April 2026 – jmjimage

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Austin FC, April 22, 2026

San Jose Earthquakes Forward OUSSENI BOUDA (7) drives down the side under pressure from Austin FC Defender GUILHERME BIRO (29) during the MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and Austin FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California

PRESS RELEASE:

April 22, 2026

MATCH RECAP: Earthquakes 5, Austin FC 1

Quakes erase early deficit, erupt for five second-half goals to improve to 8-1-0 for first time in club history and take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference; Rookie Jack Jasinski fuels comeback with goal in first MLS start, Paul Marie records three assists in MLS-record span and Preston Judd scores a brace; Black and Blue now go on the road Saturday to face St. Louis CITY SC

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes erased an early deficit to defeat 5-1 Austin FC at PayPal Park on Wednesday night to move to 8-1-0 in Major League Soccer regular-season play for the first time in club history and take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference table for the first time in 14 years.

The visitors opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Joseph Rosales intercepted a wayward pass in his attacking third. San Jose goalkeeper Daniel got a hand on the ensuing left-footed attempt but it bounced into the net to give Austin FC a 1-0 lead.

After intermission, the Earthquakes’ attack erupted for five unanswered goals. In minute 58, Niko Tsakiris’ left-footed corner kick was headed home by rookie Jack Jasinski, who was making his first career MLS start, to make it 1-1. Then in minute 77, Nicolas Dubersarsky took down Jamar Ricketts in the box and a penalty was awarded to San Jose. Timo Werner converted from the spot one minute later to give San Jose a 2-1 lead. The Quakes added an insurance goal in the 83rd minute when Werner pinged a deep diagonal ball to the right wing for Paul Marie, who crossed it back in front of net; Preston Judd swept the ball home for his fourth goal of the season to make it 3-1. Just two minutes later, Ousseni Bouda outraced and shielded off Austin defender Jon Bell to haul in a Marie long ball and slotted it home to extend the advantage to 4-1. In the 88th minute, Bouda and Marie—the latter recording his third assist of the night and in the shortest span in MLS history (5 minutes, 28 seconds)—combined to feed Judd for his second goal of the match via header for the final 5-1 margin. With the victory, the Quakes also became the first MLS team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to win eight of their first nine games to begin a season.

Quakes fans can watch the replay of tonight’s win on KTVU Plus on Sunday, April 26, at 8 p.m. PT.

The Black and Blue now go on the road to face St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday, April 25. Kickoff from Energizer Park in St. Louis, Missouri, is set for 5:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally via Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

San Jose moved to 8-1-0 (22 GF, 4 GA) for the first time dating back to the club’s inception in 1974 in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and moved into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference table for the first time since 2012. Austin FC moved to 1-4-4 (12 GF, 19 GA) and 13th place in the West with seven points.

The 8-1-0 beginning to 2026 eclipses the previous best start in club history after nine games in 2012 (7-1-1), which ended in the Quakes capturing the Supporters’ Shield. The Quakes also became the first MLS team in the post-shootout era (since 2000) to win eight of their first nine games to begin a season.

The Earthquakes’ regular-season record vs. Austin FC moves to 4-2-6 (28 GF, 21 GA). Their home record against Verde moves to 3-0-3 (15 GF, 6 GA) in MLS play as San Jose remained unbeaten against Austin at home.

The Quakes started seven American players tonight. No team in MLS has averaged more of them in the starting 11 more in 2026 than Bruce Arena’s Earthquakes (7.8/game), with approximately 70% of the minutes going to American players.

With only four goals conceded in the first nine games, the Quakes’ defense has set a new club record for least goals conceded over a nine-game start in MLS play. In terms of an overall nine-game stretch at any point during the season, they tied the 2005 Supporters’ Shield-winning Quakes, who conceded four goals in three separate nine-game stretches (May 7-June 25, May 14-June 29 and Aug. 13 to Oct. 1).

Tonight marked only the third time the Quakes have trailed at any point during the game this season. They were unable to find the equalizer against Seattle on March 15 (1-0, L), but came back from a 1-0 road deficit to Sporting Kansas City on April 11 (3-1, W) and erased an early 1-0 Austin FC lead in this game (5-1, W).

The five-goal eruption in one half has only occurred one other time in club history on Aug. 11, 1996, in the second half of a 6-1 home win over the New England Revolution at Spartan Stadium. The team was known as the Clash back then.

