Liftoff! Timo Werner scores first MLS goal in San Jose's statement victory | OneFootball

By Alex Calabrese

Willkommen in der MLS, Timo Werner!

The San Jose Earthquakes are sending shockwaves around the league, and now their biggest star is clicking with his new team.

“You can see that Timo’s going to be a special player for us,” head coach Bruce Arena said postgame. “It’s going to take a little time to get his fitness and his rhythm, but he’s a special player.

"He’s going to be a great addition to our team.”

Opening his account

Werner opened his Earthquakes account in style on Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire, amidst a remarkable 4-1 thrashing of LAFC at BMO Stadium.

Moments after delivering an excellent assist to Ousseni Bouda to take the lead, Werner weaved through LAFC’s defense, scoring a special solo goal.

The sequence showcased both his speed and quality on the ball, reminiscent of his best moments in the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga.

“I’m very happy to score my first goal,” Werner said postgame. “It’s always important for every player on the pitch, but especially for strikers to score goals and make assists.

"It helps you build a lot of confidence, to build the trust from the team. In general, it’s always good helping the team and today I could do that with the goal as well.”

The former UEFA Champions League-winning Chelsea forward looks like the missing piece for a Quakes team that has already been a revelation so far in 2026 under Bruce Arena. Starting this weekend on the left side, Werner has been impactful in his early MLS minutes, with three assists, and now has his first goal to show for it.

“It’s twice as fun when you can score a nice goal,” Werner said. “I think in general it was simply important for me just to score a goal, to finally get on the scoresheet. I think goalscoring hasn’t really been there for me recently.”

“I think because we scored the first goal today, we won the game; that’s why I’m happy that I could help, that I could set that up, and that we won the game.”

Best-ever start

The dominant scoreline – which put an exclamation point on San Jose’s second-ever win at LAFC – extends their lead over their California rivals in the standings and puts them level with Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps FC atop the Western Conference, with 21 points. 

It's been a remarkable turnaround for a team that missed the playoffs last season, with many familiar faces from the roster that took the field a year ago.

“A lot of the players who are playing now got beat up last year to get the experience they needed to be where they are today,” Arena said. “It was a real learning tool last year for a number of our guys; we suffered a bit, but it’s paid off this year because they were much more prepared to play.

"It’s a good group of players to work with, they’re a really good group."

With seven wins from eight games, including head-turning victories over Philadelphia, Vancouver, and San Diego, it makes 2026 the best statistical start to a season in club history for San Jose, who have seven wins from its first eight matches.

With several more big in-conference matches – specifically rematches with Seattle and Vancouver on the horizon – Arena will hope they can continue to maintain the same attacking and defensive rhythm.

WATCH: Bouda's brace leads San Jose to dominant win at LAFC