Friday MLS Forecast: Week 25 - Failed Zura loan deal increases scrutiny in San Jose

San Jose's decision to sign Edmundo Zura on loan appeared suspect from the outset, though, on paper and in theory, it did at least make some sense.

The Ecuadorian international forward could have potentially filled the Earthquakes' glaring need for a physical presence up front with Alan Gordon (hernia surgery) and Steven Lenhart (family leave) unavailable. He theoretically would have joined his new side in decent shape with his parent club already in season in South America. Even if the move didn't quite work out, his presence provided tangible evidence of the Earthquakes' desire to rectify a disastrous summer swoon.

Zura blew all of those theories out of the water when he arrived noticeably out of shape and revived questions about why the Earthquakes wanted to acquire him in the first place.

The El Nacional striker immediately showed exactly why his Ecuadorian club handed him just one start this season before he moved to San Jose: he lacked any semblance of match fitness. Maybe his shoddy physical condition stemmed from an undisclosed injury or maybe it occurred because of the dearth of live action. Either way, the Earthquakes didn't realize the nature of their predicament prior to his arrival because they apparently didn't do their homework on the medical front (Zura went through an abbreviated physical prior to his laborious 20-minute appearance against Los Angeles on Aug. 20, according to MLSsoccer.com) and they didn't see him play in person before they agreed to take him on loan.

(Note: The San Jose brass will get tarred and feathered for not sending a staffer to see Zura play in person before signing him, but it's not an entirely fair charge. MLS teams work with limited scouting budgets and some clubs rely on a surrogate scouting system – including MLS-paid staffers in South America and other locales plus agents and other contacts throughout the soccer world – to paper over the cracks. San Jose president David Kaval told the San Jose Mercury News that his side needed to invest more resources on the scouting side, but that extra financial flexibility wasn't available here. Essentially, this loan deal represented a calculated gamble on Zura from the middle of August to the end of the season. It didn't pay off. The real problem: the Earthquakes rolled the dice on the wrong guy from the start.)

All of those significant issues pale in importance to the real concern in San Jose these days: the powers that be did not correctly process the information they should have weighed in the first place – namely, his spotty appearance record, his so-so return in front of goal and a failed stint in the Australian A-League in 2008 – before placing his name on the list of suitable targets. Some teams could afford a massive blunder in the transfer market, but the Earthquakes have earned little latitude on this front because of their record of poor and sickly foreign signings and their current inability to end a 13-match run without a victory.

(Note: Irate fans have once again called for the removal of general manager John Doyle and coach Frank Yallop. Do not expect Earthquakes investor/operator Lew Wolff to heed those pleas. Doyle and Yallop received multi-year extensions on April 8 – presumably due to the playoff run last season – and Kaval reinforced their job security to the Mercury News earlier this week. Unless those multi-year contracts include an option to get out from the contract without penalty after this season [think the typical MLS player deal of 1+1+1+1] , the public vote of confidence actually holds some weight. The chances that the Earthquakes will pay Doyle and Yallop to not perform their duties are not particularly high.)

In the end, the failed move for Zura matters little to the Earthquakes from a practical perspective. San Jose won't lose anything by cutting him loose, nor will his departure likely save this irretrievable campaign. Unfortunately for the Earthquakes, the embarrassing episode will leave a pair of glaring stains from a perception standpoint by adding yet another unseemly chapter to this lost year and raising larger questions about the direction of the team heading into next season.

Last week: 2/6 (33%)

For the season: 74/197 (38%)

Saturday

Philadelphia @ Real Salt Lake – 9:00p.m.

RSL slid right back on right path on Saturday as its 10 men somehow managed to overcome a full-strength Chivas USA side at the Home Depot Center. Nat Borchers (one-match ban) leads the lengthy list of absentees for this match (rescheduled due to the Claret-and-Cobalt's CONCACAF Champions League duties earlier this year) with Will Johnson and Alvaro Saborio among four players unavailable due to international duty. The presence of Kyle Beckerman (he'll fly to Brussels to meet his U.S. teammates on Sunday) and Jamison Olave, however, should ensure that RSL extends Philadelphia's unbeaten run to six matches.

Prediction: Real Salt Lake win.

Monday

Los Angeles @ Sporting Kansas City – 6:00p.m. (FOX Soccer)

This match presents a significant mental hurdle for Sporting. Peter Vermes' side stumbled over the finish line yet again in Saturday's 3-2 home defeat to FC Dallas. It cannot afford to throw away more points against a Galaxy side with Landon Donovan (released from U.S. national team duty) in tow. Teal Bunbury (suspension/U.S. national team duty) can't help the cause and recently signed Peterson Joseph may not receive all of his paperwork in time to feature, but Sporting should use its defensive pressure and its speed to seal at least a point to celebrate Sporting Club's five-year anniversary as investor/operators in the franchise.

Prediction: Draw.

Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.