A dream first half for the San Jose Earthquakes is coming to an end very soon.
The Quakes, after 10 consecutive games unbeaten across all competitions, received a wake-up call Wednesday when they lost 3-2 on the road to the Seattle Sounders.
That defeat snapped a remarkable run that vaulted San Jose (9-2-2) to the top of the MLS standings. Now with a matchup against FC Dallas (5-4-4) looming on Saturday night at PayPal Park and three more games to play before the league’s World Cup break, the question is how the Quakes will finish out one of the best first halves of the season in franchise history.
San Jose has 29 points, tied with Vancouver for most in MLS. Though the Quakes currently hold the tiebreaker, the Canadian team has a game in hand.
San Jose Earthquakes’ Beau Leroux (34) passes the ball against Vancouver Whitecaps’ Andrés Cubas (20) during the second half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
But with the playoffs still a ways away, San Jose’s next three matches are about finishing off its strong run the right way before the team parts ways for the better part of two months.
“The break is the break,” Quakes coach Bruce Arena said. “It’ll certainly be different in this league. We’re not used to something like this. Obviously, most leagues in the world are off during this time. The odd part with us is it’s the middle of our season, so that’ll be challenging. But we are prepared to have a good schedule during the break where we can get our guys back into form and hopefully be ready for the second half of the season.”
Dallas coming to town continues a relentless stretch of fixtures that has included nearly two games a week for almost a month straight. Including three U.S. Open Cup matches, San Jose will have played 12 matches between April 11 and May 23, losing key players like Timo Werner and Niko Tsakiris to injury along the way.
Rest is coming. But not quite yet.
San Jose Earthquakes’ Jamar Ricketts (2) falls while running with the ball against Vancouver Whitecaps’ Jeevan Badwal (59) and Vancouver Whitecaps’ Cheick Sabaly (7) during the first half at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, May 9, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
“There’s a little fatigue,” forward Jamar Ricketts said. “But a lot of these guys have played in college, and college is like this, where you play on the weekend and you play in the midweek. Obviously, you’re not playing against the same caliber of players that you’re playing here. That’s what takes a toll. But we embrace it. Everybody’s focused. There are really no days off.”
The MLS season will resume on July 22, when San Jose hosts Orlando City at PayPal Park.
Subscribe to our Inside Sports newsletter for all our sports coverage, including game analysis, scores, and everything you want to know about your Bay Area sports teams, including the San Jose Earthquakes.