no DP slots available, the San Jose Earthquakes somehow managed to pull off a series of transactions that made the team better.
If only, of course, it hadn't come to that. Part of the problem emanates from a series of injuries to major contributors with big salaries (like Clarence Goodson) and part of it emanates from players underperforming their salary or expectations (Quincy Amarikwa and Innocent, amongst others). Part of it also comes from a few systemic barriers to building a deeper roster, which include the lack of a proper USL affiliation and the years that it has taken (and will continue to take) to restock the incredibly bare cupboard of the 2014 edition.