By the time he turned 24, Timo Werner had already reached the pinnacle of his sport. He helped transform RB Leipzig into a Bundesliga contender through more than 100 goal contributions and parlayed that stretch into becoming the starting striker for Chelsea and Champions League winner in 2021.
But by the time he turns 30 next week in San Jose, Werner said he just hopes to “get the fun back” in the game after nearly losing it all last year. And his performance against Atlanta United at PayPal Park on Saturday was certainly a good start.
The newest member of the Earthquakes came off the bench in the 60th minute and assisted on the game-clinching goal, scored by Ousseni Bouda, which saw his team win its second game in a row — both clean sheets.
His MLS debut may have been only 30 minutes, but even that was already double the time he’s played this season in Germany. In fact, Werner was cut twice last year, first by Tottenham and then again by Leipzig, and had mostly been training on his own before Bruce Arena personally recruited him in December. “It was hard to get motivated,” he said of that time.
So here he was, all the way in the strange lands of California, savoring the ultras singing “Ti-Mo” for him on a warm February night under the floodlights. Here, he’s not only wanted again, but needed. For the Quakes this year are young. And even though this group has impressed with their athleticism and chemistry so far, Werner is the missing star who can take the pressure off his teammates and raise their level of play.
“We have young players who are responsible for things they shouldn’t be responsible for,” Werner said after his debut match. “They should enjoy football. When I was 22 and playing at Leipzig, I had some of my best years… because I had no pressure.”
“That’s why I’m here to be a leader,” he added.
Luckily for Werner, on a week when he only arrived in San Jose late Wednesday, his teammates had the game well under control by the time he came on the pitch. Arena played the same starting line up again, sans Ronaldo Vieira, and his team pressed Tata Martino’s Atlanta United into complete disarray.
The game’s first goal came in the 23rd minute after the visitors turned the ball over in their own half and newly converted forward Jamar Ricketts lifted a cross to Preston Judd, who softly nodded it home. The 6-foot-3 striker has always been a physical presence in the box, but is now the starter after Josef Martinez and Chicho Arango left in the offseason.
“I’m not going to give it away,” Judd said of the opportunity.
While Atlanta looked the part of a newly-assembled team, San Jose played with intent and created the overwhelming majority of the game’s best chances. The backline has pace across the board. Fullbacks DeJuan Jones and Benji Kikanovic pushed up high to create overloads and the wingers in front of them, Ricketts and Bouda, always tracked back to cover when they did.
It’s a group that has benefitted from getting to know each other last year and playing together all preseason. “I feel like everybody knows each other’s strengths and weaknesses and everyone knows our team identity,” Judd said. “So it’s easier to play when guys know each other like that.”
When Judd made way for Werner, the German initially played up top, but eventually drifted to the flanks, where he eventually got his assist to Bouda.
“We are very flexible up front,” Werner said. “Everybody knows that they can play every position. When I go a bit deeper to go get the ball, Bouda knows that he has to be the striker.”
“I’m going to try and be all over the field, get as many touches as possible, and be involved as much as possible,” he added.
Arena said he anticipates that Werner will need two to three more weeks of training and game time before he is back at full fitness. After starting their season with two home games, the Quakes must fly all the way to Pennsylvania next week for a clash against the Philadelphia Union.
Despite having an entire season left to make his mark on MLS, Werner said he’s not the type to set any overarching goals or promises. “I just go with the flow,” he said.
After being discarded by two teams, he’s not taking the game he loves for granted anymore.
“At the end of the day… I want to enjoy the football with the guys and in the process it would be nice to win something.”
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
