Unheralded depth players push MLS' wildest team into playoff contention

The most entertaining team in Major League Soccer isn't the one you're thinking of. It's not Inter Miami with its Argentinian superstars; it's not the Shield-leading Philadelphia Union with its hyped young American talent. 

It's the San Jose Earthquakes, last year's Wooden Spoon winner and this year's most reliable provider of end-to-end eye-catching play.

The Quakes entered the 2025 season in horrific form. Their 2024 performance was one of the worst in club history, and new coach Bruce Arena had just a few months to turn things around. His solution? Hire a few proven but prickly MLS stars — namely, ex-Atlanta man Josef Martinez and ex-Salt Lake man Cristian Arango — and let them run wild over the Western Conference.

It's worked a treat. The Quakes, despite shuffling through a difficult stretch of summer fixtures, are within playoff contention and have fully rebounded from the horrors of 2024. But while the likes of Martinez and Arango have played their part, the Quakes owe much of their form (and their endlessly entertaining nature) to the unheralded men sitting a bit deeper in the roster.

When the Quakes beat the trophy-hunting Vancouver Whitecaps, 2-1, on Saturday, those unheralded players were the ones who made it happen. But who are they, exactly? And how will they factor into the Quakes' shock playoff push?

Preston Judd

It was Judd who made the biggest difference for the Quakes against Vancouver: the 26-year-old slammed home the winning goal in injury time off a beautiful assist from DeJuan Jones. Judd has become something of a "super sub" for the Quakes. He hasn't broken through to force Arango or Josef Martinez out of the starting eleven, but he's scored more goals than either of them — five in total — throughout MLS' summer schedule.