Foreign Exchange: Three questions with Quakes veteran reporter Robert Jonas
The Quakes are off to one of the best starts in MLS this season. A reporter who knows them better than most explains their success, as well as what fans think of head coach Bruce Arena.
How much do you know about the San Jose Earthquakes?
Given significant turnover from last season — in which Chicho Arango, Josef Martínez, and Cristian Espinoza featured — you may not quite be up to speed on Austin FC's Wednesday opponent (playing the first midweek 9:30 pm CT match of the season; pour one out for my normal bedtime).
This year, Timo Werner's been the big acquisition, but players like Preston Judd, Niko Tsakiris, and Ousseni Bouda have been key contributors to the Quakes' strong start.
(As I am fond of bringing up, Bouda was drafted 8th in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft in which Austin picked Kipp Keller fifth, and someday when Verde activity is light, I'm going to analyze the entire first round of that draft, because it's wild what the front office missed out on[[1]].)
How strong a start? The Quakes have won the first seven of eight league matches, including a 4-1 away win over LAFC on Sunday and a 1-0 away win over Vancouver to deal the Whitecaps their only loss of the season so far. The only blemish? A 1-0 loss to Seattle at home.
To help us understand the 2026 edition of the Quakes (though we still don't understand the Grateful Dead-inspired tie-dye jerseys), we sought out veteran Quakes reporter Robert Jonas, best known for his work with The Athletic and Quakes Epicenter.
To the questions!
What has the main difference (or differences) been between how 2025 San Jose plays and how 2026 San Jose plays?
The 2025 team was good with the ball, featuring an attacking trio of Chicho Arango, Josef Martinez, and Cristian Espinoza, that set new standards for offensive output in San Jose. However, when they lost possession, the goal scorers were not effective in transition defense, and the Quakes' backline was put under pressure often, scrambling to limit their opponents' opportunities. San Jose's defense wasn't as bad is its 2024 all-time MLS worst performance, but it was too shaky to be reliable.
In 2026, the Earthquakes see two significant shifts that provide the team with more stability and reliability: the defensive core is more experienced after last season's bloodletting, and the big-name attackers have been replaced with the likes of Preston Judd, Ousseni Bouda, Jack Skahan, Jamar Ricketts — guys willing to do the hard work of pressing the ball and tracking back to help in defense. It's a full team effort from all ten field players — coupled with a resurgent Daniel in goal — that is keeping the Quakes on the front foot in games this year.
When San Jose signed Timo Werner, there were two schools of thought: One convinced that he'd thrive in MLS, and another worried that he only scored a total of four goals combined for Leipzig and Tottenham over the past three seasons. What school were you in, and what do you think about his performance so far?
It's been a while since anyone has witnessed "Timo Time," but Werner's pedigree — a Champions League winner with Chelsea — and a relatively young age of 30 suggested that he might come good in MLS. Skepticism was the initial reaction most folks in San Jose expressed, as they've seen the organization swing and miss countless times on DP signings, but with Bruce Arena making the call, it felt more likely to lead to a hit.
The good vibes started with his introductory press conference, where Werner sang the praises of the project Arena was leading in San Jose, and his calm demeanor called to mind fellow German Thomas Muller's attitude upon arriving in Vancouver.
"Timo Time" has yet to strike for the Quakes, but the early returns have been promising, and if the forward can stay healthy and engaged, he should prove to be a catalyst for an already improved squad.
Given San Jose's performance so far, some of the "Bruce Arena, MLS whisperer" talk is coming back. How did fans initially feel about the hire, and how are fans feeling now?
Hiring the guy whose Galaxy teams tormented the franchise for nearly a decade, including unceremoniously dumping the 2012 "Goonies" from the MLS Cup Playoffs after the plucky Quakes captured the Supporters' Shield that season (the club's last mark of success), was by no means met with any fanfare by long suffering Quakes' fans.
(Editor's note: If you're wondering why Goonies, this explainer from our friend Ian Quillen is worth a read.)
In fact, there was more buzz around why the legendary coach, recently jettisoned from New England following some unsavory behavior, was considered at all for the job.
But Arena, the league's most accomplished coach by a country mile, had something to prove, and San Jose needed some credibility after failing to thrive under recent coaching leadership.
Fast forward a year, and it was a hiring coup to nab Arena: he's transformed the culture within the organization and made folks believe the Earthquakes can be a winning team. He's trusted players that aren't (yet) big names in MLS with driving the team forward — notably midfielders Niko Tsakiris and Beau Leroux, as well as defenders Daniel Munie and Reid Roberts — bringing it back into fashion to field a squad of domestic talent.
For a franchise whose owner, the notorious John Fisher, has never opened the bank vault to support the organization in a meaningful way, it needed a figure as big as Bruce Arena to lead the charge back to relevancy. "In Bruce We Trust" is the mantra you'll now hear from much of the fan base.
