{"id":199429,"date":"2026-03-01T15:45:25","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T15:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/199429\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T15:45:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T15:45:25","slug":"still-learning-names-how-timo-werner-fared-on-mls-san-jose-earthquakes-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/199429\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Still Learning Names\u2019\u2014How Timo Werner Fared on MLS, San Jose Earthquakes Debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Timo Werner era is underway for the San Jose Earthquakes as the German striker posted an assist in his MLS debut, helping his side to a 2\u20130 win over Atlanta United on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Despite having played just under a full half of soccer through the 2025\u201326 Bundesliga season with RB Leipzig, Werner kept pace after entering in the 61st minute of San Jose\u2019s second game of the MLS<\/a> campaign. While he may not be fully fit, he instantly changed the Earthquakes<\/a>\u2019 attacking approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having recently departed an awkward situation with Leipzig and through the past several seasons, the 29-year-old looked to be enjoying the competitive experience, and did not look unsettled in his first minutes under legendary MLS manager Bruce Arena.<\/p>\n

Naturally, he lined up as a pure central striker and put himself in a scoring position on the first play, making a hard run off the ball to receive a inspire a diagonal from winger Jamar Ricketts, before the pass trickled just beyond his reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Those off-ball darts, combined with an energetic press off the ball to shut down Atlanta<\/a>\u2019s progressions out of the backline, were key to his performance and a hint of what made him so successful through the early stages of his European career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Timo<\/p>\n

Timo Werner\u2019s pass map after a promising MLS debut. | SofaScore<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m still learning names of the staff and the team, and it was tough coming from an 11-hour flight, but I had enough time to rest in Germany over the last few weeks and months,\u201d Werner said postmatch. \u201cIt was time to get going and to have fun with the team together.\u201d<\/p>\n

His first standout attacking flash saw him play a perfectly-weighted through-ball to Ricketts, who sliced a cross to the back post before the play was called offside. While the moment would have been an MLS secondary assist for Werner, it took less than 10 more minutes for him to become the primary provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the game opening up in the 79th minute, the Earthquakes orchestrated a 15-pass sequence, leading to Werner jumping on a through pass down the right wing, before playing a low cross to Ousseni Bouda to seal the victory with the game\u2019s second goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Timo Werner INSTANT IMPACT!<\/p>\n

The German dishes out an assist on his MLS debut. \ud83d\ude31 pic.twitter.com\/DF7QjIUZau<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Although he wasn\u2019t able to find the back of the net himself, the assist marked his first goal contribution since Dec. 1, 2024, when he teed up Brennan Johnson\u2019s opening goal for Tottenham Hotspur in a 1\u20131 draw with Fulham in the English Premier League.\u00a0It also emphasized the impact of his play, with the assist and seven successful passes coming in just 15 touches.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think everybody can see that the people were very excited to see me play,\u201d Werner said after the match. \u201cThat makes me pretty confident to say that it was absolutely the right decision to come here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The victory also put the Earthquakes at six points on the season, boasting two clean sheets with a 3\u20130 win against Sporting Kansas City<\/a> and Saturday\u2019s 2\u20130 showing against Atlanta United.<\/p>\n

How Good Can the Earthquakes Be?\"Timo<\/p>\n

Timo Werner did not take long to settle in with the San Jose Earthquakes. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With two wins and no goals conceded through 180 minutes of regular-season action, the Earthquakes are one of four perfect teams in MLS, alongside Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a>, LAFC<\/a> and Red<\/a> Bull New York<\/a>, as of the end of Saturday\u2019s MLS slate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the club underwent a massive roster transformation in the offseason, parting ways with star attackers Cristian Espinoza, Josef Mart\u00ednez and Chicho Arango, the collective, led by Daniel Munie and Preston Judd, has stepped up. Add Werner to the mix, and they\u2019re suddenly an intriguing group atop the standings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, it may be too early to get overly excited, even with Werner\u2019s promising debut. Kansas City and Atlanta finished in the bottom quarter of the MLS in 2025 and are widely expected to be near that mark again this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

San Jose will face a more significant test in the third match next week, taking on the defending Supporters\u2019 Shield winners, the Philadelphia Union<\/a>, who underwent their own massive offseason transformation. Should they win that, the conversation around the club will start to change significantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to enjoy the football with the guys,\u201d Werner added. \u201cI think at the moment, the first thing we want to do is to reach the playoffs, and that\u2019s my aim as well. How many goals I score, how many assists I do, I think that\u2019s on another page, but the most important thing is that we are successful with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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