SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes drew with league leaders Nashville SC 1-1 Saturday night in front of 16,425 fans at PayPal Park to extend the team’s unbeaten streak to nine league matches and clinch a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2023.
The Earthquakes almost opened the scoring in stunning fashion in minute 19 when Jamar Ricketts fed Preston Judd in the box but the latter’s backheel bounced off the post. Instead the visitors struck first in minute 34 when Hany Mukhtar blasted a shot at edge of the six-yard box from the right half-space. Though Angus Gunn saved it, the rebound rolled right back to Mukhtar who hammered it for the near post by the San Jose goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
After intermission, the Earthquakes equalized from a free kick in minute 70. Eduard Löwen sent a deep curling ball from the right channel into the box and a streaking Preston Judd willed a kneeling header past goalkeeper Brian Schwake for the 1-1 score. In minute 91, the visitors had a golden opportunity to pull ahead but Angus Gunn denied Elias Saad’s effort in the box to preserve the point.
With both San Diego FC and the Portland Timbers drawing their respective matches, the Quakes clinched a playoff spot.
The full “Quakes Replay” of tonight’s match is scheduled to air this weekend on KTVU Plus (date/time TBD). For highlights, analysis and features, fans can also watch the new half-hour magazine show “Quakes Exclusive,” which will next air on Friday, Oct. 30, on KTVU Plus at 8 p.m. PT and KTVU FOX 2 at 8:30 p.m. PT.
The Quakes now travel to face FC Dallas on the road Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff from Toyota Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. PT with the match to be broadcast on Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as via local radio on KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM (English) and La Kaliente 1370 AM (Spanish).
ALL SQUARE: The Earthquakes and Nashville SC met for just the fifth time in the regular season, with neither club having the upper hand as all five matches have ended in a draw. The Quakes are now 0-0-5 all-time against Nashville (5 GF, 5 GA) and 0-0-3 at home (4 GF, 4 GA).
ON THE TABLE: The Earthquakes are fourth in the Western Conference (13-8-9, 48 points; 52 GF, 42 GA), while Nashville is first in the East and all MLS (20-3-7, 67 points; 64 GF, 23 GA).
GOING STREAKING: Since Bruce Arena switched to a three-man back line on Aug. 29 vs. Houston, the Quakes snapped a six-game winless streak after the World Cup break and have since gone on a nine-game unbeaten streak (3-0-6). That also coincides with the time San Jose traded for midfielder Eduard Löwen, whose first match was also that Aug. 29 scoreless draw at Shell Energy Stadium.
BUY DOMESTIC: The Quakes started eight American players tonight. No team in MLS has averaged more of them in the starting 11 more across all competitions in 2026 than Bruce Arena’s Earthquakes (7.36/game). Arena also started seven former college players tonight; no team in MLS has more of them on the roster (19).
ESPI’S BACK: Earthquakes all-time leading assist man Cristian Espinoza (82) returned to San Jose, this time as a member of Nashville SC, playing 79 minutes. Espinoza played his first seven MLS seasons with the Black and Blue and set numerous club records, including 122 consecutive regular-season appearances, good for third all-time in league history.
STARS AND STRIPES: Both head coaches once led the U.S. Men’s National Team: San Jose’s Bruce Arena (1998-2006, 2016-17) and Nashville’s B.J. Callaghan (2023, interim).
JUDDGE RULES: Upon scoring his 16th goal in his 100th MLS appearance in minute 70, Preston Judd passed Ronald Cerritos on the single-season record list and became only the third player in club history to find the net 16 times, joining Jeremy Ebobisse and Chris Wondolowski (who did it four times alone). It was also Judd’s 27th career league goal.
LÖWEN IT: Eduard Löwen’s 70th-minute assist was his sixth of the league season and third with San Jose. It was also his 27th career league assist.
POINT TAKEN: San Jose has now earned its most points during the PayPal Park era (48), breaking the mark of 47 set in the stadium’s inaugural year of 2015.
PICK YOUR POISON: Eleven different Quakes have 2+ goals in MLS play (Jack Jasinski, Preston Judd, Beau Leroux, Eduard Löwen (3 for STL, 2 for SJ), Niko Tsakiris, Ousseni Bouda, Daniel Munie, Reid Roberts, Dave Romney, Jack Skahan, Timo Werner) while 12 different Quakes have 2+ assists (Bouda, Leroux, Nick Fernandez, Judd, Löwen, Paul Marie, Munie, Jamar Ricketts, Skahan, Tsakiris, Ronaldo Vieira, Werner).
San Jose Earthquakes 1 – 1 Nashville SC
Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 — PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.
