When the San Jose Earthquakes acquired midfielder Judson on loan from Tombense back in December, he was relatively unknown. He had played his entire career in his native Brazil, much of which was spent in the nation’s second division.
A quick Google search of his name brought up a few articles from South America with eye-catching words such as ‘tireless’ and ‘effort’ sprinkled throughout. In fact, this excerpt from 2018 – translated from Portuguese – tells you all you need to know about the now 26-year-old:
“The truth is that Judson arrived [at Avai] in 2016 without any posters or marketing, but won his space on the team, in the heart of the fan and recognition in the press.”
Defensive midfielder is one of the most crucial positions in soccer, but often gets little in the way of publicity. This is evidenced by Diego Chara, a ninth-year stalwart for the Timbers, who was just recently selected to his first MLS All-Star Game. Ask anyone in Portland who makes that team go and they’ll likely say him, despite the fact that Diego Valeri and Brian Fernandez capture most of the headlines.
Judson has often drawn comparisons to France’s N’Golo Kante, widely regarded as one of the top defensive midfielders in the world, both for their similar statures and Energizer-bunny-like stamina. He also has an unquestioned reputation for being a team-first player and a terrific locker room presence.
Judson had a strong showing in preseason and staked his claim to one of two defensive midfield positions in the starting lineup on opening day. A rough start to the season by the Quakes led to him being dropped in favor of Jackson Yueill, who was partnered alongside team staple Anibal Godoy.
The native of Ares, Brazil got a second chance in June when Godoy was called to the Panama National Team and subsequently had abdominal surgery. He has responded by leading San Jose to a 7-3-2 record in 12 starts since, including a 5-0-2 record at home. The one match he missed due to suspension – a midweek clash against LAFC – the Quakes fell 4-0.
His role on the Earthquakes is fairly straightforward: limit the damage by the opponent’s top attacking threat and work together with Yueill to aid the transition from defense to offense.
“He’s the best player I’ve ever played with when it comes to covering ground,” explained Magnus Eriksson, a 29-year-old with playing experience in five countries. “He works really hard, runs a lot. I think he’s performing really well at the moment. He’s very important to what we want to do. He and Jackson complement each really well, and it’s not just that he works hard, but he’s also good on the ball. I’m very impressed by the season he is having for us.”
When the Earthquakes defeated the rival LA Galaxy 3-0 at Stanford Stadium back on June 29, Judson’s work in the center of the pitch was invaluable to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Co. off the scoreboard. Galaxy midfielder Favio Alvarez, who was man-marked by Judson, expressed his dissatisfaction with the tight defense and asked the Brazilian if he was planning on guarding him the whole match. Alvarez finished with one shot and none on target.
Judson scored his first MLS goal on Saturday vs. Vancouver, just 61 seconds after San Jose conceded the opening strike. His deep run into the box, soft first touch and low blast into the side-netting laid the groundwork for the club to earn their fourth comeback victory since May 26. He was so influential to the victory – in which the Quakes’ offensive onslaught resulted in an MLS record 43 shots – that he was voted Man of the Match.
See Judson and the rest of the Earthquakes take on Orlando City SC on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7:15 p.m. The match can be attended with tickets hereor followed live on NBC Sports California, KNBR 1050 and 1370 KZSF.
