Match Preview - San Jose Earthquakes
Game Info
Kickoff: 7:40pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 2W-7D-4L all-time record against San Jose Earthquakes.
This is far and away the most wild head-to-head matchup for Austin FC through almost six seasons of play. After the first meeting between these two clubs ended in a scoreless draw (which also happened to be the first ever Austin FC match at Q2 Stadium), the following 12 games have averaged 4.42 goals per match, making it even more surprising that there have been six additional draws during that span.
The first meeting between these teams in 2026 came back in late April, in the midst of a dreadful run of form for the Verde and Black. A heavily rotated Austin side actually led the contest for 49 minutes following an opening goal from Joseph Rosales before the Quakes equalized in the 58th minute. From there, San Jose scored four more goals between the 78th and 89th minutes to end the match in a lopsided 5-1 result.
Of course, no San Jose preview is complete without revisiting the first Austin FC win in this matchup from April 2024, where Sebastián Driussi caused ZG to shed tears of joy with his 90+11’ game winning goal at Q2 Stadium.
San Jose Earthquakes Recent Form
A lot has changed for both of these clubs since the first meeting back in April. The Quakes, who were one of the most surprising teams of the season up until that point, were sitting on 21 points with a 7-0-1 record. Bruce Arena and his staff were being lauded for “building through the draft,” with an unprecedented number of MLS SuperDraft players contributing at a high level.
After dispatching Austin, San Jose beat St. Louis City SC in league play and Minnesota United in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals and bring their point total in MLS to a staggering 27 points from their first 10 contests. Things sure have changed since then.
Since defeating the Loons on April 28, San Jose has earned just seven points from their last 12 league games. They were also dispatched from the US Open Cup by Colorado by a 2-0 scoreline in the quarterfinals. While their torrid start has buoyed them thus far, still sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, the wheels have fallen off for Arena and Co.
A defense that had been stifling to begin the season has turned into a sieve, especially lately, as San Jose has been outscored 18-5 across the seven matches since the league returned from the World Cup break. While key players like designated player Timo Werner and homegrown midfielder Niko Tsakiris both suffered serious injuries in early May, both guys have been playing regularly of late, which points to the club potentially overachieving in those blossoming stages of the 2026 campaign.
Speaking of early overachievers, the team’s leading goal scorer Preston Judd (11 goals & three assists) has not scored since May 23 after reeling off six goals in a three-week time frame between April 22 and May 13. It’s just one glaring data point and not meant to single out Judd as the main issue, as the entire roster has lost its early-season shine.
That’s also not to say that this isn’t a well-coached club with dangerous players on the field. While the Quakes may be without the aforementioned Werner when they travel to Austin this weekend, contributors like Ousseni Bouda, Tsakiris, Daniel Munie, and Beau Leroux will all be available come Saturday night.
Additionally, reinforcements did arrive this window in the form of Scottish national team goalkeeper Angus Gunn and former St. Louis City SC designated player Eduard Löwen.
Löwen arrived in California for only a $420k fee on August 26 and is looking to bolster a midfield that has hit the proverbial wall this summer. San Jose fans should be excited about his arrival, not just about the impact Löwen has in open play on both sides of the ball, but his delivery on set pieces as well. Having generated a league-leading 141 corners to date, along with 10 set-piece goals, San Jose now has another weapon at its disposal to build on their established set piece success and aid Werner on free kicks.
San Jose still ranks in the top ten in the league in goals per game and also sports 42.4 xG on the year, so by the advanced analytics, they are underperforming those metrics with just 39 goals on the year. 72 big chances created and 577 touches in the opposition box highlight a team that knows how to put the ball into dangerous areas and create panic among opposing defenses, but have had trouble finishing through the second third of the season.
Fortunately for the Earthquakes, Austin has been a “get right” spot for a lot of clubs this year. With just five points separating San Jose from their current fourth-place position and ninth place, the visitors will be aggressively hunting a win on Saturday night to help bolster their position in the Western Conference.
Austin FC Recent Form
Late last Saturday night Oleksandr Svatok sent the Austin FC faithful into a frenzy with his second half stoppage time goal against the Portland Timbers, securing just the second road win of 2026 for the Verde and Black. For a team desperate to find as many points as they possibly can, that road win goes a long, long way in the fringe chase for the postseason.
Austin players should have revenge on their mind after what San Jose did to the club earlier in the season. While it’s been 135 days since San Jose dismantled Austin by a 5-1 scoreline, the wounds are still fresh for many, including yours truly. ATX was shorthanded and heavily rotated in that match, but that type of defeat should stick with a player no matter the circumstances.
