San Jose Earthquakes II beat Real Monarchs 4-0 in the MLS Next Pro Group Stage on 14 September 2026. The hosts dominated from the opening exchanges, with T. Allen opening the scoring in the seventeenth minute before Z. Bohane doubled the lead just before half-time. A quick goal on the resumption and a fourth from N. Fernandez in the fifty-eighth minute sealed the result.
And here's the thing — the home side had been struggling. They'd lost three of their last five matches, including heavy defeats to Los Angeles Galaxy II and Tacoma Defiance. To be fair, this performance looked nothing like those previous outings. The players kept knocking on the door and when chances came, they took them. By then the visitors were already on the back foot after their own poor run.
Key substitutions and bookings
- 46' J. Donnery off, T. Allen on
- 60' G. Villa off, L. Rivera on
- 73' N. Fernandez off, J. Heisner on
- 76' L. O'Gara off, N. Silva on
- 84' E. Mendoza off
Yellow cards went to I. Amparo (23'), J. Heisner (34'), N. Fernandez (61') and C. Cowell (90+2). Fernandez's booking came shortly after his goal, and he was off just eight minutes later — a manager's decision you'd expect to see in any documentary about tactical changes.
The home side sit fifth with 39 points from 27 games, while Real Monarchs are sixth on 30 points. Both clubs have played no draws this season, which says something about how these matches tend to go. The hosts haven't lost at home in a while, and this result extends their advantage over the visitors in the standings.
We'd backed the home side to win and that prediction came through. Not a surprise when you look at the form — San Jose had only one loss in their previous five home games, while Real Monarchs had lost four of their last five away from home. The gap in quality showed through.