Five of goalkeeper Daniel’s nine MLS starts in 2026 have resulted in clean sheets and the other four have ended in just one goal conceded in each, bringing his current goals against average to a gaudy 0.44 on the season.

Bruce Arena won his 281st regular-season game, a record among MLS head coaches. The late great Sigi Schmid is second is 140.

Jack Jasinski’s 58th-minute goal was the first of his MLS career and second across all competitions this season. Jasinski, a defender out of Princeton University, was the team’s MLS SuperDraft second-round pick in 2026.

Niko Tsakiris’s 58th-minute assist was his team-leading sixth of the league season and ninth of his MLS career.

Timo Werner’s 78th-minute goal was his second of the league season and his Quakes career. He also converted his first penalty kick of 2026.

Timo Werner’s 83rd-minute assist was his fourth of the league season and fifth across all competitions.

Preston Judd’s 83rd and 89th-minute goals were his fourth and fifth goals of the league season, and the 15th and 16th of his MLS career. He is now tied with Ousseni Bouda for the team lead in goals (5).

Paul Marie’s 83rd-minute, 85th-minute and 89th-minute assists were his first, second and third of the league season and his sixth, seventh and eighth of his MLS career. Marie’s three assists in 5:28 set a new MLS record for the fastest trio of helpers over that span.

Ousseni Bouda’s 85th-minute goal was his fifth of the league season and 10th of his MLS career. He is now tied with Preston Judd for the team lead in goals (5).

Ousseni Bouda’s 89th-minute assist was his second of the league season and third of his MLS career.

Niko Tsakiris stayed hot with his sixth goal contribution in his last four league games. Niko Tsakiris had three key passes to up his league-leading total to 35. Tsakiris also leads MLS in chances created (31), corner kicks taken (44) and crosses (20), and is tied for third in assists (6).

With Jack Jasinski scoring his first MLS goal and Paul Marie’s two assists, the Quakes now have nine different goalscorers in 2026 and 10 different players having distributed at least one assist.

Collectively, the Quakes are tied for first in MLS in goals (22), while also leading the league in assists (27), expected goals (27.14), accurate longballs (39) and corner kicks won (59), and are tied for second in goals against (4), as well as second in clean sheets (5).

San Jose Earthquakes 5 – 1 Austin FC

Wednesday, April 22, 2026 — PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.

Weather: 57°F Mostly Sunny

NorCal Honda Dealers Man of the Match: Jack Jasinski

*all stats unofficial

Match Officials:

Referee: Timothy Ford

AR1: Stefan Tanaka-Freundt

AR2: Ryan Graves

4th Official: Elijio Arreguin

VAR: Greg Dopka

AVAR: Jonathan Johnson

Scoring Summary:

ATX (0-1) – Joseph Rosales (unassisted) 9’

SJ (1-1) – Jack Jasinski (Niko Tsakiris) 58’

SJ (2-1) – Timo Werner (penalty kick) 78’

SJ (3-1) – Preston Judd (Paul Marie, Timo Werner) 83’

SJ (4-1) – Ousseni Bouda (Paul Marie) 85’

SJ (5-1) – Preston Judd (Paul Marie, Ousseni Bouda) 89’

Misconduct Summary:

SJ – Earl Edwards Jr. (caution) 45+1’

SJ – Reid Roberts (caution) 54’

SJ – Jack Jasinski (caution) 68’

ATX – Joseph Rosales (caution) 71’

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Daniel (GK); Jamar Ricketts (Dave Romney 90’), Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Jack Jasinski (Paul Marie 75’); Beau Leroux (Ian Harkes 82’), Ronaldo Vieira (C) (Jonathan González 90’), Niko Tsakiris; Timo Werner (Nick Fernandez 90’), Ousseni Bouda, Preston Judd.

Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), Noel Buck, Max Floriani, Jack Skahan.

POSS.: 68.9%; SHOTS: 37; SOG: 16; CORNERS: 14; OFFSIDES: 1; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 16; xG: 6.7

AUSTIN FC: Brad Stuver (GK) (C); Brendan Hines-Ike, Jonathan Bell, Jon Gallagher, Guilherme Biro (Žan Kolmanič 38’); Besard Sabovic, Nicolas Dubersarsky (Ervin Torres 87’), Jorge Alastuey (Mikkel Desler 66’), Joseph Rosales (Micah Burton 87’); Facundo Torres, CJ Fodrey (Christian Ramirez 66’),

Substitutes not used: Damian Las (GK), Mateja Djordjevic, Christian Ramirez, Ilie Sanchez, Oleksandr Svatok.