Weather: 73°F Clear
Attendance: 16,425
NorCal Honda Dealers Man of the Match: Preston Judd
*all stats unofficial
Match Officials:
Referee: Joe Dickerson
AR1: Jeremy Hanson
AR2: Chris Elliott
4th Official: Malik Badawi
VAR: Geoff Gamble
AVAR: Claudiu Badea
Scoring Summary:
NSH (0-1) – Hany Mukhtar (unassisted) 34’
SJ (1-1) – Preston Judd (Eduard Löwen) 70’
Misconduct Summary:
NSH – Shakur Mohammed (caution) 28’
SJ – Beau Leroux (caution) 39’
SJ – Preston Judd (caution) 45+3’
SJ – Ian Harkes (caution) 90’
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Angus Gunn (GK); Jamar Ricketts (Nick Fernandez 76’), Reid Roberts, Dave Romney, Daniel Munie, Jack Jasinski (Max Floriani 86’); Ronaldo Vieira (C) (Ian Harkes 86’), Eduard Löwen, Beau Leroux; Timo Werner (Ousseni Bouda 67’), Preston Judd (Paul Marie 76’).
Substitutes not used: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK), Noel Buck, Vítor Costa, Luka Jovanović.
POSS.: 44.9%; SHOTS: 13; SOG: 3; CORNERS: 4; OFFSIDES: 0; SAVES: 3; FOULS: 11; xG: 0.8
NASHVILLE SC: Brian Schwake (GK); Daniel Lovitz (Reed Baker-Whiting 72’), Maxwell Woledzl, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Najar; Patrick Yazbek (Edward Tagseth 72’), Shakur Mohammed (Elias Saad HT), Matthew Corcoran; Sam Surridge, Cristian Espinoza (Warren Madrigal 79’), Hany Mukhtar (C).
Substitutes not used: Joe Willis (GK), Bryan Acosta, Josh Bauer, Jack Maher, Alex Muyl.
POSS.: 55.1%; SHOTS: 6; SOG: 4; CORNERS: 0; OFFSIDES: 3; SAVES: 2; FOULS: 15; xG: 0.4
EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the team’s grit and resilience to clinch a playoff spot during a demanding nine-game stretch:
“I think what you saw tonight is something we’ve experienced over the past week. We’ve had three consecutive draws across three difficult games, including two away matches at altitude, followed by this game. ... It’s challenging for everyone, but adding the altitude makes it even more difficult for our team. I give the guys a lot of credit. In all fairness, Nashville beat us up in the first half, but we came back and played a good second half. I’m really proud of the way the guys responded. It was a hard-fought game against arguably the best team in the league right now, so to come away with a point and qualify for the playoffs, which was one of our objectives at the start of the year, is good. Obviously, we’d like to do better, and now we can focus on the next four games and try to maintain our position in the standings or improve it. We could also drop, so we want to finish strong and put ourselves in a position to host a couple of games at home. Having a couple of days off will be good for our team. We’re tired at this point in the season, so hopefully the break will help us recover and get ready to play Dallas.”
On erasing second-half deficits three consecutive games to secure results:
“I think all of them were positive. Obviously, in every game we played, there was still an opportunity to get three points. It’s not like we were just hanging on for our lives in each game. We put ourselves in positions to try to win, although we could have lost as well. Overall, I think it was a positive week. Obviously, I would have liked to come away with more points, but when we looked at the schedule and saw how it was set up, we knew it was going to be really tough. We’ve managed to keep our heads above water, at least.”
On Preston Judd’s development into a 16-goal striker and counting this season:
“We saw what he was capable of last year when he played behind [Josef] Martínez and Chicho [Arango]. Even with limited minutes, he did well and scored seven goals, so we knew he had the ability. Obviously, we didn’t anticipate him performing to this degree. I think he’s up to 16 goals now. He played three games this week, including 90 minutes at altitude, and by tonight, he was exhausted and had to come out. He’s given us a really good year. He went through a bit of a slump after the World Cup, but he’s starting to pick it up again, and hopefully a couple of days off will help him continue that momentum.”
EARTHQUAKES FORWARD PRESTON JUDD
On reaching 16 goals and building confidence heading into the playoffs:
“As a forward, it’s nice to contribute that way. Your job is to help the team by scoring or assisting goals, so being able to do that is important. But I also try not to lose sight of all the other things I need to do to help the team. Those things will be even more important as we look to make a deeper run in the playoffs.”
In the team’s never-say-die mentality and resilience in close games:
“Of course. Never say never. I think the last three games have been pretty crazy, and we’ve tied all three. It was a good game, and the team showed its spirit again. We held on late, but we managed to get the goal to tie it up. Luckily, they’re not celebrating the Supporters’ Shield in our locker room right now, so that’s nice.”
On being recognized alongside Chris Wondolowski and Jeremy Ebobisse as the only players in club history to score 16 goals in a season:
“I mean to hear my name next to those two guys is unbelievable. Starting here playing with Jeremy Ebobisse, he's a great guy, great player, and just [Chris] Wondolowski kind of put me under his shoulder, since I've been here, and he's been amazing. I grew up watching him, so my name next to his means the world.”
On securing a playoff spot and pushing for home-field advantage in the final four games:
“Over the past few games, we’ve had a good feeling that we were going to make the playoffs, so I think our focus has shifted toward securing home-field advantage in the first round. The standings are tight, with several teams battling for those top spots, so the next four games are incredibly important. Even getting a point today was huge, but we need to start picking up wins and earning three points. Our next game in Dallas is a big one.”