April 2025 – jmjimage

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sporting Kansas City, April 20, 2025

San Jose Earthquakes Defender RODRIGUES (26) passes the ball under pressure from Sporting Kansas City Forward DANIEL SALLOI (10) during the MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City at PayPal Park in San Jose, California

PRESS RELEASE:

April 19, 2025

MATCH RECAP: Earthquakes 3, Sporting Kansas City 5

San Jose climbs back from early 3-0 deficit but unable to complete second-half resurgence; Quakes go on the road next Saturday against Columbus Crew

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes fell to Sporting Kansas City 5-3 on Saturday night at PayPal Park in front of 14,147 fans.

Logan Ndenbe struck first for the visitors in the 18th minute when he scored from the left wing off a shared assist by Dejan Joveljic and Daniel Salloi. Three minutes later, Salloi hauled in a long ball from goalkeeper John Pulskamp and slotted it home to double SKC’s advantage. In the 24th minute, Shapi Suleymanov found Manu García in the box, who promptly finished the through ball to make it 3-0.

San Jose pulled one back in the 30th minute when defender Rodrigues dribbled deep into the attacking third and his through ball from the right wing was finished by a streaking Josef Martínez in the box. The Quakes drew closer in the 42nd minute when an Espinoza free kick near the right corner flag was headed past Pulskamp by Cristian “Chicho” Arango to make it 3-2 at intermission.

The Quakes aimed to complete the comeback in the second half, but in the 73rd minute, Salloi finished an Erik Thommy pass from the right wing into the back of the net to push the SKC lead back to 4-2. Thommy added a fifth for SKC in the 85th minute off a Manu Garcia feed. In the fourth minute of stoppage time, the Quakes drew a penalty and Arango converted from the spot for the final 5-3 margin.

The Black and Blue will now travel to Columbus, Ohio next Saturday, April 26, to take on the Columbus Crew. Kickoff from Lower.com Field will take place at 4:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as on local radio via KSFO 810 AM (English) and 1370 AM La Kaliente (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

The Earthquakes move to 27-33-10 all-time vs. Sporting KC (91 GF, 99 GA), with an 18-9-8 (53 GF, 40 GA) record at home. Tonight’s result evens the season series. In their last meeting back on March 1 in Kansas City, Kansas, the Quakes won 2-1 for their first road win over SKC since Aug. 19, 2015.

Quakes team captain Cristian Espinoza extended his consecutive games streak—a club record and the longest active run in MLS—to 118, third on the league’s all-time list.

The Quakes regained their spot atop the MLS team goals leaderboard after scoring three more to run their total to 19, two more than Vancouver. San Jose is also No. 1 in expected goals at 22.57, ahead of Vancouver’s 22.35.

Josef Martínez’s 30th-minute goal was his fifth of the season and 121st in his MLS career, extending his lead among all active players. He currently stands sixth all-time in MLS history. Martínez also now has six goal contributions in just five meetings with SKC (4g/2a).

Rodrigues’ assist on Josef Martínez’s 30th-minute goal was his first of the season and fourth of his career in MLS play.

Chicho Arango’s 42nd-minute and 94th-minute goals were his fifth and team-leading sixth of the season, as well as his 58th and 59th of his MLS career. Arango now has 10 goal contributions in nine MLS regular-season matches against SKC (7g/3a).

Cristian Espinoza’s assist on Chicho Arango’s 42nd-minute goal was his sixth of the season—tied for the league lead with Charlotte FC’s Pep Biel—and 77th of his career in MLS play, extending his club record. Espinoza also continues to lead MLS in key passes with 36, five more than Colorado’s Djordje Mihailovic (31).

Goalkeeper Earl Edwards Jr. and defender Daniel Munie made their first starts of the season.

Max Floriani made his MLS and Quakes debut in the 88th minute, coming on for Rodrigues.

San Jose Earthquakes 3 – 5 Sporting Kansas City

Saturday, April 19, 2025 – PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.

