The San Jose Earthquakes are finding top form at the right moment.
Saturday night's 3-1 win over the Portland Timbers at PayPal Park has them soaring to third in the Western Conference. It also extends their unbeaten run to six games.
"I think the good thing about our team is that we’re very interchangeable. We have a lot of depth, so no matter who you put out there ... two forwards, three forwards or four forwards, it doesn’t really matter," said star striker Preston Judd.
"We’re going to play to the best of our ability. What Bruce [Arena] always tells us is that, at the end of the day, it’s 11 versus 11. It doesn’t really matter what formation we’re playing in. It’s about playing as a team, being more intense than the other team and outworking them. That worked tonight, and we’ll keep moving forward.”
San Jose stars shine
Judd, who added his 14th and 15th MLS goals during the victory, was at the center of the action. It's been an unexpected career year for the 27-year-old, who has more goals this season than his previous four seasons combined and currently sits eighth in the Golden Boot race.
Both goals showcased Judd’s quality. The first was an excellent header to open the scoring in the sixth minute, capitalizing on a near-perfect cross from Eduard Löwen. He rounded out San Jose’s scoring with a first-time finish in the box in the 29th minute, then leaped into the stands to celebrate with the rowdy home crowd.
"Of course, scoring goals always feels nice, especially when I’m expected to score," the Quakes star forward said. "The celebration wasn’t planned at all. I just knew my first celebration wasn’t up to my standard, so I had to match it with the second one. It worked out."
In addition to his early assist, Löwen added a goal of his own. The German midfielder – brought in via a trade with St. Louis CITY just a month ago – recorded his first goal and assist since moving to the West Coast, highlighting that he too will be an important player in San Jose’s postseason aspirations.
"He’s a great player and an even better person in the locker room," Judd said of his teammate. "He’s always joking around, and you can’t hate the guy. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. It was a great goal, and we all wanted to celebrate with him.
"Hopefully, he gets a couple more throughout the rest of the season.”
Flying high
With the Audi 2026 MLS Cup playoffs seemingly just around the corner, San Jose are finding themselves at the perfect time of the season.
After starting 2026 among MLS’s hottest teams, the Quakes hit a mid-year slump, sliding down the standings after going winless in eight matches following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But their fortunes have now dramatically shifted with three wins in their last four.
Saturday’s result – against a Portland Timbers team fighting to reach the postseason – demonstrated the Quakes’ momentum shift.
Up by three goals within half an hour, the hosts were able to cruise to a fairly straightforward win that, remarkably, puts them within five points of the first-place Vancouver Whitecaps.
“There's a lot of difficult games ahead. So hopefully we can win a few more and position ourselves to be in the playoffs," head coach Bruce Arena told reporters postgame.
"Our goal this year is to qualify for playoffs. We're not there yet. ... It's not going to be easy. It's going to be a hectic month.”
