In one of the earliest starts to the season the Quakes began their 12th season at the yard known as PayPal Park. The past three months have seen some major upheaval with the departures of Josef Martinez, Cristian Espinoza, and Chicho Arango. However, the team made a splash in signing Timo Werner from Red Bull Leipzig to a Designated Player contract.
For the home opener it was the upstarts led by Beau Leroux and Niko Tsakiris that gave the Quakes a 3-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City thanks to a brace from Daniel Munie late in the first half, and nine minutes into the second half. Preston Judd provided the other first half tally in between during stoppage time.
As of February 22, Werner is expected to make his debut in the next week or two pending visa and work permit issues. The team expects him to be on the roster for the next game or two. The Quakes also made some final roster moves with the signings of Jonathan Gonzales, who comes from Juarez FC, and Nonso Adimabua, who was part of the Quakes second unit The Town FC last season.
Next up for the Quakes is another home match, this time against Atlanta United on Saturday February 28 at 4:30pm while Sporting Kansas City will seek their first win against Columbus to open up their home schedule on the same day 5:30pm PT.
