SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Earthquakes open the 2026 MLS regular season Saturday night against Sporting Kansas City at PayPal Park. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT. The match will stream globally on Apple TV and on air locally on KNBR 680 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).
The Black and Blue closed out their preseason with a perfect run (3-0-0) at the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, California, with wins over Charlotte FC, Portland Timbers and NYCFC.
Homegrown midfielder Niko Tsakiris, who recently signed a U22 Initiative Player contract, recorded a goal contribution in all three matches (1g/2a). Defender Daniel Munie and goalkeeper Daniel led the back line posting two sheets in three games.
San Jose-born standouts Beau Leroux and Benji Kikanović also had productive preseasons, with the former scoring the lone goal in the win against Charlotte and the latter locking down opposing wingers while logging quality minutes in the starting lineup.
With the club awaiting the arrival of new Designated Player Timo Werner on the attacking front, the forward duo of Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda also remained deadly in his stead throughout the preseason, logging one goal each in Indio.
Sporting KC will be entering a new era under former Chicago Fire FC coach Raphael Wicky. The club recently signed winger Calvin Harris from the Colorado Rapids to add another attacking option to their offense. Harris will accompany forward and Designated Player Dejan Joveljic, who had 20 goal contributions in 2025 (18g/2a). Goalkeeper John Pulskamp also had an impressive campaign, playing every minute of the season, making 120 saves (third in MLS) and being named SKC’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Last season, SKC shocked the Quakes at PayPal Park, defeating them by a margin of 5-3. The result had an effect on San Jose, who narrowly missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker and will look to set the tone early in 2026 by avenging the previous matchup.
“We were close last year and this year, we have a lot of familiar faces, so it’s just learning from last year and taking it into this new season,” Tsakiris said. “It’s a young team, obviously, but we enjoy that and we accept that. It’s an exciting moment for the team. We had a pretty exciting preseason.”
San Jose gears up for its second season under head coach Bruce Arena, who has taken each of his four previous MLS teams to the playoffs in their second season (D.C. United, New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and New England Revolution).
Habbas Law, the presenting partner for Saturday’s opener, will be giving out 5,000 full-size soccer balls to launch the Quakes’ One Ball Can Change a Life campaign. This year, the club will donate at least 15,000 soccer balls to the community in efforts supported by the Quakes Foundation, manifesting its impact through activations such as Saturday Night Lights, youth tournaments, camps and clinics, and school visits by former Quakes star Shea Salinas throughout Northern California.
Fans can also enjoy the revamped Habbas Law Epicenter on the north end of the stadium, featuring new activations, décor and the newly renovated Team Store, which has quadrupled in size.
With a new beginning on the horizon Saturday night, the Quakes aim to redeem themselves and continue their success in 2026 with three points to begin the MLS regular season.
