San Jose Earthquakes 4–0 Real Salt Lake: Defense is the Best Offense
Before the San Jose Earthquakes kicked off their 2025 season, I watched LAFC and FC Cincinnati grind out 1–0 wins against tough opponents in Minnesota United and New York Red Bulls respectively.
Real Salt Lake also fits that category, only losing narrowly to Minnesota United on penalties in the playoffs last season. If the Earthquakes could replicate a close win, maybe 2–1 or 3–2 given our defensive struggles last season, I would be satisfied.
Apparently, my expectations were too low for this match.
After a low point in our defensive performance in the previous season, defense proved to be the best offense on Saturday, February 22, 2025.
The match played out like a tense and close affair in the first half and the lone goal came from an unlikely source (aside from Espinoza’s hockey assist). Beau Leroux put in a dangerous low cross that Cristian Arango dummied, letting it flow to Jamar Ricketts. The fullback finished the play with a well-struck shot.
Leroux signed a first-team contract the day prior. He not only made a shock start but also an instant impact. Ricketts had shown flashes in limited appearances in 2024 but is also clearly ready to take that next step.
Cristian Arango and Josef Martinez garnered most of the excitement, justifiably so given their storied careers, throughout this offseason. They played their parts in tonight’s victory but as supporting roles. Aside from Cristian Espinoza, who covered every blade of grass, you could argue virtually every San Jose Earthquakes player who stepped onto the field contributed to this impressive result.
The warning signs from Real Salt Lake were present throughout that first half. Diego Luna, who came through San Jose Earthquakes academy as a young teenager, had plenty of shots. While they were off-target, he’s usually too good to not score from that many opportunities. Alexandros Katranis also had an impressive shot from outside the box that tested Daniel.
Cristian Espinoza showcased his defensive skill by winning a clean challenge to dispossess Diego Luna, indicating that this would be an all-hands-on-deck performance if the Earthquakes were to go on and win.
That proved to be the case not only with strong defensive performances such as Rodrigues stopping a pirouetting Forster Ajago in his tracks, but Rodrigues living up to his adventurous offense game too by providing the second goal.
This was a night that restored a lot of faith from the Earthquakes supporters in the entire squad. The third and fourth goals from Ousseni Bouda and Vitor Costa respectively came from players we wanted to see more consistent performances from, and even in limited minutes off the bench, they showed us why they are at this club.
Last season closed the book on many key figures at the club in not the best ending. Players such as Jeremy Ebobisse, Jackson Yueill, Tommy Thompson, JT Marcinkowski, and Carlos Akapo are among those that gained many supporters during their time in the Bay Area. But new chapters were written by those that remained. Every San Jose Earthquakes player will tell you that they are committed to the turnaround, but actions speak louder than words. Their actions put those words into significant meaning.
When Jamar Ricketts was subbed out, he received loud applause from the 17,000+ inside PayPal Park. His replacement Vitor Costa kept that energy going scoring a goal shortly after entering the game. It was that kind of night.
A night Quakes fans haven’t enjoyed often and haven’t enjoyed since a 5–0 win over Necaxa in the Leagues Cup. This felt different. This doesn’t feel like a blip on the radar in an otherwise forgettable season. This is the start of something new under Bruce Arena. He is a big-picture guy so don’t expect him to celebrate this one game. He’s going to continue working on his philosophy through training and getting even more buy-in from new players and those he inherited.
It was a frustrating night for Diego Luna and the visitors, and his frustration boiled over late into an argument with the referee that saw him pick up a yellow card. If anything, Luna shooting as much as he did further highlights that Real Salt Lake need to bring in another top striker to replace Cristian Arango.
Real Salt Lake will have to quickly lick their wounds as their busy start to the season continues. Their return leg hosting Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions Club remains scoreless so everything is still on the line there. Three days later, they host Seattle Sounders who will look to improve from their 2–2 draw against Charlotte FC in their opening match.
San Jose Earthquakes will travel to Kansas City to face Peter Vermes’s Sporting Kansas City. Both clubs endured a disappointing 2024 but Sporting Kansas City are the side that knocked the Earthquakes out of their last two playoff appearances. The aspect that will give San Jose’s players and fans the most confidence is how much the defense has improved in all phases of the game. That is a strong foundation to build on.
As much as I’ve enjoyed (and still will enjoy) watching European soccer each weekend until May, there is nothing like seeing your local team do well. That family has expanded in recent years to include Oakland Roots, Oakland Soul, and Bay FC, but for me it all started with the San Jose Earthquakes.
