San Jose Earthquakes (home)
- San Jose enter Sunday’s game on a hot streak after a perfect preseason at the Coachella Valley Invitational and getting their MLS 2026 season off to a perfect start with a 3-0 win over Sporting KC.
- Bruce Arena’s side had a real spring in their step in that match and there’s no doubt his influence has already rubbed off on a squad that is taking on his pragmatic shape and playing a disciplined brand of soccer.
- Arena’s recruitment has been sound with the likes of Jonathan Gonzalez and Nonso Adimabua bringing new solutions to the squad, while in Daniel Munie, who scored a brace against Sporting KC, they have a centre back who is a major threat from set pieces.
Atlanta United (away)
- Atlanta United had a mixed preseason of high-scoring wins and goalless draws before stumbling out of the gate with a 2-0 defeat to FC Cincinnati.
- Miguel Almirón remains the heartbeat of Atlanta’s offense, but the attack looked lively in preseason as Emmanuel Latte Lath and Aleksey Miranchuk both showed glimpses of brilliance.
- Martino will need to find a quick fix to their defensive issues if they are to avoid a season-opening slump as Lucas Hoyos, likely to start in goal again, allowed two goals and didn’t always look comfortable against Cincinnati’s directness.
Recent meetings
Atlanta United have won all four previous MLS head-to-head matchups with San Jose, scoring 13-7 in those encounters.
San Jose
San Jose’s goalkeeper Daniel was in fine form during preseason, making several crucial saves, and anchored their shutout against Sporting KC.
Atlanta
Miguel Almirón remains the heartbeat of Atlanta’s offense, but the attack looked lively in preseason as Emmanuel Latte Lath and Aleksey Miranchuk both showed glimpses of brilliance.
