Marked for Daniel Munie
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market22 Feb 2027
The offer from Portland Timbers for Timo Werner was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Transfer targets22 Feb 2027
$1.4M on the table at New York Red Bulls. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
Market22 Feb 2027
There comes a point where a club either backs its own ambition or admits it does not have any. San Jose Earthquakes have paid $480.0K for Taha Habroune, which is the loudest way there is of saying which one it chose.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Cristian Arango was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad22 Feb 2027
Words at San Jose Earthquakes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. DeJuan Jones is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout22 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Luka Jovanović
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Transfer targets22 Feb 2027
New York Red Bulls have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Market22 Feb 2027
Daniel Munie is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at San Jose Earthquakes has been clear about where Daniel Munie stands, which is more than many ever get.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad1 Feb 2027
Cristian Arango and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad1 Feb 2027
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and DeJuan Jones was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
The manager makes an example of Daniel Munie
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
Luka Jovanović knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Luka Jovanović trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout1 Feb 2027
Ian Harkes has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Ian Harkes has written the date down.
Market1 Feb 2027
The Noel Buck talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. San Jose Earthquakes know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad4 Jan 2027
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. San Jose Earthquakes will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
Market4 Jan 2027
“I want to be playing for trophies while my legs still let me.” Nothing in that sentence is a transfer request, and nobody at San Jose Earthquakes heard it as anything else.
Squad4 Jan 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Cristian Arango and San Jose Earthquakes agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Cristian Arango and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Daniel Munie, and the manager let it.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
Ian Harkes knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ian Harkes trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad4 Jan 2027
Preston Judd wants to know why he earns less
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and San Jose Earthquakes have no good answer.
The dugout4 Jan 2027
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad21 Dec 2026
Brutal, unambiguous and, for all the horror of the moment, usually less career-shaped than the ligament everybody fears more. 51 days, a clean timeline, and a return date somebody can actually plan around.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Noel Buck is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Timo Werner and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad21 Dec 2026
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and DeJuan Jones was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout21 Dec 2026
Ian Harkes gets it from the manager
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market21 Dec 2026
The Timo Werner story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Timo Werner signs something — a contract at San Jose Earthquakes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Dec 2026
Timo Werner in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at San Jose Earthquakes this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad14 Dec 2026
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Noel Buck and San Jose Earthquakes agree another 5 years.
Market14 Dec 2026
Clubs spend fortunes looking for players and occasionally find one down the corridor. James McKennie is that, and the reception he gets on his first appearance will be different in kind from the one any signing receives.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Every manager keeps a short list in his head of the men he wants on the pitch when the stakes rise, and it is never published. The team sheets for the big afternoons say Benji Kikanović is on it.
Market14 Dec 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Angus Gunn’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Luka Jovanović knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Luka Jovanović trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
The manager makes Daniel Munie a promise
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at San Jose Earthquakes. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Squad14 Dec 2026
Earl Edwards Jr. has seen what the next man earns
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at San Jose Earthquakes that is a harder question to answer.
The dugout14 Dec 2026
Noel Buck keeps his manager's vote
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Noel Buck plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad7 Dec 2026
Timo Werner was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad7 Dec 2026
Words at San Jose Earthquakes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. DeJuan Jones is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
The manager makes an example of Daniel Munie
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad7 Dec 2026
San Jose Earthquakes will explain it as a decision about the team, and it may well be one. A dressing room has never once read it that way.
The dugout7 Dec 2026
Luka Jovanović asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad23 Nov 2026
Timo Werner and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout23 Nov 2026
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market23 Nov 2026
The Timo Werner story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Timo Werner signs something — a contract at San Jose Earthquakes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad9 Nov 2026
Timo Werner was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad9 Nov 2026
Words at San Jose Earthquakes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. DeJuan Jones is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market9 Nov 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. George Acosta has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
The dugout9 Nov 2026
Ian Harkes asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market9 Nov 2026
The Noel Buck talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. San Jose Earthquakes know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad26 Oct 2026
Timo Werner and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Words at San Jose Earthquakes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. DeJuan Jones is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
No hiding place for Zach Ryan
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Zach Ryan, and the manager let it.
The dugout26 Oct 2026
Preston Judd knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Preston Judd trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Squad26 Oct 2026
“I did not come here to warm up in front of people.” He is out of contract eventually, he is old enough to count the weeks, and San Jose Earthquakes will have to give him a reason to stay or an exit.
Market26 Oct 2026
The Timo Werner story refuses to die
It has been denied twice and printed three times, which is the usual arithmetic. Until Timo Werner signs something — a contract at San Jose Earthquakes or anywhere else — this column belongs to him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad12 Oct 2026
Timo Werner was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Market12 Oct 2026
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. DeAndre Robinson has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market12 Oct 2026
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Luca Brooks has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Vítor Costa falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Loan watch12 Oct 2026
11 appearances away from home and 11 goals to show for them. Every one of them makes next summer's conversation a little more expensive.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Niko Tsakiris, and the manager let it.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
It is not much of a headline and it is the reason players believe the next promise. San Jose Earthquakes told Brandan Craig something would happen and then it happened, which in this industry passes for remarkable.
Market12 Oct 2026
The Noel Buck talk will not go away
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. San Jose Earthquakes know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
The dugout12 Oct 2026
He asked about his future and was given an answer with minutes in it. The manager has now made a promise in a building where promises are remembered, and the clock on it has started.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad5 Oct 2026
Timo Werner and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad5 Oct 2026
Words at San Jose Earthquakes training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. DeJuan Jones is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
Every club pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time it has been tried.
Market5 Oct 2026
“We are a long way apart, and pretending otherwise helps nobody.” Neither side is close, and the calendar is not on the club's side.
Market5 Oct 2026
Every press conference now starts and ends the same way: with Vítor Costa’s future. The manager has run out of new ways to say nothing.
The dugout5 Oct 2026
Daniel Munie has been promised minutes
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Daniel Munie has written the date down.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The language has come, the shrug has gone, and he argues in training like a man who expects to be here next year. None of it shows up on a fee and all of it shows up on the pitch.