PREVIEW – Tomorrow Colorado Rapids head to San Jose Earthquakes for MLS Matchday 4. The Quakes might have had the biggest glow up in MLS over the winter. Kasey Kazliner from Quakes Epicenter answered some questions about the new look MLS After Dark Goonies.

This looks like the biggest offseason overhaul in San Jose Earthquakes history. They hired Bruce Arena. He’s brought half of New England with him. Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez have come as well, with their MLS bonafides (and baggage). What are expectations for this year? Are you all still in shock at how different the team is?

I certainly am shocked by the 2-1-0 start, given how bad the Quakes were in 2024. But we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves — San Jose hasn’t had a winning season in over a decade, so it would be rational to remain having limited expectations. But the Quakes have shown flashes so far: the four-goal routing of Real Salt Lake, shutting down Sporting KC and showing solid offensive promise in the loss last week to Minnesota United. 

Bruce Arena’s mind seems to be in the right place. He’s definitely keeping the team grounded and embracing the depth that’s been unlocked, given the big Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez signings. I think they can make the playoffs, but I wouldn’t necessarily bet on anything.

The team feels different. Last year’s Quakes would seemingly give up in late moments and drop points, allowing 78 goals, the most in a season ever. They haven’t shown that complacency yet through three games. Hernan Lopez’s three-to-four-month injury definitely will hurt, though. San Jose appeared a bit disconnected in the midfield last week while missing Hernan, who was sidelined with a red card. His future in San Jose feels murky, even though it’s just begun, and he didn’t look like himself during the first two games.

Last game was the club’s first loss of the season. 0-1 at home to a decent Minnesota United team. What went wrong in that game? What needs to be better this weekend?

The Quakes didn’t play badly, but Minnesota played better. The Quakes had some good offensive looks as the game wound down while down a goal but seemed to be overly ambitious and forcing things. They need to be more patient.

The conceded goal was off a bad clearance. Daniel was phenomenal in net and he’ll need to keep up this production to keep SJ in games. The absence of Hernan caused there to be fewer high-quality touches in the midfield, forcing Espinoza to do SO MUCH more work himself.

Amahl Pellegrino slotted in for Hernan and simply wasn’t good. Poor touches, unproductive passing, and couldn’t break through Minnesota’s defense, which looked very physical and strong. As for Arango and Martinez, they felt way less involved without Hernan — but they need to step up themselves. It’s not a bad loss; it’s something San Jose can learn from, but they had a lot of trouble probing Minnesota’s stout back line.

Chicho and Josef have a history of cooking against the Rapids. Correct me if I’m wrong, Arena’s mostly played them up top together in a 3-5-2. What can Chris Armas expect from them?

Rapids fans should expect versatility from Arango. He’s not your typical striker; he can create plays and pretty much accomplish what the Quakes were missing last year (involvement from the strikers). He played the target 10 while transitioning back into the 9 when needed against Minnesota. It wasn’t his best game by any means, but it’s something to be aware of. 

As for Martinez, he looked really slow for SJ against the Loons. He’s inevitably dangerous up top, and unlike Arango, he pretty much stayed in his own spot.

Having those two allows Arena to possess sustained attacking pressure. Last year, with solely Hernan and Cristian Espinoza truly facilitating, it was hard for the team to materialize a consistent offense, causing it to rely on its subpar defense. But now, even without a top defensive unit, the star duo of Arango and Martinez forces teams to stay level-headed when facing San Jose, even if the Quakes are trailing.

I’m an MLS Fantasy sicko. Jamar Ricketts is one of the cheaper starters in the league so far this year. How’s he been for you?

Jamar Ricketts has shown some really solid promise this year. He missed most of last season with an injury and was an MLS NEXT Pro player anyway, so expectations were unknown for him entering 2025.

Ricketts is a vertical player with tons of lateral speed and has spent time at wingback to show off his mobility. He needs to improve his finishing, but he has the tools to be successful in MLS. He scored on opening night versus RSL and looked very due for a goal even before he found the back of the net during the waning moments of the first half.

He’s a good supporting player for Espinoza at wingback since requiring Espinoza to play laterally for most of the game might not be sustainable for an entire season, especially since Ricketts is only 23, six years younger than Espinoza.

Expect Ricketts to create looks out of the defending third and use his quickness up the sideline to progress into the attacking end.

Lastly, the Quakes are historic chaos merchants in MLS. The last game between these teams was that wild 3-2 comeback for San Jose with the Rapids having multiple goals called back. Got a prediction for us?

Colorado has a respectable roster and will be another test for San Jose. I love the chaos, but I don’t know if I’ll see much of it transpiring on Saturday. The Rapids’ offense has been dim this season (24th-ranked xG according to FootyStats), while the Quakes will continue to have to navigate the absence of Hernan. I hate being boring, but I see a 1-1 draw with one team scoring in the first half and the other scoring in the second.

The Quakes have given up two goals this year, both on self-inflicted wounds (a handball in the box leading to a penalty kick and a failed clearance). Putting the ball past Daniel isn’t easy, but bank on a San Jose error to score on him. I expect some resurgence from the Quakes’ forwards and see them scoring one goal; I’ll go with Arango as my pick.

Photo Credit: Colorado Rapids

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