Redeeming yourself against a team currently in a free fall would be another step in the right direction for an Austin team with a lot of work to do to give themselves a chance at catching up to the wild card line.
This week has provided the squad some respite, finally out of the congested post-World Cup schedule that saw Austin play 11 games in just 38 days, players should be as rested as they can be at this point of the season, which leads me to believe you will see Davy Arnaud’s choice eleven at Q2 Stadium this Saturday.
The players that survived the transfer window, which just concluded late Wednesday night, have bought into the tactics and formation Coach Arnaud has been implementing since he took over right before the World Cup break. There’s a new level of confidence and cohesion to what the team is putting on display as of late and that’s a wonderful thing to see as a fan. It’s also been refreshing to see Davy and his staff add smaller wrinkles to the scheme – a sign that the interim staff is not as rigid as we once believed here in The North End.
The latest iteration of the back line featured Jon Bell, Mikkel Desler, and Guilherme Biro. While that trio is smaller physically than a combination that features Svatok and Brendan Hines-Ike, they are of fleeter foot and appear more comfortable in possession, a skill set that seems to be a priority in the three centerback look.
In my opinion, I thought the three of them looked great against the Timbers. Jon Bell is more than capable of distributing from the back, Biro has settled into his role as a wide centerback (something he really struggled with at first), and Desler is healthy. When Desler is healthy, Austin FC is a different team defensively. His class raises the floor for this squad every time he laces ‘em up.
New addition Chris Applewhite certainly fits the mold of player that Coach Curtin will be looking for on the back line – a centerback who is solid in possession and a bit more light on their feet. If you want a more in-depth breakdown on how we felt about the transfer, then check out Wednesday’s Episode 331. I do not anticipate Applewhite suiting up for this game after missing last week’s Nashville fixture against FC Cincinnati with a lower body injury before being loaned to ATX in the midweek.
While the majority of the squad’s role players have been meeting or exceeding expectations of late, the team’s trio of designated players is still struggling as a collective. To be fair, Facundo Torres just found the back of the net for the second time in as many starts and Brandon Vazquez seems to be getting closer to 100% from a physical standpoint, but it’s been a very challenging campaign for both players. Vazquez still desperately needs to score a goal, as you can see the weight of having a zero in the goals column weighing more and more with each passing match. When an athlete is recovering from an injury like Vazquez had, there are landmarks on your road to becoming the player you were pre-injury. One of those landmarks is scoring a goal and I don’t think it’s a stretch to suggest he desperately needs it from a confidence standpoint.
Myrto Uzuni, who is having the best season of all the three designated players was dealing with a hamstring injury against Portland and was unable to see the field. The injury does seem minor and I believe the team was being very cautious with Myrto after the amount of minutes he logged in August. Myrto has really settled into his position, which is a great boost for an Austin team that needs more consistency from their best players.
If this Austin team is to make an improbable run to the playoffs, the trio of DPs need to step up.
Injury Report
ATX:
Myrto Uzuni (Out - Lower Body)
SJ:
Timo Werner - (Out - Lower Body)
Nonso Adimabua - (Out - Lower Body)
Earl Edwards Jr. - (Out - Lower Body)
Darius Johnson - (Out - Lower Body)
Dejuan Jones - (Out - Lower Body)
San Jose Earthquakes Players to Watch
Eduard Löwen - A name that should be familiar to Austin fans, Löwen arrived in San Jose about a week and a half ago in the trade with St. Louis and made his first appearance for the club in San Jose’s 0-0 draw against the smoking hot Houston Dynamo. Logging 89 minutes, it’s clear that Löwen is still in form and ready to hit the ground running. He is a player that makes his teammates better and is a true box-to-box midfielder who can impact that game on either side of the ball. Watch for him on set pieces as well, as he has a very goal-dangerous right foot on him. Austin will need to be aware of where Löwen is on late-arriving runs and in possession outside of the box as he can make you pay from distance. On the defensive side of the ball, expect physical challenges from a stout player who knows how to use his body well, especially in transition moments.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Revenge - There’s no denying that the 5-1 defeat back in April was flat out embarrassing and unacceptable. Everyone involved are well aware of this. While the team was very injured and rotated in that matchup, it’s still something that should motivate them easily. I’m hoping that Austin remembers how that game felt. I know I haven’t forgotten. This San Jose team is really struggling right now, letting them right their ship in your house after what they did to you 135 days ago would not be cool. Hopefully, revenge is on the whiteboard for the Verde and Black.
Predictions
ZG - 2-2 Draw
E - 3-1 Austin FC
