Timo Werner's First MLS Brace Completes Earthquakes Comeback at St. Louis CITY SC

St. Louis CITY SC took 21 shots, hit the woodwork twice, and led for 16 minutes of the second half. It still was not enough, because Timo Werner decided Energizer Park was the place for his first MLS brace.

The San Jose Earthquakes won 3-2 on Saturday night, coming from behind after Sergio Córdova and Marcel Hartel struck two minutes apart early in the second half. Werner equalized from the penalty spot in the 69th minute and volleyed in the winner in the 83rd, and San Jose became, per MLS and the club, the first MLS team of the post-shootout era (since 2000) to win nine of its first 10 games.

San Jose Strike First, Then Hang On

Preston Judd gave San Jose the lead in the eighth minute. Nick Fernandez drove into the box and set him up, and Judd finished from the center into the bottom right corner. San Jose's report said Werner started the move by pushing the ball forward to Fernandez and credited him with a secondary assist; ESPN credits Fernandez alone. Per the Quakes, it was Judd's team-leading sixth league goal.

Then St. Louis came flooding forward. Earl Edwards Jr. saved from Simon Becher and Lukas MacNaughton in the 11th and 12th minutes, and Hartel smacked the crossbar a minute later. An injury then forced Edwards off in the 24th minute, with Daniel replacing him. MacNaughton later headed off the bar from close range in the 41st. Per St. Louis, the hosts outshot San Jose 13 to four in the first half and still trailed 1-0.

Two Goals in Two Minutes

Bruce Arena sent on Ronaldo Vieira and Niko Tsakiris at halftime, but St. Louis struck twice in quick succession. In the 51st minute, Hartel fed Córdova, who finished left-footed from the center of the box into the top left corner. Per St. Louis, it was his first goal for the club. Two minutes later, Becher pounced on a loose ball and found Hartel, whose right-footed shot went into the bottom right corner for 2-1. The club said it was Hartel's team-leading third goal of the season, and he also had his first assist of 2026.

Per San Jose's notes, it was only the fourth time all season the Quakes had trailed at any point.

The Turning Point

In the 67th minute, Conrad Wallem caught Tsakiris with a heavy challenge in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Werner sent the penalty into the top left corner two minutes later. San Jose said it was his second successful penalty in as many attempts this season.

The winner was the best moment of the night. In the 83rd minute, substitute Ousseni Bouda raced down the right and whipped in a cross, and Werner met it from the center of the box. MLS called it a highlight-reel volley.

"I give our team high marks for the character they have, and the desire to win and get a result," Arena said, per MLS. "A lot of credit to our players to get back in the game."

St. Louis threw on Cedric Teuchert and Eduard Löwen and kept attacking, and Teuchert headed just over in the eighth minute of stoppage time. San Jose held.

The Standouts

Timo Werner scored twice on three shots. Per San Jose, they were his third and fourth league goals of the season, and he was the club's Man of the Match. The club added a fun footnote: they were his fourth and fifth career goals against St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Bürki, after three during their Bundesliga days.

"He's an experienced player. He's played in World Cups," Arena said, per MLS. "There's more good things to come."

Marcel Hartel scored, assisted, and took seven shots, the most on the field.

Ousseni Bouda changed the game off the bench. His assist was his second of the league season, per the Quakes.

Daniel came in cold for the injured Edwards and made a save on Hartel before halftime. Arena singled him out: "He had a good performance."

Stats That Matter

• Shots: St. Louis took 21 to San Jose's nine.
• Shots on target: St. Louis five, San Jose three.
• Saves: San Jose's goalkeepers made three. Bürki was not credited with any.
• Corners: St. Louis won 10, San Jose three.
• Crosses: St. Louis attempted 30 and completed nine.

What It Means

San Jose move to 9-0-1 with 27 points and stay alone in first in the Western Conference, per the club. The records are piling up. San Jose said the win tied the club record of six straight league wins, set in 2005, and that the 9-1-0 start (in the club's wins, losses and ties format) is the best after 10 games in club history. MLS said the Quakes, by winning their first five road games of the season, equaled the joint record set by Red Bull New York (2022) and the LA Galaxy (1998). And per San Jose, Arena won his 282nd regular-season game, a record among MLS head coaches. It was also San Jose's first win over St. Louis in seven tries.

"Setting records is always nice," Werner said, per the club. "But the league and all this stuff, you win in December or November."

St. Louis fall to 1-3-5 with six points. They are winless in four, with draws at New York City and Dallas followed by a loss at Seattle and now this one. San Jose's notes put them 14th in the West. Next up is a U.S. Open Cup trip to Chicago on April 29, then Austin on May 3.

Closing Take

St. Louis did enough to win on most nights and lost anyway, which is the cruel math of playing a team in this kind of form. Werner is the power-up San Jose keep saving for the boss level. "It's difficult to play in MLS," he said, per MLS. "You can see it in several games: everyone can beat each other." Almost nobody has managed it against San Jose.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional details and postgame quotes as reported by MLS, San Jose Earthquakes and St. Louis CITY SC.