Timo Werner Leads San Jose Earthquakes to 3-2 Victory Over St. Louis City SC
Timo Werner’s impressive two-goal performance in the second half propelled the San Jose Earthquakes to a thrilling 3-2 win against St. Louis City SC on Saturday night.
San Jose (9-1-0, 27 points) was trailing 2-1 when Werner stepped up his game. Following a foul in the box by Conrad Wallem, Werner calmly converted a penalty kick, slotting the ball into the upper left corner past goalkeeper Roman Burki in the 69th minute.
In the 83rd minute, Werner netted the match-winner with assistance from Ousseni Bouda, who delivered a pass to the left side of the box. Werner then executed a precise right-footed shot, enhancing the Earthquakes’ perfect road record to 6-0-0 and solidifying their position as the team with the best record in Major League Soccer.
The Earthquakes overcame an early setback when goalie Earl Edwards Jr. sustained an injury in his first start of the year, leading coach Bruce Arena to substitute in Daniel in the 24th minute. Edwards made two saves, while Daniel contributed one during the match.
St. Louis (1-5-3, 6 points) maintained control for much of the game, achieving a possession rate of 56.4% and outshooting San Jose 17-10. The home team capitalized on this advantage in the second half, thanks to Marcel Hartel’s contributions.
In the 52nd minute, Hartel assisted Sergio Cordova for his first goal, bringing the match to a 1-1 draw. Hartel then scored himself, putting St. Louis ahead 2-1 after collecting a turnover and firing a curling shot that found its way past Daniel and the right post.
Scoring had been an area of concern for St. Louis, which entered the match with only seven goals this season. Hartel noted that the team had been focusing on finishing during training leading up to the game.
Despite St. Louis’s strong start, San Jose struck first. Striker Preston Judd converted Nick Fernandez’s pass into his team-high sixth goal just eight minutes into the match, a lead the Earthquakes held into halftime.
This victory marked San Jose’s first win in seven all-time matches against St. Louis.