The San Jose Earthquakes aim to replicate their strong opening night performance as they host Atlanta United on Saturday.
The Earthquakes (1-0-0, 3 points) scored a 3-0 victory against Sporting Kansas City on February 21, with defender Daniel Munie contributing two goals. San Jose restricted Kansas City to just one shot on target.
A key highlight for Saturday’s match will be Timo Werner. The former German international and 2021 UEFA Champions League winner arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday, nearly a month after signing with the Earthquakes through June 2028.
“I think he’s going to help us, and we’re here to help him too,” Munie said about Werner. “We want him to feel comfortable and confident, and I know he will.”
On the other hand, Atlanta United (0-1-0) lost 2-0 in their opener against FC Cincinnati, marking a challenging return for head coach Tata Martino. Martino, who previously led the team from 2017-18 and won an MLS Cup, has returned after Ronny Deila’s departure.
Given that Atlanta had one of the worst records in MLS in 2025, Martino acknowledged that early-season adjustments may be necessary. “We understand we’re still building as a team … we’ll need to learn from these experiences,” he said through an interpreter.
San Jose has faced Atlanta four times in the past and has not won. Their last encounter ended in a 2-1 victory for Atlanta during Matchday 1 of the 2023 season.
In their recent match, midfielder Tomas Jacob, defender Elias Baez, and goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos all made their debuts for Atlanta. Additionally, Cooper Sanchez started, becoming the youngest player in club history to start a season opener at 17 years and 332 days old.