\u201cThe effort tonight was great, the performance certainly was not perfect,\u201d legendary MLS<\/a> manager and former U.S. men\u2019s national team<\/a> boss, Bruce Arena, said of the Earthquakes\u2019 performance. \u201cGood teams win these kinds of games because they know how to grind it out on a night when you know we’re not moving the ball particularly well.\u201d<\/p>\n Werner, who arrived late in the offseason, has been pivotal.\u00a0<\/p>\n After an impressive assist in a 31-minute debut appearance in a win over Atlanta United<\/a> last weekend, he stepped up his contributions at Subaru Park on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 29-year-old former German national team star is still working up to full fitness, but linked up with midfielder Niko Tsakaris and striker Ousseni Bouda. In the 59th minute, he side-stepped several defenders before feeding a streaking Bouda with a low diagonal pass, marking his second assist and Bouda\u2019s second goal of the campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n Later on, the Earthquakes extended the lead with a long-range shot from Tsakaris, as the 20-year-old continued to elevate his game in his second MLS season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Werner with the smooth set-up, Bouda with the cool finish. @SJEarthquakes<\/a> take the lead on the road! <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcfa Apple TV: https:\/\/t.co\/h7rF36hdzZ<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2i21yV75Bj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n For Werner, who made his impact after entering at halftime, the assist marked only one of three chances created, as well as four passes into the final third.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTimo is a quality player, and we know, as we continue to move forward, that he\u2019s going to not only contribute with assists, but he\u2019s going to score goals as well,\u201d Arena added. \u201cHis quality is obvious. He\u2019s been a good leader for our team in a short period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n As for when the former Premier League and Bundesliga striker could get some more minutes? Arena will take his time\u2014and it\u2019s an extra bonus that Werner is producing, having amassed less than 30 minutes in the 2025\u201326 Bundesliga season with RB Leipzig.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to bring him along the right way,\u201d added Arena. \u201cThe last thing I want to do is overload him and cause an injury. So hopefully we\u2019ve been smart in the first two games with his minutes, and hopefully we can keep building him so by another month or so he\u2019s really match fit.\u201d <\/p>\n Standout Defensive Form Amid Perfect Record Daniel has been key to San Jose\u2019s defensive success in 2026. | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images<\/p>\n While the opening wins against Sporting Kansas City<\/a> and Atlanta<\/a>, two teams that struggled last season, were impressive, taking on the best team from 2025 on the road was a step up in competition for the 2026 Earthquakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, they managed to neutralize Philadelphia manager Bradley Carnell\u2019s countering tactics and leaned on three saves from goalkeeper Daniel between the sticks to secure a third straight clean sheet, the longest to start a season in club history.\u00a0<\/p>\n Werner, who had four defensive contributions, helped with the effort in the second half, while the center back pairing of Daniel Munie and 22-year-old Reid Roberts continued to stand out.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the standard we expect from ourselves,\u201d Bouda said. \u201cWe saw in preseason that we looked really good, not just because we were winning, but in the way we were winning.\u201d<\/p>\n After losing superstar attacking contributors, Josef Mart\u00ednez, Chicho Arango and Cristian Espinoza in the offseason, expectations were muted for the Earthquakes in 2026.<\/p>\n Now, they\u2019re flying high thanks to Werner\u2019s early influence, sitting atop the Western Conference, tied on nine points with Vancouver<\/a> Whitecaps<\/a> and LAFC<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n READ THE LATEST MLS NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC![\"Daniel\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01kk65h4mf7x560ff87k.jpg\" "\\"Daniel\\"")
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