Jack Skahan sent the Earthquakes into the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals with a goal late in extra time Tuesday night to beat the Portland Timbers 1-0.
Skahan deflected a pass from Mark-Anthony Kaye into the back of the net in the 116th minute to seal the win for San Jose. Kaye received a pass from Preston Judd on the left side of the 18-yard box after the Quakes forced a midfield turnover, then rolled the ball to Skahan between a trio of Portland defenders.
“My first touch took me a little wide, but I knew if I just kept the ball in a good area, my teammate would put it in,” Kaye said of the assist in his postgame press conference. “Happy for Jack that he was able to score. He’s been working very hard, and guys like that deserve the spotlight.”
For the first time since 2017, the Earthquakes move into the final eight of the cup competition, which has seen a decrease in MLS participation over the last two seasons. The quarterfinals are July 8-9, and the Quakes’ opponent will be determined in a draw Thursday morning.
Head coach Bruce Arena said that even in its less top-heavy state, the cup is an important goal for his club, which is unbeaten in six matches across all competition.
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“This club has not achieved much over the last X number of years, however you want to define that,” he told reporters postgame. “And I think that this is an important competition to start getting back to winning ways and being a club that’s more respected competitively.”
Skahan came on for Ousseni Bouda in the 72nd minute as the Quakes were without both members of their star striker duo, Chicho Arango and Josef Martinez. Midfielder Hernan Lopez made his first start since March 1 after right shoulder surgery.
The Quakes had more of the ball than the Timbers and outshot them 29-14.
San Jose’s next game overall is Saturday night against Houston in MLS play.