In the first-ever competitive matchup between the San Francisco Bay Area’s first—and second-division soccer clubs, Ousseni Bouda’s 76th-minute blast from just outside the box was the deciding goal as the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the Oakland Roots 1-0.
Bouda’s teammate, 18-year-old San Jose native Niko Tsakiris, set up the game-winning goal. Tsakiris split several Roots defenders before passing the ball to Bouda. The forward took one touch before unleashing a shot that swerved just into the far post and past the reach of Roots goalkeeper Paul Blanchette.
“Every minute that I get on the field, I want to make the most out of it, just like today,” Bouda said in the post-game press conference.
Any hint at a game-tying goal from Oakland was snuffed a few minutes later when Roots forward Johnny Rodriguez went into a header with his arms away from his body and made contact with Bouda’s face. After consulting with the fourth official, referee Jeffrey Greeson awarded a straight red card to Rodriguez, reducing Oakland to ten men.
The game was like a traditional US Open Cup match between MLS and USL clubs. This year, only eight MLS clubs decided to field their first-team squads in the domestic US Open Cup, one of the oldest cup competitions in the world. The San Jose Earthquakes were one of the clubs that decided to participate in the 2024 edition.
“It’s a cup that has evaded us historically in the club, and we want to win it for the first time,” explained Quakes head coach Luchi Gonzalez after the game. “It’s an avenue to be in an international game with Concacaf Champions League. We’re going to approach each game in the cup with respect.”
Next up for the Earthquakes is a Round of 16 games on the road against another USL Club, the Sacramento Republic. The game will occur in Sacramento either May 21 or May 22.
“We know the history of this tournament. We know how important it is for this club, we’ve talked about that,” said Quakes midfielder Niko Tsakiris after the game. “We know it’s only five games to get to the final and the opportunities it brings to win this cup.”
