How young are this year’s Earthquakes?
In training last week, when the team split into two groups to scrimmage, defender Daniel Munie, age 26 and a three year pro, was placed in the “old guy” group.
The reason for that has been well-documented: In his second season in charge of San Jose, Bruce Arena let three of the top leaders from last year’s team walk out the door. Captain Cristian Espinoza, Chico Arango, and Josef Martinez led the team with a combined 44 goal contributions in 2025. Despite that, Arena called their departures in preseason “addition through subtraction.”
Timo Werner, the incoming German forward signed from RB Leipzig, will fill some of that void when he arrives next week.
But the rest of the burden falls on a group of young unheralded squad players stepping into bigger roles: Niko Tsakiris, Preston Judd, Ousseni Bouda, Jamar Ricketts, and centre back duo Reid Roberts and Munie — all of whom started and oversaw a tidy 3-0 victory over Sporting KC on Saturday night to open the 2026 season.
Munie, for his part, scored a rare brace. Both from set pieces. One off a rebound and another with a beautiful header he flicked going away from goal. He and Roberts, both products of the college SuperDraft, helped pitch a shutout against a dangerous Dejan Joveljić, who scored 18 goals last year.
“We got a good young group and a lot of depth,” Munie said. “I think we have a lot of guys in our locker room that are able to lead… it just takes everyone. If everyone is on the same page and communicating, that just bodes well for success. And I think we showed that tonight.”
After playing much of last season with a back three, Arena opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation with Tsakiris playing (and wearing) the Number 10, flanked by Bouda and Ricketts out wide, and Judd up top.
Munie’s two goals were a nice surprise, but they are not to be relied upon for consistent offensive production. “I think the last time I scored that much was in middle school,” he said.
If San Jose is to compete for a playoff spot this year, they will need more goals created like their second on the night, in the 45th minute, when Tsakiris drove through the middle, slid a through ball to Ricketts, who then cut it back across to a diving Judd for a finish.
Judd eventually settled into Arena’s preferred striker late last year, but the other two players were on the fringes of the team. Ricketts will likely give way to Werner on the wing, but Tsakiris will be tasked with being the creative fulcrum of the team.
“He had a good performance,” Arena said. “But he has a lot to learn. I could be wrong but I think this is his first 90 minute game in probably a couple of years.”
“So we’re going to have to build on that,” he added. “He’s a player who is going to improve with time and be very good.”
After signing Werner, Arena told the media that the team still needed one or two more attacking signings to round out the squad. Whether that be another designated player or multiple U22 signing remains to be seen, but the team did sign Liga MX midfielder Jonathan Gonzalez and semi-professional striker Nonso Adimabua to a contract days before the game.
“We’ll continue to try to improve our roster,” Arena said. “Although the reason we didn’t do much in the off-season was because we felt this group of players we have, have great potential, and in time, they’ll be very good players.”
The 74-year-old coach, who has never been known as a youth development-type, will have to thread a delicate needle. For across the league, more teams are pivoting younger. Philadelphia and New York (Red Bulls) do it well because they have a longstanding academy and consistent track record of exporting talent. Others, like Montreal, play youngsters and fall in the standings because the prospects are simply not good enough.
The tests this season will be tougher than tonight’s poor Sporting KC side. The teams around San Jose in the standings last year, primarily Houston and the LA Galaxy, have strengthened by spending money.
The Quakes mostly stood pat. They’ll only go as far as the kids will take them.
Odds & Ends
- Ronaldo Vieira, who was acquired last season from Serie B side Sampdoria, wore the captain’s armband on the day. The midfielder was a physical presence in the middle of the park with his stocky frame. “He does a good job communicating,” Arena said. “Can win a tackle.”
- Benji Kikanovic, who has mostly featured as a forward in his five seasons with the Quakes, started at right back. DeJuan Jones, who lifted this team with his arrival last year, played his preferred position at left back.
- Sporting KC, which finished with the worst record in the West last year, lost key veterans Daniel Salloi and Erik Thommy during the offseason and hired Raphael Wickey as its head coach. The former Swiss international coached one season in MLS with the Chicago Fire in 2020. He has the daunting task of replacing club legend Peter Vermes. The team desperately needs reinforcements.
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen is a business and sports journalist based in the Bay Area. Follow him on X/Twitter @KevinNguyen_89 or on Bluesky @kevinvnguyen.bsky.social
