The San Jose Earthquakes got great ball handling all game long against Sporting KC at Sporting KC Stadium in Kansas City Kansas on Sun Apr 12, 2026 (San Jose Earthquakes X photo)

By William Espy

The San Jose Earthquakes were on the road on Saturday evening, as they visited Sporting Kansas City in Kansas City, Kansas.The Quakes entered the night undefeated on the road and in the midst of an incredible start to the season overall. The Quakes improved their start of the season to a 6-1-0 record with the 3-1 defeat of Sporting KC.

Sporting Kansas City got out to an early lead, as Jacob Bartlett, their hometown kid, was able to beat Daniel to score his first career MLS goal in the 27th minute after a perfectly placed ball by Dejan Joveljic. The 20-year-old midfielders’ first goal, although against the Earthquakes, was a heartwarming moment as he was able to score at the same stadium that he grew up attending to watch matches in his youth.

Jack Skahan evened things up with his first goal since the 2024 season in the 44th minute.

There was a brief halt in play during stoppage time of the first half, as the lights in the stadium shut off momentarily, but play quickly resumed. The game would remain tied heading into halftime.

Skahan scored his second of the night in the 49th minute, making it his first career multi-goal game and the first multi-goal season of his career.

Kansas City’s Shapi Suleymanov picked up the first yellow card of the night in the 54th minute.

Defender Dave Romney would extend the Earthquakes’ lead in the 75th minute. The goal was his first as a member of the Quakes, and first overall since 2023 when he was a member of the New England Revolution. Ironically, both his lone goal with the Revolution and his goal on Saturday occurred with Bruce Arena on the sideline.

The Earthquakes held onto their lead and walked away with a 3-1 victory on the road. The win secured the Quakes second place in the Western Conference for the time being, as they trail only the Vancouver Whitecaps due to a tie breaker