The San Jose Earthquakes are back at home to face San Diego FC on Saturday, April 4. Kickoff from PayPal Park will take place at 7:30 p.m. PT, and the first 12,000 fans through the doors will receive an El Camino Rivalry Rally Towel courtesy of Ford, the match’s presenting partner. The broadcast will stream globally via Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).
Last time out, the Earthquakes emerged with a 1-0 shutout victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC in a challenging road match at BC Place, which allowed San Jose to catch up with the second-place ‘Caps in the table. The defense, which has already earned four clean sheets in the early going, has allowed just one goal through Matchday 5, setting a new MLS-era club record for fewest goals conceded over five matches.
Head Coach Bruce Arena has continued to highlight the Quakes’ defensive improvement compared to last season. Beyond the record-setting performances, the team’s overall mindset and structure have taken a clear step forward.
“This year, we already have four shutouts, which is a real positive,” Arena said. “That improvement isn’t just down to the back line and the goalkeeper. It’s a credit to the entire team.”
On the other side of the ball, the Quakes have gotten production from all over the pitch. Four different players have already found the back of the net with Daniel Munie, Preston Judd and Ousseni Bouda each bagging a pair of goals each. The service has been just as balanced as Timo Werner, Niko Tsakiris and Jamar Ricketts have all chipped in two assists apiece—making San Jose’s attack a tough one to pin down. Tsakiris is also second in the league in key passes with 16.
San Diego FC made its MLS debut in 2025 and shocked the league by capturing the No. 1 seed in the West. However, while SDFC ran relatively roughshod over most of the opposition in their inaugural year, the Quakes proved to be tougher resistance. In their two meetings last season, the NorCal and SoCal sides split the results evenly, with the away team winning both matches.
“Our focus is on continuing to improve and pushing to qualify for the playoffs,” said Arena. “That’s our goal this season.”
San Diego is one of three teams still unbeaten heading into Matchday 6, and the Quakes will look to end that run just as they did against Vancouver last week. The SDFC has plenty of former Quakes on the roster, with midfielders Wilson Eisner (2024-25) and Aníbal Godoy (2015-19), as well as defender Oscar Verhoeven (2023-25), forward Amahl Pellegrino (2024-25) and assistant coach Luciano Fusco (2018-24) among the familiar faces. However, all eyes will be on Danish international playmaker and Designated Player Anders Dreyer, who has already logged six goal contributions in 2026 (3g/3a).
The El Camino Rivalry is still fresh on the MLS scene, but the Black and Blue aim to set the tone early, build on their momentum and topple another Western Conference powerhouse with the energy of PayPal Park behind them.