[[1]]: Tani Oluwaseyi went 17th! And now he's in La Liga at Villarreal!
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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How much do you know about the San Jose Earthquakes?
Given significant turnover from last season — in which Chicho Arango, Josef Martínez, and Cristian Espinoza featured — you may not quite be up to speed on Austin FC's Wednesday opponent (playing the first midweek 9:30 pm CT match of the season; pour one out for my normal bedtime).
This year, Timo Werner's been the big acquisition, but players like Preston Judd, Niko Tsakiris, and Ousseni Bouda have been key contributors to the Quakes' strong start.
(As I am fond of bringing up, Bouda was drafted 8th in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft in which Austin picked Kipp Keller fifth, and someday when Verde activity is light, I'm going to analyze the entire first round of that draft, because it's wild what the front office missed out on[[1]].)
How strong a start? The Quakes have won the first seven of eight league matches, including a 4-1 away win over LAFC on Sunday and a 1-0 away win over Vancouver to deal the Whitecaps their only loss of the season so far. The only blemish? A 1-0 loss to Seattle at home.
To help us understand the 2026 edition of the Quakes (though we still don't understand the Grateful Dead-inspired tie-dye jerseys), we sought out veteran Quakes reporter Robert Jonas, best known for his work with The Athletic and Quakes Epicenter.
To the questions!
What has the main difference (or differences) been between how 2025 San Jose plays and how 2026 San Jose plays?
The 2025 team was good with the ball, featuring an attacking trio of Chicho Arango, Josef Martinez, and Cristian Espinoza, that set new standards for offensive output in San Jose. However, when they lost possession, the goal scorers were not effective in transition defense, and the Quakes' backline was put under pressure often, scrambling to limit their opponents' opportunities. San Jose's defense wasn't as bad is its 2024 all-time MLS worst performance, but it was too shaky to be reliable.
In 2026, the Earthquakes see two significant shifts that provide the team with more stability and reliability: the defensive core is more experienced after last season's bloodletting, and the big-name attackers have been replaced with the likes of Preston Judd, Ousseni Bouda, Jack Skahan, Jamar Ricketts — guys willing to do the hard work of pressing the ball and tracking back to help in defense. It's a full team effort from all ten field players — coupled with a resurgent Daniel in goal — that is keeping the Quakes on the front foot in games this year.
When San Jose signed Timo Werner, there were two schools of thought: One convinced that he'd thrive in MLS, and another worried that he only scored a total of four goals combined for Leipzig and Tottenham over the past three seasons. What school were you in, and what do you think about his performance so far?
It's been a while since anyone has witnessed "Timo Time," but Werner's pedigree — a Champions League winner with Chelsea — and a relatively young age of 30 suggested that he might come good in MLS. Skepticism was the initial reaction most folks in San Jose expressed, as they've seen the organization swing and miss countless times on DP signings, but with Bruce Arena making the call, it felt more likely to lead to a hit.
The good vibes started with his introductory press conference, where Werner sang the praises of the project Arena was leading in San Jose, and his calm demeanor called to mind fellow German Thomas Muller's attitude upon arriving in Vancouver.
"Timo Time" has yet to strike for the Quakes, but the early returns have been promising, and if the forward can stay healthy and engaged, he should prove to be a catalyst for an already improved squad.
Given San Jose's performance so far, some of the "Bruce Arena, MLS whisperer" talk is coming back. How did fans initially feel about the hire, and how are fans feeling now?
Hiring the guy whose Galaxy teams tormented the franchise for nearly a decade, including unceremoniously dumping the 2012 "Goonies" from the MLS Cup Playoffs after the plucky Quakes captured the Supporters' Shield that season (the club's last mark of success), was by no means met with any fanfare by long suffering Quakes' fans.
(Editor's note: If you're wondering why Goonies, this explainer from our friend Ian Quillen is worth a read.)
In fact, there was more buzz around why the legendary coach, recently jettisoned from New England following some unsavory behavior, was considered at all for the job.
But Arena, the league's most accomplished coach by a country mile, had something to prove, and San Jose needed some credibility after failing to thrive under recent coaching leadership.
Fast forward a year, and it was a hiring coup to nab Arena: he's transformed the culture within the organization and made folks believe the Earthquakes can be a winning team. He's trusted players that aren't (yet) big names in MLS with driving the team forward — notably midfielders Niko Tsakiris and Beau Leroux, as well as defenders Daniel Munie and Reid Roberts — bringing it back into fashion to field a squad of domestic talent.
For a franchise whose owner, the notorious John Fisher, has never opened the bank vault to support the organization in a meaningful way, it needed a figure as big as Bruce Arena to lead the charge back to relevancy. "In Bruce We Trust" is the mantra you'll now hear from much of the fan base.
[[1]]: Tani Oluwaseyi went 17th! And now he's in La Liga at Villarreal!
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
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