San Jose’s desert tune-up couldn’t have gone much cleaner. The Earthquakes finished the 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational undefeated, closing the tournament with a 2-0 win over New York City FC on Saturday to make it three wins from three in Indio, California.
San Jose opened CVI with a 1-0 win over Charlotte FC on Feb. 7 at the Empire Polo Club, with Beau Leroux scoring in the 41st minute after a patient build-up through Niko Tsakiris and Ousseni Bouda. Goalkeeper Daniel came up with big saves before the breakthrough, and the Quakes saw out the shutout.
Four days later, they showed their edge (and their depth) in a 3-2 comeback win over the Portland Timbers. San Jose led early through Preston Judd, fell behind 2-1 by halftime, then flipped the match after wholesale changes—Nonso Adimabua equalized in the 71st minute and Paul Marie put San Jose ahead for good in the 75th.
Then came the finale: NYCFC 0, San Jose 2. Bouda opening the scoring in the 71st minute, with the Quakes adding a second late in the 88th to put the match away.
Preseason results don’t come with points, but the trendline is hard to ignore: San Jose found goals from multiple sources, got meaningful contributions from young pieces, and stacked performances that looked organized on both sides of the ball.
And with Bruce Arena leading the group, the early-season message feels straightforward: competition is real, minutes are earned, and the roster has to be ready to win in different ways.
CVI is in the books—now it’s about translating that form to the real thing. San Jose opens the 2026 MLS regular season Feb. 21 at PayPal Park vs. Sporting Kansas City
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