POSS.: 31.1%; SHOTS: 5; SOG: 2; CORNERS: 1; OFFSIDES: 0; SAVES: 11; FOULS: 21; xG: 0.6

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On coming back to seal a victory after being down a goal at halftime:

“They’re just a good group, and I think our three old players on the field, in terms of Daniel and the goals. I think he’s 31, Timo [Werner]’s 30 and [Ronaldo] Vieira I think is only 27-28, but to have the that experience on the field was important. I thought Timo from the opening minute was terrific on the night, and gave the players a lot of confidence. Then all the guys, they played well. Our center back pairing is doing extremely well. Jack Jasinski for his first MLS start, I thought did well, and obviously scored an important goal for us, so a lot of good things tonight for sure.”

“It doesn’t seem like they’re overly aggressively chasing the game to put themselves in it. We’re being aggressive. But they also understand that there’s plenty of time left in the game, and the most important thing is, when you’re down a goal, not to be down two goals. So we’ve been able to accomplish that so far.”

On Jack Jasinski’s first MLS start and scoring his first career goal:

“Jack’s been our backup right back since the start of preseason, and he played well last week in the [Lamar Hunt U.S.] Open Cup game and had a goal in that game as well. So that’s one of the strengths of our team. We have anyone that goes down, the next guy’s ready to play, and I think we’re going to see on Saturday that we’re probably going to have to make a number of changes in that game.”

“He’s been good. He’s been a great kid since day one here. I’m an Ivy Leaguer, but I could never go to Princeton and graduate. He hasn’t graduated yet. He has a semester left, but I’ve been amazed at his work ethic and his passion to play and all of that. He’s been solid at both ends. Obviously the last two games, he scored goals. But he’s a good player. He loves to play. He’s obviously a smart kid. He’s a good athlete. Physically, he’s got great size for a right back. So it’s a positive. I actually probably coached his [college] coach. We used to call it ODP (Olympic Development Program), and [Princeton Head Coach] Jim Barlow is a really bright guy. I knew that anybody who plays for Jimmy at the collegiate level is going to be a smart soccer player, and Jack is, and I can attribute a lot of that to his coaching at Princeton.”

On the positives through the first nine games of the 2026 season:

“This is one of the few times we’ve been behind in the game, with the exception of the Seattle game, and I think was good to see the character of the team—come back and win the game. I give Austin a lot of credit. They played extremely hard in that first half, and they were tough to play against. The first half, we had some chances we probably should have converted. In the second half, we played well. It wasn’t easy. They pushed us real hard, and now it’s going to be challenging for us to get ready for our game on Saturday.”

“I think winning games is a starting point. We won nine games last year. We have eight now, hopefully we can get we can pass nine, and that remains to be seen. Just the consistency of our team. Obviously we’re a better team defensively this year. Last year, we just made so many foolish errors and conceded goals. But obviously we have a better team this year. They work for each other. As I stated, our veteran players are leaders, and they’re doing a good job, and they set the tone. Rony [Vieira]’s been great as a captain. Daniel, he’s had a couple of difficult years here as a goalkeeper, and now he’s being rewarded for his hard work, and that’s a positive as well. Timo [Werner] is a wonderful addition to the team. Then the young guys I can start in bunch of places. … They’re young. They haven’t formed any bad habits yet, and hopefully they won’t, and that’s been a positive. So I attribute it simply that they grind it out, they work hard every day, and they like each other.”

On still having a goal to chase after taking over first place in the league:

“We have to improve. If we don’t improve, we’re probably going to be a team that’s scrambling to make the playoffs. So the goal here is to continue to work to get better, and we need to be patient. This is not going to be [a consistent upward trend], there are going to be a few peaks and valleys along the way. We’ve got to be prepared for that. But if we continue to work hard and learn from our mistakes, I think we can be a good team for the second half of the season. First half of the season, at some point you get thrown out the window. It’s all going to come down to the second half of the season. So it’s great to have a good start, but again, it’s a grind. We have another 25 games left. There’s a lot of soccer be played. We’re really pleased with the group to date. But this is a long haul. We got to be prepared for not only the good days, but some of the days that aren’t so good.”

EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER JACK JASINSKI

On scoring in his first MLS career start and initating the second-half comeback:

“Great ball by Niko [Tsakiris]. I think I was in between a couple guys, and it was perfect. Perfect cross and I put it in the corner. Best feeling in the world, obviously. Happy to get the goal and help the team tonight.”

On the team’s confidence even after trailing at halftime:

“The team goes into every game and we expect to win. We went down early today, and I don’t think there was a point at all in that game where we thought we were going to lose. Even at halftime, down by one [goal] we always thought we were going to come back. The fans were great. They didn’t stop all game.”

“This team never gives up. The way that we play, I think other teams get tired. We can keep going at it for 90 minutes. We have depth. The guys off the bench, especially today, brought a lot of energy and helped us at the end.”

On the depth of the roster given the multi-game weeks:

“It’s super important in any good team to have depth. Especially the MLS season with games on Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday. Every day in training is a fight. The scout team is often doing well against the starters, so it’s a battle every day. I don’t think they feel that comfortable with their spot. It’s a really competitive group.”

On the coaching staff giving him opportunities to play as an MLS SuperDraft second-round pick:

“ I’m really grateful they gave me a shot in preseason. I think I took advantage of it and all the guys were very welcoming. This team has a lot of college players. They understood where I was coming from, and they helped me every day in training to get better. I’m grateful I got a shot. This year I was the only draft pick that the Quakes had. I’m happy to be playing in the team and helping the team at this level.”

POOL REPORTER QUESTION FOR PROFESSIONAL REFEREE ORGANIZATION (PRO)

Wondering if you could break down the 14 minutes of stoppage time for us.

The response to the submitted question: The officials on the field and in the VOR all track lost time for substitutions, injuries, goals, and other delays during the half. All lost time for those reasons added up to 14 minutes.

####

Quakes Communications Contacts:

Ryan Maquiñana – Director, PR & Communications

RMaquinana@sjearthquakes.com

C: 650.243.8523

Delmy Barillas – Manager, PR & Communications

DBarillas@sjearthquakes.com

C: 424.240.8006

San Jose Earthquakes vs. San Diego FC, April 4, 2026

NWSL Bay FC Midfielder Claire Hutton waves to the crowd before she sounds the siren before the MLS match between the San Jose Earthquakes and San Diego FC at PayPal Park in San Jose, California

PRESS RELEASE:

April 4, 2026

MATCH RECAP: Earthquakes 3, San Diego FC 0

Quakes move to 5-1-0 for first time in club history with unprecedented fifth clean sheet in six games; San Jose also first team to beat SDFC in MLS play this season; Black and Blue go on the road next Saturday vs. Sporting Kansas City

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes defeated San Diego FC 3-0 on Saturday night in front of a PayPal Park crowd of 17,410 to improve to 5-1-0 for the first time in club history to pull within one point of the top spot in the Western Conference table.

Goalkeeper Daniel and the Earthquakes’ defense remained suffocating, recording their fifth shutout in six games to extend the ongoing club record, but this time the attack also came alive as San Jose submitted a complete performance on both sides of the ball.

Niko Tsakiris opened the scoring for San Jose in the 13th minute when Preston Judd intercepted a wayward pass and fed the attacking midfielder, who dribbled to his left and blasted the ball toward the near post and into the back of the net to make it 1-0. In minute 28, SDFC defender Manu Duah fouled Judd in the box and was sent off after a video review. Six minutes later, Tsakiris subsequently converted the subsequent penalty kick for the brace and a 2-0 Earthquakes lead, making him the second youngest player to score a brace in San Jose history behind Landon Donovan. The Quakes then tripled the advantage in the third minute of first-half stoppage time, when Beau Leroux motored down the left sideline and found a streaking Judd who promptly finished the goal to make it 3-0 at the break. After intermission, the game settled but San Jose continued to apply pressure before the final whistle to earn their unprecedented fifth clean sheet.

The Black and Blue now go on the road next Saturday, April 11, to face Sporting Kansas City. Kickoff from Sporting Park is set for 5:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally via Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).

GAME NOTES

San Jose moved to 5-1-0 for the first time dating back to the club’s inception in 1974 in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and is even with second-place Vancouver on points with 15 in the very competitive Western Conference table. San Diego lost their first match in MLS play and are now 3-1-2 and seventh place in the West with 11 points.

