After the World Cup, MLS returns.
Speaking personally, this was my first World Cup as a grumpy old man, where I realized going into it that 63 countries would be disappointed and still ended up finding myself on the receiving end by cheering for about 20 of those countries. All the same, Spain won by being somehow more Spain than that 2010 side.
So back to MLS, and the San Jose Earthquakes. They are very, extremely, surprisingly tied for 1st in the Western Conference and only four points behind the Nashville Fightin’ Espinozas for the Supporters’ Shield.
Most shockingly, it doesn’t look like smoke and mirrors? The Quakes have defensive solidity, a deadly transition attack, and simply more cussed grit than most any team they’ve played in their 15 league games (not counting their Open Cup loss to Colorado, which was really the only game that San Jose’s taken off this season). With 19 matches left, they are actually in decent position to challenge for hardware in a year where “get a home playoff match” was considered the maximal outcome.
Two games this week, including the Cali Classico on Saturday, and there are more than a few reasons to share in my enthusiasm as the summer turns to fall:
Timo’s Back
Lone Designated Player Timo Werner has been back in training and, if you forgot, was completely unstoppable in April before he got hurt in the Open Cup. With 4g/2a in three matches, Werner was deadly in transition as well as against packed-in defenses.
San Jose’s new additions (see next) will hopefully mean he can take a few more minutes off – if Arena can convince him that’s in Timo’s best interest. It looked unfair having him on an MLS pitch, which was cool as heck. He made Nick Fernandez, Ousseni Bouda, and everyone else around him better.
Niko Tsakiris should be returning by early August as well, and having something like a first-choice front four out there is going to rule. San Jose played six matches in the first half starting Timo and Niko. In them, they went 5W/1L/0D with a goal differential of 15-4.
Depth Signings!
Quakes fans usually bemoan the summer window, when the team signs some random guys from some random league and the team tries to drum up excitement for them.
This time, San Jose really needed some random guys to fill out the roster.
Angus Gunn, of the Scotland World Cup roster and the Nottingham Forest 2025-’26 train wreck, is the new starting goalkeeper. There’s not much to ID about him other than he’s taller than Daniel and speaks English. Considering that Bruce Arena was able to elevate Matt Turner and Djordje Petrovic at his last stop in New England – and that Arena wanted Gunn in the last window before plans falling through, per Tom Bogert – it’s worth seeing what he’s got. Daniel, who was always interesting even when he wasn’t good, will certainly be missed as he is off to FC Dallas.
Neither Darius Johnson, a 26-year-old winger, nor Luka Jovanovic, a 21-year-old striker, have that kind of pedigree. Neither of them really need to. Their main roles are to be able to plug in for 30-60 minutes a week each to give Timo Werner and Preston Judd their respective breaks to stay healthy.
Both take up international spots, and for his part Jovanovic is donning the cursed #9 shirt. But the expectation for them is more “get more out of Werner, Judd, and Bouda” and less “they should be starting in their own right.” Keep that in mind, and the heart will follow.
The window doesn’t close until September 2. There is still likely some need for a more reliable central midfield behind Niko. It would be nice to have a backup plan behind Ronny Vieira, if Edwyn Mendoza isn’t in Bruce’s plans. A right back who plays right back would also be neat. But if you believe in the roster – and after the first 15 games, you can feel free to do so – then the focus is now on getting the most out of it.
The Quakes have a Schedule Advantage
Many of San Jose’s competitors for hardware have a game in hand at least. However, the advantage of being an out-of-nowhere sensation is that the Quakes don’t have the Leagues Cup, which Vancouver, LAFC, Seattle, and Real Salt Lake will be participating in.
In addition, San Jose has already played six matches against the other top 5 teams in the West (the only other teams in the conference with a positive goal differential): two vs. Vancouver, two vs. Seattle, and one each against LAFC and Dallas. The Quakes only have one trip out east – to the floundering FC Cincinnati – and otherwise host Nashville in October. The annual Texas Death Trip happens in August/September, when the weather is only slightly miserable. It’s much less of a gauntlet, even if nothing is a given in MLS.
As stated above, the transfer window is still open and there’s a bit of a shrug in how all these teams might look come October. Maybe RSL will have an all-world striker, or maybe they’ll sell Diego Luna. Who knows!
But San Jose is, shockingly, in a good place to be. They have a team to make a run, assuming nothing goes wrong. And when is the last time that happened?
