After two months away from action due to the FIFA World Cup™, the San Jose Earthquakes return home Wednesday to face Orlando City SC. Kickoff from PayPal Park is set for 7:30 p.m. PT and will air globally on Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as via local radio on KSFO 810 AM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).
The Quakes closed out the first half of the season on a high note, beating the Portland Timbers on May 23 to keep pace atop the Western Conference with Vancouver Whitecaps FC with 32 points. Preston Judd bagged a brace inside 12 minutes to push his season tally to 11 and 2026 MLS All-Star Daniel Munie added a 24th-minute tap-in for his third of the campaign. The 3-1 road victory also marked a historic milestone: San Jose's first win at Providence Park through 20 tries in the MLS era.
“If any team needed and deserved a break, it’s our team,” Head Coach and Sporting Director Bruce Arena said. “We’ve also dealt with a number of injuries, so by the time we return to league play at the end of July, we should be a healthier team with several guys coming back, which is a positive.”
Arena was busy during the break bolstering the roster, first by securing the majority of the backline —Benji Kikanović, Jamar Ricketts and Reid Roberts—with new contracts. The Quakes also traded starting goalkeeper Daniel to FC Dallas for up to $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) and signed Scotland World Cup goalkeeper Angus Gunn, who previously played at the club level for the English Premier League’s Nottingham Forest FC. Arena ended the break by signing promising 21-year-old striker Luka Jovanović, the reigning Australian A-League Golden Boot co-winner.
The Quakes head into Saturday's second-half opener with renewed momentum and a well-rested squad. San Jose will also look to record their first home triumph against Orlando City since a 3-0 win on Aug. 31, 2019. The Lions arrive at PayPal Park in difficult form, having conceded six goals in their most recent outing, a road loss to FC Cincinnati, and sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference at 4-9-2.
However, Orlando City has entered a new era under Interim Head Coach Martín Perelman. Leading the Lions' attack is Argentine Designated Player Martín Ojeda, who has tallied 11 goals and one assist this campaign, including a brace against FC Cincinnati that marked his fourth multi-goal performance of the season. Fueling the offense behind him are Colombian winger Iván Angulo and Brazilian forward Tiago, who have combined for 10 assists in 2026 thus far.
Wednesday's matchup also features a notable subplot: the first MLS meeting between two of the league's marquee Designated Players, San Jose's Timo Werner and Orlando's Antoine Griezmann. The two have crossed paths four times on the international stage, with Griezmann's France going 2-0-2 against Werner's Germany, and the former having the goalscoring edge, 2-1.
Now, all eyes turn to PayPal Park as it finally opens its doors for MLS play—and the Earthquakes’ second-half push for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
