SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes’ difficult return from the World Cup break continued Saturday night, falling 3-1 to St. Louis CITY SC at PayPal Park and extending their winless run to four MLS matches.
A San Jose side that entered the summer as one of the strongest teams in Major League Soccer has suddenly found itself searching for answers. Since league play resumed, the Quakes are 0-3-1, conceding 12 goals across matches against Orlando City, LA Galaxy, FC Cincinnati and St. Louis.
Against St. Louis, those problems showed almost immediately.
Daniel Edelman opened the scoring in the eighth minute after Conrad Wallem found him inside the box. Less than 20 minutes later, Simon Becher headed home an Eduard Löwen corner to double the visitors' advantage and send San Jose into halftime down 2-0.
The Quakes briefly found life after the break. Beau Leroux struck a volley from outside the box in the 47th minute, cutting the deficit to one and giving PayPal Park something to believe in.
But the momentum disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.
Eight minutes later, Becher connected with Tomas Totland’s cross for his second goal of the night, restoring St. Louis’ two-goal advantage and eventually sealing the 3-1 result. San Jose finished with seven shots and just two on target while St. Louis produced 13 shots, seven on goal and 3.1 expected goals.
Earlier this season, the Quakes looked like one of MLS’ biggest surprises. Bruce Arena’s side opened 8-1-0, the best nine-game start in club history, and sat alone atop the Western Conference. At that point, San Jose had conceded only four goals.
Now, that defensive stability has disappeared.
Following Saturday’s defeat, San Jose has conceded 27 goals through 19 league matches. Arena acknowledged the issue afterward, saying the team has been poor collectively on the defensive side since returning from the break.
The concerns go beyond the back line. St. Louis consistently won physical battles in midfield and limited San Jose’s ability to create clear opportunities. Arena said afterward that St. Louis was the stronger and more athletic side on the night, while Leroux admitted the Quakes lacked some of the fight they needed.
There were still positives. Niko Tsakiris returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 2, while 21-year-old Australian forward Luka Jovanović made his MLS and Earthquakes debut off the bench to begin the second half.
But with San Jose now sitting at 10-6-3 and fourth in the Western Conference, the margin for error is getting smaller. What once looked like a team capable of separating itself from the West has suddenly been pulled back into a crowded race.
And there will not be much time to fix it.
The Quakes travel south Wednesday, Aug. 19, for another California Clasico against the LA Galaxy. After four matches without a win, the rivalry now represents more than bragging rights.
It represents an opportunity for San Jose to finally stop the slide.
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