The Earthquakes and SDFC (an expansion club last season) met for just the third time in the young El Camino Rivalry. The clubs split their first two matchups in 2025, with the road team winning each match (SJ 0-1 SD on Aug. 17; SD 0-1 SJ on Sept. 27).

The Quakes’ 1-0 win over SDFC on Sept. 27, 2025, was the last time San Diego has been shut out. They currently had a seven-game scoring streak dating back to that match.

With only one goal conceded in the first six games, the Quakes’ defense has set a new club record for least goals conceded over a six-game period in MLS play.

With five clean sheets, the Earthquakes have already matched last season’s total in MLS play in Matchday 6.

Bruce Arena won his 278th regular-season game, an MLS record. The late great Sigi Schmid is second is 140.

Daniel earned his fifth clean sheet of the season and 16th of his MLS career. He is only second in the league in shutouts in 2026 to LAFC’s Hugo Lloris (6).

Niko Tsakiris’ 13th-minute goal was his first of the MLS season and second of his career.

Preston Judd’s 13th-minute assist was his first of the MLS season and fifth of his career.

Niko Tsakiris’ 34th-minute penalty-kick goal was his second of the MLS season and third of his career.

Niko Tsakiris (20 years, 289 days) became the second youngest player in Quakes history to score a brace behind Landon Donovan, who accomplished the feat three times before turning 21.

TWO GOALS IN ONE GAME BEFORE AGE 21, CLUB HISTORY:

YR-DAYS Player Date Game

19-097 Landon Donovan 06/09/2001 SJ vs. LA

19-157 Landon Donovan 08/08/2001 SJ at NE

20-180 Landon Donovan 08/31/2002 SJ at DC

20-289 Niko Tsakiris 04/04/2026 SJ vs. SD

Preston Judd’s goal in the third minute of first-half stoppage time was his third of the MLS season and 14th of his career.

Beau Leroux’s assist in the third minute of first-half stoppage time was his second of the MLS season and sixth of his career.

Niko Tsakiris had eight key passes to up his league-leading total to 24. Tsakiris also leads MLS in corner kicks taken (39) and crosses (18).

Collectively, the Quakes lead MLS in expected goals (16.18), accurate longballs (35) and corner kicks won (52). They are second in goals against (1) and clean sheets (5).

U.S. Women’s National Team and Bay FC midfielder Claire Hutton fired the ceremonial pregame siren.

The first 12,000 fans through the PayPal Park doors tonight received El Camino Rivalry Rally Towels courtesy of Ford.

San Jose Earthquakes 3 – 0 San Diego FC

Saturday, April 4, 2026 — PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.

Weather: 75°F Mostly Cloudy

Attendance: 17,410

NorCal Honda Dealers Man of the Match: Niko Tsakiris

*all stats unofficial

Match Officials:

Referee: Fotis Bazakos

AR1: Kathryn Nesbitt

AR2: Chris Wattam

4th Official: Rosendo Mendoza

VAR: Jorge Gonzalez

AVAR: Robert Schaap

Scoring Summary:

SJ (1-0) – Niko Tsakiris (Preston Judd) 13’

SJ (2-0) – Niko Tsakiris (penalty kick) 34’

SJ (3-0) – Preston Judd (Beau Leroux, Jamar Ricketts) 45+3’

Misconduct Summary:

SJ – Ousseni Bouda (caution) 11′

SD – Manu Duah (ejection) 32′

SD – Osvald Søe (caution) 52’

SD – Jeppe Tverskov (caution) 59’

SJ – Jonathan González (caution) 77’

SJ – Niko Tsakiris (caution) 90+3’

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Daniel (GK); Benji Kikanović, Reid Roberts, Daniel Munie, Jamar Ricketts (Dave Romney 69’); Beau Leroux (Jonathan González 69’), Ronaldo Vieira (C) (Ian Harkes 86’), Niko Tsakiris; Ousseni Bouda (Nick Fernandez 70’), Jack Skahan (Paul Marie 57’), Preston Judd.

Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), Noel Buck, Max Floriani, Jack Jasinski.

POSS.: 43.9%; SHOTS: 24; SOG: 10; CORNERS: 7; OFFSIDES: 1; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 18; xG: 4.5

SAN DIEGO FC: Duran Ferree (GK); Osvald Søe, Manu Duah, Luca Bombino, Oscar Verhoeven (Willy Kumado,78’); Jeppe Tverskov (C), Onni Valakari (Alex Mighten 78’), David Vazquez (Wilson Eisner 40’); Lewis Morgan (Bryan Zamblé 57’), Anders Dreyer, Marcus Ingvartsen (Aníbal Godoy 57’).

