Bruce Arena and Earthquakes ride 'next man up' philosophy to the top of MLS

A true team effort

Judd's goal wouldn't have been possible without a crisp assist from midfielder Paul Marie, and that highlights the other side of Arena's "next man up" philosophy: what San Jose has been able to accomplish with its so-called "second string" of professionals.

Marie has been around San Jose for a while. The French utility player joined the club back in 2018 after a brief spell in the English Championship, and he's bounced around the club ever since. Sometimes he plays with the first team, sometimes he suits up for San Jose's second side, but he's always a consummate professional ready to contribute where needed.

"He's done a good job," Arena said of Marie after the match. "It's good to have those experienced players and they have the right approach every day with our team."

MLS media doesn't give players like Marie enough credit, but they're a necessary part of the MLS ecosystem and a key driver of the league's best teams. You can't sign Lionel Messi 11 times; you have to balance your stars out with mature, competent, plug-and-play professionals who can fill a need when key contributors aren't available. Marie filled San Jose's need brilliantly against Vancouver.

Part of the joy of watching this San Jose side succeed is knowing just how many unheralded, hardworking MLS professionals are behind it. Some of them, like Marie and defender Dave Romney, are experienced players at the end of their careers; others, like defender Benji Kikanovic and midfielder Beau Leroux, are young local finds with plenty of room to grow.

When MLS coaches lament their lack of depth, they're often pointing to the talent gap between their starting 11 and their bench players. San Jose is living proof that depth isn't about racking up stars across the field. It's about leveraging your best workers thoughtfully and putting them in places where they can succeed. San Jose was ranked 22nd of MLS's 30 clubs in terms of value and revenue in 2025. If it can create squad depth, any MLS team can create squad depth — just maybe not the star-studded depth it's craving.

There's still plenty to come for this San Jose side in 2026. May isn't over yet; the team will face Seattle and Dallas, two of the West's fiercest teams, in quick succession in the next seven days, and the pain of all that fixture congestion might prove to be too great. The season will break for the World Cup in June; no one quite knows how MLS teams will respond to the pause and whether the best outfits in the league will maintain their momentum on the other side.

But as long as San Jose keeps believing in this "next man up" mentality, none of it matters. Forget congestion, forget momentum. When you focus on the player in front of you instead of the one in the treatment room, you can build something truly astonishing.