Bruce Almighty: Arena Cultivating Young Talent Once Again
The San Jose Earthquakes are sitting tied atop the Western Conference standings thanks to head coach Bruce Arena and a stable of domestic talent.
No team in the league has had more minutes played from players born in the United States than the Quakes. The catalyst has been Homegrown star Niko Tsakiris who leads the club with two goals and five assists. Meanwhile, former MLS SuperDraft picks Daniel Munie (2023), Reid Roberts (2025), and Beau Leroux (2024) have taken a clear step up in Arena’s second season. The group has helped the Quakes rank second in the league in expected goals (20.49) only behind Vancouver (23.15).
Whether it’s Matt Turner, Gyasi Zardes or Jozy Altidore, Arena throughout his career has entrusted young domestic products. That lineage of successful players continues to grow in San Jose, and they will look to prove they are Supporters’ Shield contenders against Austin FC (10:30 p.m. ET) on Wednesday and St. Louis CITY SC on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET)
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