Having struggled with injuries and form since his early-career peak at RB Leipzig, after which he struggled to make it at Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, or back in Germany, forward Timo Werner seems to be rediscovering his form in the MLS.
Deemed surplus to requirements by the Bundesliga side after appearing in just 14 games last season, the 30-year-old 57-time Germany international is back to playing regular soccer with the San Jose Earthquakes under former U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bruce Arena.
Having made three cameo appearances for Leipzig during the first half of the current Bundesliga season, Werner joined San Jose in January, appearing in six out of a possible nine games since.
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After missing the last two league games with a leg injury, Werner marked his return to the starting lineup against LAFC on Sunday, taking on two former teammates from his days at Spurs in goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and forward Son Heung-min.
And it proved a day to remember for Werner, racking up not only his third assist of the season but also his first goal for the club, with an excellent run which he capped off by slotting the ball neatly past Lloris in the 56th minute, helping his side to a 4-1 win.
After the game, Arena lauded Werner’s performance, saying, via MLS Soccer, “You can see that Timo’s going to be a special player for us.
“It’s going to take a little time to get his fitness and his rhythm, but he’s a special player. He’s going to be a great addition to our team.”
As for Werner, he was thrilled when speaking with Apple TV, saying, “I’m very happy to score my first goal. It’s always important for every player on the pitch, but especially for strikers, to score goals and make assists.
“It helps you build a lot of confidence, to build the trust from the team. In general, it’s always good helping the team, and today I could do that with the goal as well.”
The UEFA Champions League and Europa League winner also admitted that it is “twice as fun when you can score a nice goal.
“I think in general it was simply important for me just to score a goal, to finally get on the scoresheet. I think goalscoring hasn’t really been there for me recently.
“I think because we scored the first goal today, we won the game; that’s why I’m happy that I could help, that I could set that up, and that we won the game.”
Their seventh win in eight games, Werner’s San Jose is currently second in the Western Conference behind Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps on goal difference alone. The German legend captained his side to a 3-0 win against Sporting Kansas City on Friday, scoring his fourth goal in eight games.