/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46018916/15808747174_e96b98b860_b.0.0.jpg)
Usually the news out of San Jose Earthquakes training sessions focuses on the status of injured players and their availability for upcoming games. Sometimes it is about tactical adjustments that are being worked on with the weekend in mind. Occasionally, something somewhat interesting is revealed during the casual conversations that take place as practice winds to a close.
All such news came out of the Quakes training on Tuesday.
Without burying the lede, the most unexpected, but welcome, tidbits learned was that forward Innocent Emeghara has decided to drop the use of his last name and simply go by "Innocent." What was already one of the coolest names in all of MLS just became that much cooler.
The change will be reflected in how the club refers to their designated player in official releases and in the press. The man now known as Innocent will have said mononymous moniker on the back of his jersey. It's too bad that he was assigned #11 and not #1.
Dropping Emeghara from his full name will also help announcers who have mispronounced it in the past. The correct way to say it is with a silent "g," but most folks used the "gh" sound -- like in "Ghana" -- instead. It is not expected that anyone will have any difficulty pronouncing Innocent.
Not only does the shortened identification make for a great personalized jersey, but it also could serve to subtly influence a referee that might be considering assigning a yellow card to the Quakes DP.
Can't book a man called Innocent. It's in the Geneva Convention. MT "@robertjonas: SJ's Innocent Emeghara will go by Innocent on his jersey"
— Shawn Francis (@TheOffsideRules) March 31, 2015
One thing is certain: Headline writing just became a whole lot more fun.
In other news, head coach Dominic Kinnear shared the latest on the Earthquakes injury situation. Jordan Stewart, Steven Lenhart, Mark Sherrod, and Paulo Renato are still out, though Renato did do some light jogging during Tuesday's session.
Marvell Wynne, who felt tightness in his hamstring during the lose to the New England Revolution on Saturday, was not ruled out for this Sunday, but his availability is certainly in question. Wynne did not participate in training on Tuesday.
Tommy Thompson, who returned from England late Monday, practiced with the team on Tuesday and is available for selection. Fatai Alashe, who played 90 minutes for the U-23 MNT against Denmark in Copenhagen, was scheduled to return to the Bay Area before the end of the week and will be assessed then. Kinnear indicated that he saw no reason not have Alashe available to face Real Salt Lake on Sunday.