San Jose – The San Jose Earthquakes got off to a strong start in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night, securing a 2-1 win over Northern California rival Sacramento Republic FC of the United Soccer League at PayPal Park.
Despite the victory, Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena was not entirely satisfied with the team’s overall performance.
“We made a 4-0 game into a 2-1 game,” he said. “That part is disappointing, but it was a positive to see the number of players on the field tonight that we haven’t given a whole lot of minutes and try to make some assessment of where they are.”
One of the standout performers was Earthquakes attacker Amahl Pellegrino, who opened the scoring just two minutes into the match. He fired a first-time shot into the net after receiving a through ball from Preston Judd, who had been set up by Mark-Anthony Kaye, both making rare starts on Wednesday night.
San Jose continued to pressure Republic’s backline throughout the first half, generating several chances, though many of their shots went high or wide.
The Quakes finally doubled their lead in the 43rd minute on a counter-attack. Nick Lima lofted a cross into the six-yard box, which Niko Tsakiris volleyed toward Judd, who finished clinically with his first touch.
“We had a cross in, and Niko made a great pass – a great flick, I think he meant to do,” Judd said. “But I was there and put it away. It was nice to have that. Any time you score, it’s a good thing, especially for a striker seeing it hit the back of the net. So hopefully this starts a little run for me.”
“Yeah, of course I saw him.” Tsakiris confirmed of the twisting assist, jokingly.
The Earthquakes nearly extended their lead to 3–0 moments later, but Pellegrino sent what should have been a simple tap-in over the crossbar. His struggles continued after the early goal, with several missed opportunities, including a one-on-one effort early in the second half that was denied by Sacramento goalkeeper Jared Mazzola, and another wide-open chance later that he fired high over the net.
Sacramento pulled one back in second-half stoppage time, as Trevor Amann capitalized on a rare lapse in the Earthquakes’ defense to make it 2–1.
With head coach Bruce Arena resting several regular starters and relying on the depth of the roster, the Quakes also welcomed back two key players, Hernan Lopez and Benji Kikanovic, both making their 2025 season debuts after injuries. Lopez returned following shoulder surgery and appeared in his first match since Week 2, while Kikanovic made his comeback after undergoing knee surgery in January.
The Earthquakes are anticipating López’s eventual return to the starting XI, but head coach Bruce Arena emphasized that he’s not rushing the process.
“We’re moving him along,” Arena said. “He’s got a ways to go, but he’s making progress. He’s made a very good recovery, and that’s encouraging. I’m hopeful that in the next couple of weeks, we’ll get him up to speed.”
Tsakiris, Lopez’s midfield duo, was also excited to have him return to the pitch.
“It’s great having him back,” he said. “It’s another guy that we have going forward. With the quality that he has, we missed him.”
The Earthquakes head to Colorado on Saturday to resume league play before returning home for their biggest match of the season next Wednesday, when they host Lionel Messi and Inter Miami at PayPal Park. San Jose will then face the Portland Timbers in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals in two weeks, scheduled for either May 20 or 21.
Photo by SJE/X
