The San Jose Earthquakes played their final preseason match against an MLS opponent on Saturday, defeating the rival LA Galaxy 4-2 in Irvine, Calif. Here are four things we learned from the contest:
1. Quakes stay undefeated – With the win, San Jose improved to 2-0-2 so far this preseason. The Quakes tied both Portland (0-0) and Real Salt Lake (1-1) in Tucson, Arizona before defeating Reno 1868 FC 4-0 on Feb. 10 at Avaya Stadium. While preseason results stand for very little once the regular season begins, it’s never a bad thing to get your winning-ways started early.
2. Tommy Thompson seems primed for a strong 2018 – Despite being just 22 years old, midfielder Tommy Thompson enters his fifth professional season in 2018. After tallying his first career goal and assist(s) in 2017, the Homegrown product will surely be primed and ready for the upcoming season. He scored two goals against the Galaxy and was heavily involved in a third. He also tallied an assist on Quincy Amarikwa’s score against RSL earlier this month.
3. Attacking options – Through four preseason matches to date, San Jose has gotten goals from six different players. And while sharper finishing could have seen this total climb even higher, nine goals from their last three games isn’t too shabby. Thompson, Danny Hoesen and Magnus Eriksson each have two goals, while Chris Wondolowski, Fatai Alashe and Quincy Amarikwa each scored one.
4. Tarbell looks in midseason form – Making save after save on Saturday, Quakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell showed why the club has put so much faith in the third-year net minder. His ability to make point-blank saves kept San Jose in the game before the offense could get rolling.