Weather: 60°F Clear

Attendance: 14,147

Match Officials:

Referee: Joe Dickerson

AR1: Chris Elliot

AR2: Kevin Lock

VAR: David Barrie

AVAR: Tom Supple

4th Official: Brandon Stevis

Scoring Summary:

SKC (0-1) – Logan Ndenbe (Dejan Joveljic, Daniel Salloi) 18’

SKC (0-2) – Daniel Salloi (John Pulskamp) 21’

SKC (0-3) – Manu Garcia (Shapi Suleymanov) 24’

SJ (1-3) – Josef Martínez (Rodrigues) 30’

SJ (2-3) – Cristian “Chicho” Arango (Cristian Espinoza) 42’

SKC (2-4) – Daniel Salloi (Erik Thommy, Manu García) 73’

SKC (2-5) – Erik Thommy (Manu García) 85’

SJ (3-5) – Cristian “Chicho” Arango (penalty) 90+4’

Misconduct Summary:

SJ – Mark-Anthony Kaye (caution) 36’

SKC – Logan Ndenbe (caution) 41’

SJ – Rodrigues (caution) 52’

SKC – John Pulskamp (caution) 90+2’

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK); Rodrigues (Max Floriani 88’), Daniel Munie, Dave Romney; Vítor Costa (Ousseni Bouda 78’), Mark-Anthony Kaye (Ian Harkes 46’), Beau Leroux (Preston Judd 81’), Niko Tsakiris (Amahl Pellegrino 78’), Cristian Espinoza (C); Cristian “Chicho” Arango, Josef Martínez.

Substitutes not used: Francesco Montali (GK), Nick Lima, Reid Roberts, Jamar Ricketts.

POSS.: 63.2%; SHOTS: 22; SOG: 6; CORNERS: 6; OFFSIDES: 7; SAVES: 0; FOULS: 13; xG: 4.2

SPORTING KANSAS CITY: John Pulskamp (GK); Khiry Shelton, Jansen Miller, Logan Ndenbe, Joaquin Fernandez (Robert Voloder 45+2’); Nemanja Radoja (Zorhan Bassong 67’), Jacob Bartlett, Manu García (Memo Rodriguez 90+1’); Daniel Salloi (C), Shapi Suleymanov (Erik Thommy 68’), Dejan Joveljic (William Agada 90+1’).

Substitutes not used: Ryan Schewe (GK), Stephen Afrifa, Andrew Brody, Tim Leibold.

POSS.: 36.8%; SHOTS: 8; SOG: 5; CORNERS: 0; OFFSIDES: 2; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 15; xG: 1.9

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On the early first-half deficit:

“You concede three goals in the first 30 minutes; you don’t deserve to win. I give our team a lot of credit. We got it to 3-2 at halftime. I felt we were in position to win the game, but we continued to make some errors that were costly in the second half. Overall, it’s a poor performance on our part. There’s no two ways about it. … We were poor today. Give our opponent credit. They played hard. They converted the opportunities that were there. They deserve a lot of credit.”

On making costly mistakes in defense:

“Some players played pretty poorly tonight and made some big mistakes. I’ll take the responsibility for that. Those particular players are not going to step on the field again unless they can get it right and be more consistent in their play. We made some mistakes that I think cost us for sure.”

On the team’s inconsistent performance:

“You want consistency. You prefer to have players at this kind of level (makes straight-line motion with hand from left to right) as opposed to this (makes up and down motion with hand). We still have players that operate this way—very good, not good, very good, not good. That’s not good. We need more consistency from the individuals in the team. That’s something we’ve actually addressed. We need to be a smart team.”

EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER IAN HARKES

On where tonight’s game falls in relation to the rest of the season so far:

“There was kind of a good spark in terms of the season and how we started, and you know there’s bumps up and down in the road, but a game like tonight, you never want to see happen. … We have to bounce back. We know that the mistakes were unacceptable, and you can’t have that.”

