Earthquakes' new style shows maturity but lacks spark in 0-1 loss to Minnesota

Three days into the 2025 season, and the San Jose Earthquakes are off to a relatively good start with two wins and a 0-1 loss to visitors Minnesota United on Saturday, March 8, at PayPal Park Stadium. Surely the Quakes are looking to write a new chapter after a lengthy spell of bottom-of-the-table blues, investing in a number of transfers including two powerhouse goal-scorers Cristian Arango and Josef Martinez, as well as Mark-Anthony Kaye (CM) and David Romney (CB).

From the jump, the Quakes looked determined to employ a calmer, build-out-of-the-back strategy, eschewing their older persona of panicked long balls for a self-possessed, possession-based football. The idea worked, to a degree, with the home team garnering two-thirds possession, an impressive 500+ accurate passes, twice the amount of corners than their opponents, and 17 shots.

But the Quakes committed an all-too common sin by failing to put away early goals, and were consequently punished in the 33rd minute by Minnesota attacker Kelvin Yeboah, giving the Loons a 1-0 advantage. Arango, playing more like a center mid than a lethal target man, struggled to get anything going alongside Martinez, both of whom looked worse for the wear given their energetic reputations. Even Quakes captain Cristian Espinoza looked hesitant to take on players despite his brilliant 1v1 acumen.

Having finished dead last in the league last season, the Quakes could be forgiven for overcorrecting and playing too lateral a game. But allowing the entirety of their opponent's defense to recover every turnover killed all hopes of a speedy counter. No doubt the Quakes look better this season than previous campaigns, but they will need to recalculate risk versus reward in their upcoming matches.