The San José Earthquakes came out on top in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday evening, defeating Minnesota United FC 4-2 in an absolute gunfight at PayPal Park to advance to the quarterfinals.
The win marks the first time the Quakes have beaten the Loons since Oct. 22, 2022, and head coach Bruce Arena’s first win against the side since joining San José in 2024.
The Earthquakes have scored three goals in 10 minutes three times in the last four matches in the 2026 season.
With the game at 2-2 in the 72nd minute, a long ball from Quakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris found midfielder Jack Skahan on the wing, ready to pounce.
Skahan put the ball on a plate for San José native Beau Leroux, who was on his way to crash the box, and rifled it past former Quakes academy player-turned Loons keeper Drake Callender to bring the Quakes ahead 3-2.
The San José State alumnus discussed celebrating his man-of-the-match performance in his backyard.
“I just always wanted to score on that side, and I always wanted to celebrate on that sign,” Leroux said. “Thought it would be really cool. It was perfect tonight.”
Leroux earned his first start in the competition after coming on as a substitute in the Earthquakes’ 2-0 win against Phoenix Rising FC in the round of 32.
He made good on his selection, as he capitalized on a costly giveaway by Minnesota to send a thunderous strike into the top right corner of the goal, beating Callender to open the scoring just 15 minutes in.
Leroux’s brace was done with his weaker left foot.
Arena started the cup game at full strength, playing heavy hitters such as club top scorer Preston Judd, winger Ousseni Bouda and Daniel Munie alongside Leroux himself.
Their job wasn’t over after the third goal, as Earthquakes defender Jamar Ricketts booted away a loose ball while defending a corner, which found its way to Bouda, who bullied his defender off the ball.
Tsakiris ran alongside him as the pair had just the keeper to beat in front of them. Bouda unselfishly passed to his teammate for a tap-in and a 4-2 scoreline.
Arena’s decision would pay off, as the Quakes battled hard to earn their result at PayPal Park.
The team struggled early in the first 45 minutes to defend in their own box, leaving chances to be saved by goalkeeper Daniel’s individual brilliance.
The Brazilian had three saves in net during this chaotic clash.
Fourteen minutes into the second half, Minnesota midfielder Nectarios Triantis sent a low cross into the box, which skimmed right past Quakes defender Benjamin Kikanović, leading to an own goal by captain Ronaldo Vieira.
Minnesota fullback Anthony Markanich quickly brought the ball back to the halfway line to restart play at 1-1.
Less than five minutes later, Minnesota United mounted offense again as Markanich played an incisive through ball to forward Tomás Chancalay, who, with a burst of pace, beat his defender to curl it into goal.
Arena spoke to Minnesota’s quality on the night.
“They played very well today, and I think in a lot of ways was the better team for long segments of the game,” Arena said. “Our second goal brought us back into the game, and I think we played fairly well over the closing 15 to 20 minutes.”
While heads dropped, the resolve never lessened.
In the 67th minute, Skahan struck the ball just as he entered the Loons penalty box and brought PayPal Park to its feet with help from a deflection off of Minnesota’s Devin Padelford, bringing the match 2-2.
Skahan came on in the 34th minute for an injured Timo Werner, who pulled his hamstring, making sure the German wasn’t missed.
His assist brought him tied with the most goal contributions all-time in the tournament.
Arena was disappointed to see Werner go down, but praised the performance of Skahan and the depth of the team.
“He played very well…he gave us a good physical effort,” Arena said. “Obviously disappointing to have a couple of guys go down with injuries, but unfortunately, that’s part of the game. So hopefully we can have other guys prepared to step up.”
The Earthquakes will await the next round of the Open Cup draw following the resolution of the last fixtures of this week and look to secure their first taste of the silverware.
The Quakes enter the quarterfinals for a second year in a row. Leroux looks forward to what the future has in store for the team in a historic season.
Emphasizing the team’s ambition, Leroux reflected on what the run means to them.
“It means a lot. We want to go really far in this tournament,” Leroux said. “It would be nice to bring some silverware back to the fans, and that’s what we’re really doing it for.”
The Earthquakes take on Toronto FC at 10 a.m. on May 2, at BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