On the team falling behind early and the comeback falling just short:

“I think we need to look at ourselves in terms of responsibility, the team and the mentality going into it. Because, like you said, seeing the way we were playing, the way we came back in the in the first half, it was just a classic way-too-late situation of where the game gets going and the players start to pick themselves up, but it’s already too late. We shouldn’t wait ‘til it’s 3-0 down to kind of have a kick in the butt, in terms of getting our mentality right. So we have to look at ourselves in the mirror. Every single person has to stand up, and try and be better.”

On adapting to injuries and stepping up collectively ahead of next Saturday’s game in Columbus:

“Yeah, it’s a responsibility of everyone on the team. You have to step up and the next guy up. When these things happen, injuries are going to happen. We don’t want them to, especially to top guys, but the next one has to step up and perform better. And I think again, it’s a mentality thing, and it doesn’t get any easier. We’re going to Columbus Crew, and they’re flying as a team and as a whole culture and club. So it’s going to be tough, but not impossible, and we have to get a desperate kind of three points now.”

####

Earthquakes Communications Contacts:

Ryan Maquiñana – Director, Communications

rmaquinana@sjearthquakes.com

C: 650.243.8523

Jake Jansing – Coordinator, Communications

jjansing@sjearthquakes.com

C: 408.425.1329

San Jose Earthquakes vs. DC United, April 6, 2025

Former Earthquake Troy Dayak sounds the siren before the MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and DC United at PayPal Park in San Jose, California

PRESS RELEASE:

April 6, 2025

MATCH RECAP: Earthquakes 6, D.C. United 1

Explosive first half, Josef Martínez hat trick propel San Jose back into win column on historic day commemorating 30 years of MLS; Quakes now go on the road to face LAFC next Saturday night

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes defeated D.C. United 6-1 on Sunday afternoon in Major League Soccer regular-season play at PayPal Park in front of 14,196 fans.

Today’s match commemorated Major League Soccer’s Inaugural Game on April 6, 1996. The Quakes, then known as the Clash, defeated D.C. United 1-0 on a late Eric Wynalda goal in front of 31,683 fans at Spartan Stadium in San Jose—an attendance record for a sporting event in the city at the time. Current Earthquakes Head Coach Bruce Arena was on the opposite sideline in the same role for D.C. United, while current Earthquakes midfielder Ian Harkes’ father John was a defender for the visitors.

Several former players from both teams were honored on the field at halftime: Wynalda, John Doyle, Eddie Lewis, Altimont “Freddie” Butler, Troy Dayak, Tom Liner, Dave Gold, Ramiro Corrales and Dave Salzwedel for the Clash, and Arena, Harkes, Jeff Agoos, Shawn Medved and Marco Etcheverry on hand for D.C. United. Quintessential Earthquakes and Clash cheerleader Krazy George also made his triumphant return to PayPal Park.

As for the game, the Quakes got off to a scorching start in the eighth minute when forward Cristian “Chicho” Arango headed a Cristian Espinoza corner kick off D.C. forward Christian Benteke past goalkeeper Joonhong Kim for a 1-0 lead. The hosts doubled their advantage in the 16th minute when forward Josef Martínez and midfielder Niko Tsakiris played an unconventional one-two with their heads in transition, with a streaking Martínez the final beneficiary for the clinical finish. The goal was Martínez’s 118th in MLS play, elevating him past Bradley Wright-Phillips for sixth on the league’s all-time list. San Jose wasn’t finished, and in the 20th minute, midfielder Beau Leroux was awarded a penalty kick after being fouled in the box by midfielder Matti Peltola. Quakes forward Cristian Espinoza converted from the spot in the 20th minute to make it 3-0. With his 33rd goal in Black and Blue, the Argentine captain jumped to fourth on the club’s all-time scoring list, passing Landon Donovan. Christian Benteke pulled one back for the visitors in the third minute of stoppage time in the first half after heading home a Derek Dodson cross from the right wing to make it 3-1.

