SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes defeated Sacramento Republic FC 2-1 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday night at PayPal Park.
The Earthquakes opened up the scoring in the second minute when Mark-Anthony Kaye and Preston Judd combined to feed Amahl Pellegrino for a 1-0 San Jose lead. In the 44th minute, a Nick Lima cross and twisting touch from Niko Tsakiris fell to Judd, who coolly slotted the ball to double the Black and Blue’s advantage at intermission. Trevor Amann pulled one back in the waning moments of second-half stoppage time for the visitors with a 96th-minute goal, but the scoreline would end in favor of San Jose.
As a result of the victory, San Jose advances to the Round of 16 to host the Portland Timbers on either May 20 or 21. The Black and Blue will now travel to Colorado, Denver, this Saturday, May 10, to take on the Colorado Rapids. Kickoff from Dick’s Sporting Goods Park will take place at 6:30 p.m. PT and will be broadcast globally on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV (English/Spanish), as well as on local radio via KSFO 810 AM (English) and 1370 AM La Kaliente (Spanish).
GAME NOTES
The Earthquakes now hold a 22-19 all-time record in Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup play and 19-6 against non-MLS clubs.
The Quakes and Republic have now met six times in the U.S. Open Cup, with the home side winning all six contests. Host San Jose defeated Sacramento in 2014 (2-1), 2015 (2-2 regulation; 6-5 PKs) and 2019 (4-3), while the Republic won in 2022 (2-0) and 2024 (4-3 after extra time).
Quakes Sporting Director/Head Coach Bruce Arena coached former Quakes MLS Cup-winning defender and current Republic President/GM Todd Dunivant during their time together with the LA Galaxy. Together they won three MLS Cups and two Supporters’ Shields. Dunivant also individually earned MLS Best XI status in 2011 playing under Arena.
Amahl Pellegrino’s second-minute goal was his third goal contribution in all competitions (2g/1a).
Mark-Anthony Kaye’s second-minute assist was his third assist in all competitions (0g/3a).
Preston Judd’s second-minute assist was his first in all competitions (0g/1a). His 44th-minute goal was his first of the season and second goal contribution in all competitions (1g/1a). Judd also had a goal and assist in last year’s Round of 16 matchup with Sacramento.
Niko Tsakiris’ 44th-minute assist was his second in all competitions (0g/2a).
Nick Lima’s 44th-minute assist was his first in all competitions (0g/1a).
Hernán López made his first appearance since the second game of the MLS docket on March 1. The midfielder underwent right shoulder surgery March 14. He entered the match in the 66th minute.
Benji Kikanović made his 2025 debut in the 79th minute after undergoing knee surgery in January. The forward was born in San Jose but grew up in the Sacramento area, featuring collegiately for Sacramento State University (2018-19) and scoring nine goals in 34 games.
Former Quakes Academy and MLS NEXT Pro defender A.J. Edwards started for Sacramento.
San Jose Earthquakes 2 – 1 Sacramento Republic FC
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 – PayPal Park; San Jose, Calif.
Weather: 59°F Clear
Northern California Honda Dealers Man of the Match: Preston Judd
Match Officials:
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
AR1: Stephen Mcgonagle
AR2: Eric Krueger
4th Official: Jay Schlesinger
Scoring Summary:
SJ (1-0) – Amahl Pellegrino (Preston Judd, Mark-Anthony Kaye) 2’
SJ (2-0) – Preston Judd (Niko Tsakiris, Nick Lima) 44’
SAC (2-1) – Trevor Amann (Rodrigo Lopez) 90+6’
Misconduct Summary:
SAC – Dominik Wanner (caution) 26’
SJ – Niko Tsakiris (caution) 36’
SJ – Noel Buck (caution) 76’
SAC – AJ Edwards (caution) 77’
SJ – Jamar Ricketts (ejection) 84’
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Earl Edwards Jr. (GK); Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Rodrigues (Max Floriani 66’), Nick Lima; Noel Buck, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Niko Tsakiris (Benji Kikanović 79’); Amahl Pellegrino, Paul Marie (Hernán López 66’), Preston Judd (Jack Skahan 87’).
