MLS: Werner helps Earthquakes beat Atlanta 2-0 in his San Jose debut
SAN JOSE – Star signing Timo Werner produced an assist 18 minutes into his debut and the San Jose Earthquakes continued their hot start with a 2-0 win over Atlanta United FC Saturday at PayPal Park.
It was the second straight shutout for the Black and Blue, who opened the season with a 3-0 home win over Sporting Kansas City. The Quakes have allowed just two shots on goal this season after holding Atlanta (0-2-0) to one in the 89th minute.
The Quakes (2-0-0) haven’t had a winning record since 2013, but they’re hoping to change that with the addition of Werner, which the club billed as the biggest signing in its history. The 29-year-old was acquired in late January and is signed through June 2028.
“It was a good start. Even a better start would be scoring a goal, but you can’t have everything,” Werner said. “Helping the team with an assist, that’s why they wanted to take me here, to create chances and be involved.”
Werner only got his visa on Tuesday and arrived in San Francisco from Germany Wednesday night.
“It was tough to get off the plane and only sleeping six hours every night, but it’s worth it to play in front of this crowd and win the football game,” Werner said.
The German international had missed the team’s first match due to a visa delay and the birth of his first child just before the season. He made his debut in the 61st minute, replacing striker Preston Judd at the top of the team’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
In the 79th minute, Werner received a pass from Jack Skahan and was 1-on-1 against Atlanta center back Enea Mihaj along the right sideline. He beat Mihaj and then whipped a cross to Stanford product Ousseni Bouda, who tapped the ball in to put the Quakes up 2-0.
The San Jose Ultras supporters section welcomed Werner to the club with two German-language banners. He has 57 caps for Germany and 449 appearances in the Bundesliga (for VfB Stuttgart and RB Leipzig) and the Premier League (with Chelsea and Tottenham).
“The people were excited to see me play, and it made me very confident that this was the right decision to come here,” said Werner. “Helping the team with this assist today — giving something back to the fans and the people who helped me the first few days — it’s a good sign for the rest of the season.”
Judd opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Atlanta keeper Lucas Hoyos passed the ball right to San Jose left winger Jamar Ricketts, and Ricketts crossed the ball in to Judd for a tap-in header.
The Quakes will next play their first road game next Saturday at Philadelphia. The Union lost its first match 1-0 to DC United.
The team wore Tie-Dye-inspired “Dead Kit” in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s first performance under that name, at an acid test party in downtown San Jose.