Substitutes not used: CJ Dos Santos (GK), Pedro Soma, Bryce Duke, Anisse Saidi

POSS.: 56.1%; SHOTS: 6; SOG: 1; CORNERS: 5; OFFSIDES: 3; SAVES: 7; FOULS: 13; xG: 1

EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA

On what stands out during the Earthquakes’ first 5-1-0 start in club history:

“I’ve done this for a while, and the biggest thing is we look like a team, not applauding, necessarily attacking and or defending. And in particular, it’s a complete effort by the group, and that’s important. We’re banging away with a couple of local kids and domestic players, which is highly unusual in our league right now, so I think the group is doing very well. And I think the credit goes to the whole group, not just one end of the field.”

“Well, if you broke training camp and you told me, we’d be 5-1 after the first six games … I would not agree with that, so I’m very pleased. However, we have a long way to go. There’s a lot of room for improvement, and hopefully, you know, we can get through this first half of the season in decent form, so we’re positioned in the second half to be a team that can qualify for the playoffs.”

On the pressure and execution against San Diego amid the absences of DeJuan Jones and Timo Werner:

“We’re getting better every week. I think there’s a lot ahead. We can still strengthen our roster. We can get Timo Werner back on the field hopefully next week. We’ve lost DeJuan Jones for the year, so that’s going to be an issue. … I’m pleased with the group we have. I think we have a good group of players.”

On the team’s youth excelling, including Niko Tsakiris’ brace:

“Fantastic. We really missed Niko last year, because he was hurt for a good part of the year, and then in the fall, he had a number of national team call-ups. He scored an important goal against Austin, So you know, his development has been great, so we’re really pleased with that. I think the same could be said for Beau Leroux, and Reid Roberts, his first year playing full time has been very good. Benji Kikanovic has grown into his position. Ronaldo Vieira is a real pro. Preston Judd has been very good. Ousseni Bouda has improved. And so, you know, a lot of positive things. But I’m well aware of the fact that this is just the start. We should have this conversation in August and see how everything is in August. So to date, you know, things are positive.”

On Niko Tsakiris’s development and becoming the second youngest Earthquake to score two goals behind Landon Donovan:

“Well if he can catch Landon Donovan, he’s doing pretty well for himself. Yeah, that’s great. He had a very good performance tonight. I think the goals tonight were good goals. That first goal, I don’t know how he possibly scored that goal. It’s probably something I taught him in training I can’t remember. So real positive. Niko’s done very well.”

On two straight clean sheets vs. high-powered attacks:

“Well, obviously, I think we’re a confident team right now, but we have 28 more games to play. We may lose our next 28 games, so we have to put everything in the right perspective. But defensively we played well, obviously the red card was a big play in the game, because I believe that was our second goal, right off the red card. And then they had to play shorthanded and give San Diego credit. They never quit in the second half.”

EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER NIKO TSAKIRIS

On being the second youngest Quakes player in history to score a brace behind Landon Donovan:

“It’s amazing. I think, first and foremost, amazing to get three points tonight back at home. We’re building day by day, game by game here, and to get this achievement with this group of guys, it’s special. … The career that he had and the player that he was, it’s special to be with him in that same category. I still have a lot of work to do, and it’s a great first step for me.”

On the team’s identity after a record-breaking start to the season:

“We’re a hardworking team. We want to be hard to play against, and I think we’ve shown that we’re going to give everything on the field. Whether guys are starting or coming off the bench, we know everyone’s there to prove a point and to get the three points that we need. I think everybody moving in the right direction and being a collective I think is really going to help us.”

“We want to win. We want to win matches. I feel like this group knows that we need to do whatever it takes to get those three points. And if that’s grinding it out, it’s grinding it out. If it’s keeping the ball, it’s what, it’s what we have to do. I feel like the group knows what the expectations are to get those three points.”

On his growing confidence this season with the Quakes and the U.S. Youth National Team:

“I think it was just a matter of time, and when that chance would come, I know that I put the work in continuing to do so, to better myself every day. Of course, the national team definitely was a reminder for me. I’m good enough to do it in preseason as well. So coming into this year, the momentum that the team had in preseason to now our first few games, and success that we’re having, the success that I’m having— the national team brought moments of confidence for me, but also being here with the club.”