SJ Quakes rout Real Salt Lake 4-0 for MLS season-opening
The San Jose Earthquakes won their season debut under new coach Bruce Arena by shutting out Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park
Jamar Ricketts #2 of the San Jose Earthquakes celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the MLS match between San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park on Feb. 22, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
2025.02.22 – The San Jose Earthquakes opened the 2025 MLS season with a rout of a match-up against Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park.
The Earthquakes’ lead was up to 3-0 in Saturday night’s rollicking and stunning season opener when flag-waving fans began chanting “BRUCE ARENA!”
No, it was not too early to celebrate the victorious debut of San Jose’s new coach, even if 15 minutes remained in the eventual 4-0 shutout of Real Salt Lake before 17,432 at PayPal Park.
“I actually didn’t hear that,” Arena said of the chant by the Ultras fan group behind the south goal. “I’ve heard my name spoken before with a lot of four-letter words in front and behind it. … That’s nice. That’s very nice. I appreciate that.”
The goals, the shutout, the dominance. The script had flipped from a year ago, when the Earthquakes produced arguably the worst season in Major League Soccer’s 30-year history (six wins, three draws, 25 losses, with a league-record 78 goals allowed).
That sure seemed like ancient history as Saturday night progressed toward the Earthquakes’ largest season-opening win and their first 1-0 start since 2018. It was their most lopsided MLS victory since a 2021 home blowout of Austin, also by a 4-0 score.
2025.02.22 – (Real Salt Lake vs. SJ Quakes) Full Highlights!
Cristian Espinoza #10 of the San Jose Earthquakes and Diego Luna #8 of Real Salt Lake battles for possession during the MLS match between San Jose Earthquakes and Real Salt Lake at PayPal Park on February 22, 2025 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
2025.02.22 – (Real Salt Lake vs. SJ Quakes) Full Highlights!
2025.02.22 – (Real Salt Lake vs. SJ Quakes) Full Highlights!
Arena downplayed the rout, noting how “the scoreline wasn’t fair” and that Real Salt Lake played just three days earlier in Costa Rica in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
“We made some mistakes, we have to get better, but the nice part about this team is when we started to rebuild our roster, we wanted the team in place all preseason, instead of bringing in guys this week or last week, two weeks from now. So, we’ve had a month to try to become a team,” Arena said.
“I saw our owner (John Fisher) after the game and he was happy. I told him we can end up 1-33, so let’s keep everything in perspective,” Arena said.
After bringing in two accomplished strikers (Cristian “Chicho” Arango and Josef Martinez) and the winningest coach in MLS history (Bruce Arena), the new-look Earthquakes relied on two of their youngest additions to take a 1-0 lead.
That initial goal came when Jamar Ricketts kicked in Beau Leroux’s pass that innocently rolled across the goal mouth past three defenders. Ricketts’ right-footed blast split two defenders and snack inside the left post for a 1-0 lead in the 28th minute.
“Playing wingback, you gotta be up and down the field,” said Ricketts regarding his goal. “But as I seen the ball, seen Beau (Leroux) traveling inside the box, I knew I had to crash the back post and be aggressive. So, once I seen the ball come across, I was like, I gotta be the first to win the ball. And that’s how I got my foot on it.”
Leroux, a former Santa Teresa High and San Jose State product, was making his MLS debut at age 21 after officially signing his contract Friday. Ricketts (No. 13 overall, Cal State Northridge) and Leroux (No. 42 overall) were the Earthquakes’ top picks in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft.
Christian Espinoza was also credited with assisting that opening goal, having fed the ball from the right wing to Leroux. And it was Espinoza, the incumbent team captain, assisting on the next two goals.
“Espinoza not only was outstanding tonight but he was a great captain and leader,” Arena said. “He keeps the guys composed and they know there’s a very good opportunity this year for them to turn this around.”
Espinoza said of the win: “It means a lot for us because we came from a really tough year and we’ve been working in the preseason really hard to be at this level in this first game. I’m really happy and I want to congratulate all my teammates because they made a big effort tonight.”
2025.02.22 – Real Salt Lake vs. SJ Quakes (The Aftershock post game)
2025.02.22 – Real Salt Lake vs. SJ Quakes (The Aftershock post game)
Goal No. 2 came in the 70th minute, when central defender Rodrigues headed in an Espinoza corner kick for an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Rodrigues, up to that point, had made several stops on defense to keep Real Salt Lake scoreless.
Goal No. 3: Ousseni Bouda, in the 74th minute, trapped Espinoza’s long, arcing pass from beyond midfield and powered a shot past RSL keeper Rafael Cabral.
Goal No. 4: Vitor Costa, in the 83rd minute, scored off Mark-Anthony Kaye’s assist, assuring not only a victory but a rout.
Defensively, Earthquakes goalkeeper Daniel made eight saves, including multiple stops of Real Salt Lake blasts from beyond the penalty box.
“That’s something we’ve worked on and that takes all 11 players,” Arena said of the defensive support. “… Let’s keep everything in perspective. We need a couple more to see where this team is and needs to go.”
While the Earthquakes’ lineup was headlined by the additions of Arango and Martinez, neither scored. That starting 11 surprisingly included Leroux and was rounded out by midfielders Espinoza, Ricketts, Hernan Lopez, and, Ian Harkes; defenders Rodrigues, David Romney, and Bruno Wilson. Romney and Harkes previously played for the New England Revolution, which is where Arena last coached before getting suspended in 2023 for what the MLS concluded were “insensitive and inappropriate remarks.”
With Arango traded last month to San Jose, Real Salt Lake’s lineup was led by Sunnyvale native Diego Luna, a 21-year-old midfielder who was once in the Earthquakes’ youth academy and drew a flock of family and friends to Section 133 Saturday night. Luna launched a team-high five shots, including the game’s first on a breakaway in the third minute, missing wide right of the goal.
NOTE: The Earthquakes last opened a season with a home victory in 2018, a 3-2 triumph over Minnesota United. They entered 6-3-1 all-time in home openers since their stadium debuted in 2015 across the street from San Jose Mineta International Airport. … Bryant Young, who played his entire Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the 49ers, served as the pregame ambassador to “Fire The Siren.”
UP NEXT: (SJ Earthquakes Roster)
The Earthquakes will travels to the Midwest to take on Sporting KC on Saturday 3/1 at Children’s Mercy Park, Kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed globally on MLS Season Pass (Apple TV), as well as on local radio via KNBR 680 AM (English) and 1370 KZSF (Spanish).
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Read more at: San Jose Earthquakes Media Services / MLS.com /
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