Bruce Arena has never pretended to understand the intricacies of modern soccer tactics. He famously shrugged off questions about formations by saying the league's most important metric is simply the scoreboard. In 2026, that approach feels almost archaic. Arena wins anyway, largely because he does one thing exceptionally well: he defines roles and lets players execute within them.
Timo Werner appears to have absorbed that philosophy quickly. The German arrived at San Jose Earthquakes this year after a couple underwhelming seasons at RB Leipzig, the club where he first emerged as one of Europe's most coveted strikers. His time in the Premier League, split between Chelsea and Tottenham, never quite lived up to expectations. Scouts blamed inconsistent service as much as anything else.
The Earthquakes lost their primary playmaker, Cristian Espinoza, in the offseason, so genuine questions lingered about whether Werner could thrive in MLS without elite support. Two games into the season, those doubts look foolish. Werner's brace Saturday against Saint Louis City brought his goal contribution total to eight in his first eight matches, a production rate that has helped vault San Jose to the league's best record.
Arena didn't need Werner to be a starter from day one. The Earthquakes have built chemistry around Werner as he rounds into match fitness, but the German's impact is unmistakable. When he's on the field, the team plays with noticeably different intensity. Wingers like Ousseni Bouda have flourished alongside him, young midfielder Niko Tsakiris has thrived orchestrating plays, and striker Preston Judd has more space to operate.
"He said 'You are the top player, and I want to win something with you,' and he always said he would be behind me," Werner told Goal.com last month, describing Arena's pitch. The manager has assembled a roster where Werner's skill set as both a finisher and a playmaker amplifies everyone around him. Arena's gift has always been knowing what players need to hear and where to position them so they can deliver it.
Sporting's historic collapse
Kansas City is on pace for the worst season in MLS history, and they have the numbers to prove it. After nine matches, Sporting has recorded just one win, a squeaky 2-1 result over a struggling LA Galaxy. A 5-0 drubbing by Chicago on the weekend effectively ended any hope this club's 2026 campaign could be salvaged.
With only seven goals scored through a third of the season, Kansas City is tracking toward the league's all-time scoring low. Their goal differential of minus-18 threatens another record. The team that built its reputation as a model MLS franchise for over a decade has now become a cautionary tale.
The rot didn't happen overnight. Sporting has finished lower in the standings each year for the past three seasons. When longtime coach and soccer chief Peter Vermes departed last year, the departure left a leadership vacuum that newly hired sporting director David Lee couldn't immediately fill. The roster situation became dire, with expiring contracts leaving the club with just 12 players heading into the offseason. Then Kansas City traded its most experienced player, forward Daniel Salloi, to Toronto FC.
Lee and first-year coach Rafa Wicky were supposed to have more roster flexibility than nearly any MLS team to build toward the future. Instead, Sporting fielded what amounts to a USL roster. The team lost to USL Championship side Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the U.S. Open Cup, a result that illustrated just how overmatched they are.
MLS has seen historically bad seasons before. DC United in 2013 had more own goals than goals from their leading scorer. FC Cincinnati's early years included a 20-game winless streak. But none of those teams look quite as bad as what Sporting is putting on the field right now, and with most of the season still ahead, Kansas City could set records that stand for decades.
Turner's World Cup moment
Matt Turner is the best goalkeeper in MLS right now. The New England Revolution shot-stopper has prevented 6.3 goals above expectation this season, tops in the league. He's done this while facing significantly more volume than most competitors, including the man expected to be the starter at this summer's World Cup, Matt Freese of New York City FC.
Turner's recent performances have been commanding. Against Miami and Atlanta, he showed fearlessness in the box, with neither goal he allowed being his responsibility. He's processing the game at an elite level, which only amplifies what the numbers already show.
The timing matters. Turner started a recent friendly against Belgium and took responsibility for a 5-2 loss, though head coach Mauricio Pochettino acknowledged Turner wasn't the main culprit. The loss was a referendum on the entire team's execution.
Pochettino has consistently favored Freese during his time with the USMNT, but he's also shown willingness to pivot based on current form. Group stage play against Paraguay opens in roughly a month. If Pochettino applies the same calculus to goalkeeping as he does to field positions, Turner's case has become impossible to ignore.
Author James Rodriguez: "Arena's old philosophy about just winning proved prescient: a team that knows its role and sticks to it beats fancy tactics every time."
Comments