The second half saw more attacks coming to fruition for the Black and Blue, as Martínez made it a brace in the 81st minute. The Venezuelan striker took in an incisive pass from forward Amahl Pellegrino and blasted it home to make it 4-1. Pellegrino added a goal of his own in the 90th minute for his first of the season, assisted by second-half substitutes Jamal Ricketts and Mark-Anthony Kaye for a 5-1 margin. Then in the second minute of stoppage time, Espinoza curled a ball from the right wing behind the D.C. back line for Martínez, who slotted the ball into the back of the net for the hat trick and final 6-1 scoreline.

The Black and Blue will now travel to Los Angeles next Saturday, April 12, to take on Los Angeles Football Club. Kickoff from BMO Stadium will take place at 7:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as on local radio via KSFO 810 AM (English) and 1370 AM La Kaliente (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

The Quakes are currently 19-15-9 (72 GF, 69 GA) against D.C. United, with a 10-5-7 (41 GF, 31 GA) record at home. San Jose is now unbeaten in their last four against D.C. dating back to 2019 (2-0-2).

The Quakes scored six goals for the first time in MLS play since Sept. 19, 1999, when as the Clash, they defeated the Miami Fusion 6-1 powered by a brace from Ronald Cerritos.

Today’s match commemorated Major League Soccer’s Inaugural Game on April 6, 1996. The Quakes, formerly known as the Clash, defeated D.C. United 1-0 on an Eric Wynalda goal in front of 31,683 fans at Spartan Stadium in San Jose—an attendance record for a sporting event in the city at the time. Current Earthquakes Head Coach Bruce Arena was on the opposite sideline in the same role for D.C. United, while current Earthquakes midfielder Ian Harkes’ father John was a defender for the visitors.

Quakes team captain Cristian Espinoza extended his consecutive games streak—the longest active run in MLS—to 116, third on the league’s all-time list.

With his 8th-minute goal, Quakes forward Cristian “Chicho” Arango scored his team-leading fourth goal this season and 57th of his career.

Assisting on Chicho Arango’s 8th-minute goal and Martínez’s 92nd-minute goal, Cristian Espinoza notched his fourth and fifth helpers of the season, and 75th and 76th of his career to extend his club record.

Cristian Espinoza also extended his league lead in key passes to 29, five more than Colorado’s Djordje Mihailovic and Seattle’s Albert Rusnák who are tied for second with 24.

With his 20th-minute penalty kick goal, Cristian Espinoza scored his first one of the season and passed Landon Donovan for fourth on the club career scoring list with 33.

With his 16th-minute, 81st-minute and 92nd-minute goals, Quakes forward Josef Martínez scored his second, third and fourth goals of the season as well as passed Bradley Wright-Phillips for sixth on the MLS career scoring list, going from 117 to 120 goals. The Venezuelan now has 12 goal contributions (11g/1a) in 15 matches vs. D.C.

Josef Martínez also became the seventh player in club history to record a hat trick. Only Chris Wondolowski has multiple three-goal games for San Jose (5).

Assisting on Josef Martínez’s 16th-minute goal, Niko Tsakiris notched his first helper of the season and second of his early MLS career.

Assisting on Josef Martínez’s 81st-minute goal, Amahl Pellegrino notched his first helper of the season and third of his MLS career.

Assisting on Amahl Pellegrino’s 90th-minute goal, Jamar Ricketts notched his first career MLS assist. Mark-Anthony Kaye also assisted on the goal, amassing his second helper of the season and 28th in his MLS career.

In addition to the big day in attack, goalkeeper Daniel’s performance in net was not to be overlooked. The Brazilian faced 17 shots (10 on goal), saving nine to keep D.C. United to one goal. Daniel now leads all MLS goalkeepers with 37 saves, four ahead of Charlotte’s Kristijan Kahlina with 33.

