San Jose Earthquakes faces Nashville SC in Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season play on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at PayPal Park in San Jose. Kick-off is scheduled for 10:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local time at the stadium), with live streaming coverage in the United States on Apple TV.
Nashville SC leads the Eastern Conference and the overall Supporters’ Shield standings with 66 points from 20 wins, six draws, and three losses, holding a 14-point advantage at the top of the table. The visiting team enters the match on a four-game winning streak and five-match unbeaten run after defeating Sporting Kansas City 4-0 on Wednesday (14), and can mathematically clinch the 2026 Supporters’ Shield—the trophy awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, securing home-field advantage in the playoffs and a spot in the 2027 Concacaf Champions Cup—along with first place in the Eastern Conference with a win. Nashville SC also clinches the title if it draws and Vancouver Whitecaps loses or draws against Austin FC, or if it loses and both Vancouver Whitecaps and Inter Miami CF lose or draw their matches. San Jose Earthquakes sits fourth in the Western Conference with 47 points (13 wins, eight draws, and eight losses) and carries an eight-match unbeaten streak following a 1-1 away draw against Real Salt Lake on Wednesday (14). The California club secures a berth in the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs with a victory, or if San Diego FC draws with LA Galaxy and Portland Timbers loses or draws against Colorado Rapids, or if San Diego FC loses to LA Galaxy and both Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake lose or draw. Their most recent meeting took place on April 27, 2024, ending in a 1-1 draw in Nashville.
Where to watch San Jose Earthquakes vs Nashville SC live
The match between San Jose Earthquakes and Nashville SC will be broadcast in the United States through the following platform:
- Apple TV (streaming)
Kick-off time and venue for San Jose Earthquakes vs Nashville SC
Below are the confirmed event details for the interconference matchup in California:
- Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
- Time: 10:30 p.m. ET (22:30 America/New_York) / 7:30 p.m. local stadium time (19:30 America/Los_Angeles)
- Venue: PayPal Park, in San Jose, California
- Competition: MLS — Major League Soccer (United States and Canada soccer league)
Read also: LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC: where to watch live, kick-off time and lineups (MLS, Oct 17)
Projected lineup for San Jose Earthquakes
Head coach Bruce Arena, who also serves as the club’s sporting director and renewed his contract in June 2026 through the 2028-29 season, is expected to field a 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2) formation. Official starting lineups are announced approximately one hour prior to kick-off.
Projected San Jose Earthquakes starting 11: A. Gunn (or Earl Edwards Jr.); R. Roberts (or Vítor Costa), Dave Romney, Daniel Munie; Jamar Ricketts (or Jack Jasinski), Ronaldo Vieira, Eduard Löwen, Beau Leroux, Paul Marie; Timo Werner, Preston Judd.
According to the official MLS Player Status Report and club medical reports, San Jose Earthquakes has no suspended players, while forward Preston Judd (the team’s leading scorer in the season with 15 goals) and midfielder Ronaldo Vieira are one yellow card away from suspension. Six players are ruled out due to injury:
- Nonso Adimabua (lower body injury)
- Jonathan González (lower body injury)
- Darius Johnson (lower body injury)
- DeJuan Jones (lower body injury)
- Benji Kikanović (lower body injury)
- Niko Tsakiris (injury)
Projected lineup for Nashville SC
Head coach B.J. Callaghan, in charge since July 2024 and under contract until the 2028-29 season following a renewal in February 2026, is projected to set up Nashville SC in a 4-2-3-1 system.
Projected Nashville SC starting 11: Brian Schwake; Reed Baker-Whiting, Maxwell Woledzi, Jeisson Palacios, Andy Nájar; Edvard Tagseth (or Patrick Yazbek), Matthew Corcoran; Elias Saad, Hany Mukhtar, Cristian Espinoza; Sam Surridge.
According to the official MLS Player Status Report and Nashville SC medical bulletins, Famara Camara is the sole confirmed absence for the visitors due to a lower body injury. Nashville SC has no suspended players and no players one yellow card away from suspension. The attacking unit features forward Sam Surridge, the club’s top scorer this season with 17 goals, captain and attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar (15 goals and seven assists), and Argentine forward Cristian Espinoza (four goals and 13 assists). Espinoza, a former two-time All-Star for San Jose Earthquakes, joined Nashville SC as a free agent ahead of the 2026 season, while San Jose Earthquakes center-back Dave Romney previously recorded 91 appearances and four goals for Nashville SC.
Read also: Portland Timbers vs Colorado Rapids: where to watch live, kick-off time and lineups (MLS, Oct 17)
Match officials for San Jose Earthquakes vs Nashville SC
The Professional Referee Organization (PRO), the body responsible for managing professional soccer officials in the United States and Canada, appointed the following refereeing crew for the match:
- Referee: Joe Dickerson (PRO)
- Assistant Referee 1 (AR1): Jeremy Hanson (PRO)
- Assistant Referee 2 (AR2): Chris Elliott (PRO)
- Fourth Official (4TH): Malik Badawi (PRO)
- Video Assistant Referee (VAR): Geoff Gamble (PRO)
- Assistant VAR (AVAR): Claudiu Badea (PRO)
Head-to-head history and season records for San Jose Earthquakes vs Nashville SC
In the all-time head-to-head series between San Jose Earthquakes and Nashville SC, all four previous matches ended in draws, including the 1-1 result in Nashville on April 27, 2024.
Ahead of the weekend trip to California, Nashville SC highlighted its pursuit of the regular-season title in an official pre-match statement: “One win. Just one win stands between Nashville SC and regular-season glory. The Boys in Gold, with five matches still to play in the 2026 MLS regular season, sit 14 points clear atop the Supporters’ Shield table ahead of their Saturday night trip to San Jose, seeking the final three points to ensure home-field advantage throughout the MLS Cup Playoffs.” With 66 points and five regular-season matches remaining, Nashville SC needs nine points in its final fixtures to break the all-time MLS single-season points record of 74 points, set by Inter Miami CF in 2024.
