The final whistle at PayPal Park last October didn't just end a match; it capped off a season that felt like a fever dream for most Quakes fans. If you’re just looking at the san jose earthquakes standings, you see a 10th-place finish in the Western Conference.
41 points. 11 wins. 15 losses.
On paper, it’s a mediocre "almost" story. But honestly? If you followed this team week-in and week-out, you know that 10th place felt like a mountain-climb compared to the absolute disaster that was 2024. Remember when this team finished dead last in the entire league with only six wins?
Yeah, we’ve come a long way, even if we still missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker with Real Salt Lake.
The Brutal Reality of the Western Conference
MLS is a weird league. One year you're the basement dweller, the next you're fighting for a home playoff game. In 2025, the West was a gauntlet. San Diego FC came into the league and immediately started wrecking shop, finishing at the top of the table with 63 points.
Basically, the Quakes were fighting for scraps in a division where every weekend felt like a must-win.
Where the Quakes Landed (By the Numbers)
Most people look at the table and see the "L" column. I look at the goals.
- Goals For: 60
- Goals Against: 63
- Goal Difference: -3
Think about that for a second. In 2024, the goal difference was a depressing -17. To drag that back to a nearly even split while playing in a conference featuring high-octane offenses like LAFC and Vancouver is no small feat. The san jose earthquakes standings reflect a team that finally found its scoring boots but couldn't quite stop the bleeding at the back when it mattered most.
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The defense was... well, let's call it "adventurous." 63 goals conceded is still way too high if you want to be a serious contender. You've got Daniel in goal making spectacular saves one minute, and then a defensive lapse the next. It’s the San Jose way, isn't it?
The "Chicho" and Josef Factor
You can't talk about where the Quakes finished without talking about the winter of 2024-25. The front office actually spent money. Like, real money. Bringing in Cristian "Chicho" Arango from Real Salt Lake and Josef Martínez as a free agent changed the entire vibe in San Jose.
Arango was a machine. 13 goals.
Martínez? 14 goals.
Having two strikers who actually know where the back of the net is kept San Jose in games they had no business being in. There were nights where the midfield looked a bit lost, but those two would manufacture a goal out of thin air. It’s probably the only reason the team stayed in the playoff hunt until the very last day of the season.
Honestly, without those two, we’re probably looking at another 20th-place league finish. Instead, the Quakes hovered around that 9th/10th bubble for the better part of four months.
Why 41 Points Wasn't Enough
In most years, 41 points gives you a fighting chance at that wild card spot. But in 2025, the middle of the pack was incredibly crowded. Real Salt Lake finished with the exact same point total (41) but edged San Jose out for 9th place based on the total wins tiebreaker—RSL had 12 wins to San Jose's 11.
That hurts. It really hurts.
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One more win. One more draw turned into a victory. That’s the difference between a playoff appearance and watching the postseason from the couch. It usually comes down to those "trap" games in July where you drop points at home to a team like St. Louis or Houston.
The Tactical Shift Under Ian Russell
Ian Russell took over the reins and immediately tried to stabilize the chaos. He didn't have a magic wand, but he did have a philosophy: play fast, use the wings, and let Cristian Espinoza do Cristian Espinoza things.
Espinoza is still the heartbeat of this club. 8 assists and 4 goals in 2025 don't even begin to describe his value. He’s the guy who stretches the defense so Arango and Martínez can find space. If you watch the tape, almost every dangerous San Jose attack starts with him on the right flank.
The problem was the transition.
When San Jose lost the ball, they were incredibly vulnerable to the counter-attack. It felt like every time they pushed for a winning goal, they’d leave a massive gap in the middle of the park that teams like Minnesota or Seattle would exploit in three passes.
Home vs. Away Disparity
Usually, teams are better at home. The Quakes? They were weirdly inconsistent at PayPal Park.
- Home Record: 5-6-6
- Away Record: 6-2-9
You read that right. They actually won more games on the road than they did at home. How does that happen? Maybe the pressure of the home crowd got to them, or maybe they just played better when they could sit back and counter-attack. Either way, you can't be a top-four team if you only win five games in your own stadium. That’s where the san jose earthquakes standings really fell apart.
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Looking Toward the 2026 Season
So, where do we go from here? The 2026 season is already looming, and the roster decisions made in late 2025 give us a hint. The club declined options on some veterans and seems to be leaning into the youth a bit more.
Niko Tsakiris is the name everyone is watching. He’s the homegrown kid who finally looks ready to take over the midfield. If he can become a consistent playmaker, it takes the burden off Espinoza and gives the strikers more service.
But the defense? That's the big question mark.
Dave Romney and Rodrigues did their best, but they need help. If the Quakes don’t sign a high-level defensive midfielder or a shutdown center-back this offseason, we’re going to see the same "exciting but flawed" 10th-place finish next year.
Actionable Insights for Quakes Fans
If you're following the san jose earthquakes standings and want to know if 2026 will be different, keep your eyes on these three things:
- The Offseason Defensive Signings: Don't get distracted by flashy forward rumors. Look for "boring" signings in the back four. That's the only way to lower that 63 goals-against number.
- Home Form in the First Two Months: If the Quakes can't turn PayPal Park into a fortress by May, it’s going to be another long summer of chasing the red line.
- The Health of Arango and Martínez: They aren't getting any younger. If one of them goes down for an extended period, the scoring dries up instantly.
The 2025 season was a step in the right direction, but in a league as competitive as MLS, a step isn't always enough to get you over the line. It was a year of "what ifs," but for the first time in a long time, there's actually a foundation to build on.
Check the schedule for the 2026 season openers. The path back to the top of the standings starts with those first few games in February and March. If they can grab seven or nine points from the first four matches, the momentum might actually carry them past the 10th-place ceiling this time.