Substitutes not used: Francesco Montali (GK), Ousseni Bouda, Ian Harkes.
POSS.: 60%; SHOTS: 17; SOG: 4; CORNERS: 6; OFFSIDES: 1; SAVES: 1; FOULS: 11
SACRAMENTO REPUBLIC FC: Jared Mazzola (GK); Rayan Djedje, Jared Timmer, Michel Benitez, AJ Edwards, Ryan Spaulding (Freddy Kleemann 64’), Dominik Wanner (Cristian Parano 64’); Justin Portillo (Rodrigo Lopez 73’), Nick Ross (Luis Felipe 46’), Blake Willey; Lewis Jamieson (Trevor Amann 85’).
Substitutes not used: Danny Vitiello (GK), Jack Gurr.
POSS.: 40%; SHOTS: 5; SOG: 2; CORNERS: 3; OFFSIDES: 5; SAVES: 2; FOULS: 15
EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the team’s performance tonight:
“[Leading] 2-0 at halftime was a real positive, but the second half, we needed to convert some of the chances we created and did poorly in that regard. Conceding the goal at the end of the game is disappointing. We made a 4-0 game into a 2-1 game. That part is disappointing, but it was 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.”
On the short turnaround from last Saturday’s MLS match against the Portland Timbers:
“We changed 11 players from the game against Portland on Saturday and gave guys an opportunity to show us where they're at. I think there were some good performances. [Reid] Roberts was solid, as was [Mark-Anthony] Kaye. I thought Niko [Tsakiris] and [Amahl] Pellegrino had two or three additional chances besides his goal. [Preston] Judd was pretty solid. It was good to get [Hernán] López back on the field with [Benji] Kikanović.”
On roster rotations given the high number of matches this month:
“There's going to be some players that have to be rotated. Tonight helps us guys get some minutes in. So if they get called on in the next three MLS games, hopefully they'll be better prepared to contribute.”
“We don't go into any game thinking we're going to make changes. We just get through the week of training, get our 11 set, and then analyze the game when we're in it and decide which changes we need to make.
On the return of Hernán López tonight after a two-month injury recovery:
“We saw him play 30 minutes the other day in the [MLS NEXT Pro] team game. We're moving him along. He's got a way to go, but he's making progress.”
“He's made a very good recovery and that's encouraging. I'm hopeful in the next couple of weeks we'll get him up to speed.”
EARTHQUAKES FORWARD PRESTON JUDD
On scoring a goal and assist:
“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. We’re not in Leagues Cup this year so it’s a tournament we want to win, qualify for [Concacaf] Champions [Cup] next year and get a trophy for the team.”
On making the most of his opportunity to start with a goal and assist:
“Any time out there I want to play as much as I can, so I don’t want to put myself in a position where I have to go out. ... but getting the W is the main thing, and we’re happy about that the most, so now we’re looking forward to the game Saturday.”
On scoring the second goal thanks to an aesthetically pleasing Niko Tsakiris assist:
“We had a cross in, and Niko made a great pass—a great flick I think he meant to do. (Laughs) But I was there and put it away. It was nice to have that. Niko was there to make the play and I was there to finish it.”
EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER NIKO TSAKIRIS
On whether his spinning flick-on assist to Preston Judd was intentional:
“Yeah, of course I saw him.” (Laughs)
On the return of Hernán López and sharing the midfield with him in the second half:
“It's great having him back. It's another guy that we have going forward. With the quality that he has, we missed him. … He's a great guy in the locker room, so we're happy he's back.”
On constantly creating chances all night for the attack:
“Tonight there were moments and opportunities that I felt were open for me and moments where I felt like I could have done better. That's all part of it. Getting these minutes were valuable for me and for this year. [I’m] just looking to take this and move forward with it.”
