The San Jose Earthquakes have been a nice little story through most of this MLS season, rebounding from years of irrelevance to stay near the top of the standings and look like a legitimate playoff contender.

Yet the Earthquakes seem intent on squandering whatever goodwill they've built.

The team recently hired Gavin Wilkinson to be a consultant to head coach Bruce Arena, through the remainder of this season. Wilkinson previously served as president of the MLS club Portland Timbers as well as the NWSL's Portland Thorns. He was fired in 2022 after his name showed up prominently in the Yates Report, the independent investigation into abusive behavior and sexual misconduct in women's professional soccer.