Conversely, their only acquisitions were two SuperDraft selections (inlcuding former Philadelphia Union II and Academy product Jack Jasinski) and a handful of free transfers which included a player from Earthquakes II in Next Pro, Jonathan Gonzal\u00e9s from Ju\u00e1rez\u2026 oh yeah and Timo Werner. Werner is clearly the headline there, and one of the biggest moves this past offseason, but there\u2019s more going on in the Bay Area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New-look Quakes<\/p>\n
Call it addition by subtraction or just Bruce Arena\u2019s magic, but all of sudden the Quakes defense has been rock solid. 0 goals allowed in their first two matches. The switch from an attack minded 3-4-3 to the ever pragmatic 4-2-3-1 probably played a role. Admittedly though, both of their matches came against the likes of Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta United \u2013 two teams that are still in the process of bottoming out \u2013 but last season they would have conceded sloppy goals in those matchups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/San-Jose-030726-240x300.jpg\")
Predicted San Jose lineup<\/p>\n
This year, so far at least, the Quakes are defensively stable. Goalkeeper Daniel\u2019s form appears to have picked up. Daniel Munie, Reid Roberts, and Jamar Ricketts \u2013 three first round SuperDraft picks from the last couple years \u2013 have all taken a big step up. Munie and Roberts are the team\u2019s center back pairing and Ricketts, a versatile threat on the left side, has bagged an assist in each of the opening games. Niko Tsakiris, who caught some attention for his performances with the USA U-20 at last year\u2019s World Cup, has been given the keys to the 10 spot. Preston Judd has scored in back to back games. The Quakes look ready to trash almost everyone\u2019s season predictions at this point.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, it\u2019s only been two weeks. San Jose has definitely benefitted from an easy opening run of games. But, with Werner waiting in the wings, and Arena\u2019s long term development of younger talent evident, San Jose could be a really solid team. Either way, they\u2019ll pose a good challenge to a Philadelphia Union side that has struggled to start the year.<\/p>\n
Injury report: OUT: Earl Edwards Jr. (lower body), OUT: Ronaldo Vieira (lower body)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scouting report: Philadelphia Union (L-L)
\nWhat\u2019s Gone Wrong<\/p>\n
Things have not gone Philly\u2019s way to start the year \u2013 in league play at least. Back-to-back red cards for what amounts to mental errors \u2013 each from two of the team\u2019s most important players no less \u2013 is unacceptable. Even more concerning however, has been the disjointed performances across the first 180 minutes in MLS.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the defense is still a work in progress \u2013 and Ndinga\u2019s arrival will make it a more complete unit \u2013 the depth is bad in the immediate term and concerning in the long run. With Olwethu Makhanya suspended, and Olivier Mbaizo out of form and largely frozen out of the team selection, Bradley Carnell might have to get creative again with how he sets up the backline on Saturday. With that being said, Andre Blake is still a beast, and even if the defensive unit is shakier than last year, they should be able to do enough to keep the team in this one.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more pressing has been how rough this team looks in attack. Yes, the new additions are still gelling, and obviously Ezekiel Alladoh\u2019s red card stopped some of that process, but no goals from open play in 2 games is not a good sign. The Union are clearly suffering from the loss of Kai Wagner and the absence of Quinn Sullivan. They need another chance creator on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Case for Cavan<\/p>\n
While he\u2019s still developing \u2013 both physically and as a player \u2013 I think Cavan Sullivan deserves an extended run against San Jose. Indiana Vassilev is a key part of Carnell\u2019s press \u2013 which also has not been as effective as last season \u2013 but his ability as a playmaker is limited at best. Iloski is good, but he can\u2019t be the sole creative outlet for the entire offense. Cavan has shown a willingness to drive forward with the ball, and an eye for progressive passes, two traits the Union desperately need more of.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe he doesn\u2019t start, but if the Union need a goal, he has to be the first off the bench. If he is limited to another 10 or 15 minute cameo, it starts to raise serious questions of why he was even signed in the first place. This team committed to the Red Bull model. Look at what\u2019s happening up in Harrison. 16 and 17 year olds are starting and winning them games. It\u2019s time to pull the trigger and see what happens.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/030726-Lineup-240x300.jpg\")
Predicted Philadelphia Lineup
\nOverview<\/p>\n
This matchup typically produces close affairs. Both teams have very even stats in the all-time series, each coming in with 5 wins each, combining to tie on 4 occasions. There has only been one game with a margin of victory greater than one goal: a 4-2 Union win back at then PPL Park in 2014 (Not-so Fun Fact: That game was actually Ra\u00efs M\u2019bholi\u2019s debut for the Union).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most recent result was a 2-1 victory for San Jose in the 2023 season at PayPal Park. Most of this series\u2019s leading goal scorers are long retired. MLS legend Chris Wondowloski tops the chart with 4. Steven Lenhart, Andrew Wenger, Conor Casey, and Alejandro Bedoya are tied for second place with 2.<\/p>\n
All-in-all, this matchup will provide much needed data on Philadelphia\u2019s continued adjustments as they navigate a soft rebuild. Expect San Jose to threaten the Union, especially by overloading the wide areas and on recycled set-pieces. As always, Philly will live and die by their press, so mentally prepare for the Union to have to grow into this game \u2013 as they\u2019ve had slow starts in each of their league games.<\/p>\n
Injury report: OUT: Eddy Davis III (quad), OUT: Quinn Sullivan (knee)<\/p>\n
Key matchup
\nEzekiel Alladoh vs Reid Roberts<\/p>\n
This should be a great battle between two physically gifted, young talents. Alladoh is a true target-forward the likes of which the Union haven\u2019t had since Conor Casey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Player to Watch: Timo Werner<\/p>\n
The Champions League winner and international star already grabbed an assist in his debut for the Quakes last week. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, he will pose a serious danger to the Union\u2019s somewhat shaky backline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 1 \u2013 1 San Jose Earthquakes<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tough to see the Union winning this one based on form. There\u2019s just too many question marks. It\u2019s clear the team is still adjusting to the departures of key players, while their replacements are settling in. Meanwhile, San Jose has a stronger defense than last season, and can still find the back of the net. Union get their first point of the season, but stay winless.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo by Stephen Speer Who: Philadelphia Union vs. San Jose EarthquakesWhat: MLS Regular Season, Matchday 3Where: Subaru Park,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208863,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[88,90,89],"class_list":{"0":"post-208862","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-jose","8":"tag-san-jose","9":"tag-san-jose-headlines","10":"tag-san-jose-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208862","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208862"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208862\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208863"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208862"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208862"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208862"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}