San Jose Earthquakes 6 – 1 D.C. United

Sunday, April 6, 2025 – PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.

Weather: 74°F Cloudy

Attendance: 14,196

Match Officials:

Referee: Victor Rivas

AR1: Jeremy Kieso

AR2: Stephen McGonagle

VAR: David Barrie

AVAR: Matthew Rodman

4th Official: Joe Dickerson

Scoring Summary:

SJ (1-0) – Chicho Arango (Cristian Espinoza) 8’

SJ (2-0) – Josef Martínez (Niko Tsakiris) 16’

SJ (3-0) – Cristian Espinoza (penalty kick) 20’

DC (3-1) – Christian Benteke (Derek Dodson) 45+3’

SJ (4-1) – Josef Martínez (Amahl Pellegrino) 81’

SJ (5-1) – Amahl Pellegrino (Jamar Ricketts, Mark-Anthony Kaye) 90’

SJ (6-1) – Josef Martínez (Cristian Espinoza) 90+2’

Misconduct Summary:

DC – Christian Benteke (caution) 18’

SJ – Dave Romney (caution) 59’

SJ – Vítor Costa (caution) 70’

DC – Lucas Bartlett (caution) 72’

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Daniel (GK); Dave Romney, Bruno Wilson, Rodrigues; Vítor Costa (Jamar Ricketts 76’), Ian Harkes (Mark-Anthony Kaye 69’), Beau Leroux (Oscar Verhoeven 85’), Cristian Espinoza (C), Niko Tsakiris (Amahl Pellegrino 69’); Chicho Arango (Ousseni Bouda 85’), Josef Martínez.

Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), Preston Judd, Daniel Munie, Reid Roberts.

POSS.: 45.8%; SHOTS: 20; SOG: 9; CORNERS: 3; OFFSIDES: 2; SAVES: 9; FOULS: 9; xG: 3.5

D.C. UNITED: Joonhong Kim (GK); Lucas Bartlett, Kye Rowles, Derek Dodson (Aaron Herrera 57’), David Schnegg; Matti Peltola (Randall Leal 73’), Joao Martins Peglow, Gabriel Pirani, Dominique Badji, Hosei Kijima (Rida Zouhir 46’); Christian Benteke (C).

Substitutes not used: Luis Barraza, (GK) Boris Enow, Lukas MacNaughton, Jacob Murrell, Brandon Servania, Jared Stroud.

POSS.: 54.2%; SHOTS: 17; SOG: 10; CORNERS: 4; OFFSIDES: 3; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 13; xG: 1.6

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On facing D.C. United:

“I think the first 10 minutes of the game they had an advantage on us. I thought they came out well. They pressed us up high. Second half, they started and got a really good chance. It could have been 3-2 and then you see people get a little nervous at that point. I think the scoreline is a little unfair. They’re a team that’ll be fine as they move forward. As a starting point, to have the best goalscorer in the league doesn’t hurt. I think they’re going to find ways to win games and be very competitive.”

On the team’s dominant attack today:

“Niko [Tsakiris] did well. As he gets more experience, I think he’ll get a little better at this level and play a little quicker. He’s a kid with some talent. There were some good plays and good passes on his part. That’s encouraging. [Amahl] Pellegrino is a goalscorer. He’s got a good nose to the goal. He knows how to get good forward positions and nice to see him finishing today. He had a couple chances during the year that he hadn’t put in the back of the net. It’s good to see that he got a goal today. [Josef] Martínez has three goals, Chicho [Arango] goal and [Cristian] Espinoza. A good afternoon. Let’s be fair. I don’t think that’s a fair score line today. That’s not a 6-1 game. I’m going to take it. Schedule this game every 30 years and we’d be in good shape.”

