SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose Earthquakes announced today that the club will play the Portland Timbers at JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Ore. on Tuesday, May 3 in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Play-in game. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. PT.
The game will mark the Quakes first ever match against the Portland Timbers since the Timbers moved to Major League Soccer this season. However, San Jose has faced Portland twice before in U.S. Open Cup competition. The Quakes defeated the Timbers 3-0 on July 14, 2004 and then posted a 2-0 win on Aug. 3, 2005. Both matches were played in Portland. Current Earthquakes captain Ramiro Corrales scored a goal for San Jose in the 3-0 win in 2004, while current Quakes assistant coach Ian Russell notched an assist in the 2005 game.
The Quakes are 0-3-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup Play-in matches dating back to 2008. San Jose fell 4-0 to Real Salt Lake on April 30, 2008 in Salt Lake City in a driving snowstorm. The Quakes then lost at home the past two seasons. In 2009, the New York Red Bulls earned a 2-1 win at Buck Shaw Stadium on April 29, and last season, San Jose lost a thriller to Real Salt Lake on penalty kicks. San Jose fought back from a 2-0 deficit in the game for a 3-3 tie before falling 5-3 on penalty kicks. The game was played on April 14 at Buck Shaw Stadium.
The winner of the match between San Jose and Portland will face the Chicago Fire, who defeated the Colorado Rapids in their first U.S. Open Cup Play-in game last month. If the Quakes defeat Portland and Chicago, they will enter the main draw of the U.S. Open Cup along with seven other MLS clubs.
The Earthquakes have participated in the U.S. Open Cup eight times in their history, posting a 10-8 overall record. The team reached the quarterfinals seven times and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in team history in 2004. In their last appearance in the tournament in 2005, the Quakes beat the Portland Timbers (USL-1) in the Round of 16 before losing to the Los Angeles Galaxy, 2-1, in the quarterfinals.
Tickets go on sale to the public Tuesday, April 19, at 10 a.m. through the JELD-WEN Field box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (800) 745-3000.
