San Jose Earthquakes vs Minnesota United Picks and Predictions March 8th 2025

Minnesota United Looks to End Quakes’ Surprising Start

Bruce Arena has wasted no time making an impact in San Jose, leading the Earthquakes to a perfect 2-0-0 start as they prepare to host Minnesota United on Saturday night.

The all-time leader in MLS wins and MLS Cup titles, Arena brought instant credibility to San Jose when he took over during the offseason. But even the most optimistic Quakes fans may not have expected such a strong start to 2025.

San Jose romped to a 4-0 win over Real Salt Lake in its home opener, then showed resilience in a 2-1 victory at Sporting Kansas City, playing down a man for most of the second half.

San Jose’s New Signings Making Immediate Impact

Veteran MLS strikers Cristian Arango and Josef Martinez both scored their first goals for the club in the win over Sporting Kansas City, giving San Jose an imposing attacking duo.

While it’s still early in the season, Arena already sees promise in his squad—though he isn’t rushing to compare them to his five MLS Cup-winning teams.

“I’ll need a little bit more time to be able to size up this team in comparison to some of the others I’ve had,” Arena said. “But my early six to eight weeks with the team have been nothing but rewarding. I’ve been impressed with their attitude and their desire to be a good team.”

With Arena’s leadership and early success, the Earthquakes are quickly turning heads in the Western Conference.

Minnesota United Looks to Keep Up Defensive Dominance

While San Jose has been an early-season surprise, Minnesota United (1-1-0, 3 points) is proving to be a tough team to break down.

Last week, the Loons secured a 1-0 win over CF Montreal, controlling the match even if the final scoreline didn’t fully reflect their dominance.

Kelvin Yeboah finally netted the game-winner in the 69th minute, after a controversial non-penalty call just moments earlier.

Defensively, Minnesota has been rock solid, with goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair rarely tested against Montreal. Since the 2024 Leagues Cup, the Loons have kept five MLS clean sheets in their last 11 matches, showing defensive resilience under coach Eric Ramsay.

Minnesota also impressed in a narrow 1-0 loss to defending Western Conference champion LAFC in its season opener, further proving its ability to compete with the best.

“I’m sure if you’re watching us from afar and you’re seeing those two performances, you’re seeing a team that’s very difficult to beat,” Ramsay said. “You’re seeing a team that gives very few chances away, is very comfortable defending in a certain way but can also create.”

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What’s at Stake?

For San Jose, a win would keep their perfect start intact and further validate their emergence as a Western Conference contender.

For Minnesota United, it’s a chance to hand Arena’s Quakes their first loss and continue building on their defensive identity.

With San Jose’s potent attack going up against Minnesota’s disciplined defense, expect a tight, tactical battle as these two early-season Western Conference hopefuls collide in San Jose.