On Josef Martínez’s impact on the team:

“He’s a pure 9 (striker). He has a great nose for the goal. I think some of our issues in our first six games away, Josef missed one of the games with international duty. We haven’t found him. We haven’t noticed some of the runs he’s made today. He’s getting some chances. He scored three goals. He could have had a fourth one right at the end. That’s a real positive. I’ve been around players like Josef in my career, so I have a good sense of how they’re thinking. … I had Marco Etcheverry here this weekend, who I absolutely love and is one of the greatest players in history of this league. I talked to him about some of his counterparts in South America. I love these players. They come here and they really buy into the league. It’s really rewarding to have those kind of players on the team.”

On the growth of MLS since 1996:

“The talent and league have improved. The American players are considerably better. The facilities at some of our clubs are world-class. They’re beautiful stadiums, great training facilities and good coaches. The league is moving forward. I think the World Cup is going to be exciting for the sport in this country. It’s going to be a big boost to MLS because I think we’re going to see some real players coming to MLS for the 2027 season.”

On American players in MLS:

“I’m very much in favor of getting Americans developed. Even today, we see two young players in the midfield for us in Beau Leroux and [Niko Tsakiris]. [Jamar] Ricketts played. In the back line, we have [Dave] Romney as an American player and [Ian] Harkes as well. I think that’s important that we can continue to grow the sport in our country and develop our players as well.”

EARTHQUAKES CAPTAIN CRISTIAN ESPINOZA

On the decision to take the penalty kick over forwards Josef Martinez and Chicho Arango:

“In the moment, I felt really confident to take it and I asked them if they would let me take the P.K. They were really open to let me take it.”

On the dominant scoreline at the end of the first half:

“In football, you never know what’s going to happen. The game is 90 minutes. You have to be focused the entire time. We were winning 3-0. By the end of the first half, a goal put them in a good position to fight for the game again. We knew it. In the second half, we came out on the field knowing that [D.C. United] was going to push the game. We had to be ready to respond. That’s what we did.”

“It’s amazing. I always enjoy when I see my teammates score. Obviously, even more when I help them.”

On the team’s areas for improvement moving forward:

“We’re improving a lot in so many things. I think the compactness of the team is really important to keep all the lines together. When you move as a team, you keep the shape really tight between lines. Don’t let the other team play in between you. Sometimes you need to sacrifice yourself. Run a little bit more. That’s what we demand inside the field for each other.”

On Beau Leroux’s performance this season:

“He was not part of the first team last year and the previous years, but we were training together. I saw right away the quality of player that he is. He has a chance to show that every single weekend. He’s doing an amazing job. He’s becoming a really important piece for this team.”

EARTHQUAKES FORWARD JOSEF MARTÍNEZ

On scoring the hat trick:

“It’s taken maybe seven games to get sharp. Today’s special, not because of the three goals, but because my son was here. That’s what was most important for me. We worked a lot this week and we pushed a lot. We deserved this game. The last two games at home, we didn’t get the result the way we wanted, but today was a special day for everyone, and we gave them what they deserved.”

On D.C. United’s approach to defend:

“We saw in the video that D.C. United was a tough team. Maybe we didn’t expect to score that early, but the second one and third one came easier because they pushed a lot and were leaving a lot of space for us. The moment we were more patient with the ball, we created more chances. Maybe today was a good example and we have to continue with that.”

On the decision for Cristian Espinoza to take the penalty kick:

“When the penalty was there to take, Chicho and myself discussed who wanted to take it. We didn’t want to fight and we saw Cristian had a chance to score, so we left it with him. We have a lot of confidence in eac other. We’re not jealous of who scores. And in the end, it’s a team, so if you score, we’re happy, we’re winning, and that’s what’s important for us.”

On the league’s growth since his arrival in 2017:

“Amazing. I came here in 2017, and today, it’s another league, especially the level. The teams come here to fight and compete, bringing in important players. Every game is a battle. I’m so happy to be in this league for all this time, and I’m happy to be in San Jose.”