Earthquakes' run at U.S. Open Cup halted in quarterfinals

Injuries and a demanding pre-World Cup break schedule appear to be catching up with the Earthquakes, who remained winless in May after being the hottest team in the MLS for the opening three months of the season.

Wednesday night, the Quakes yielded a pair of first half goals and never recovered, seeing their hopes of reaching the U.S. Open Cup Finals dashed in a 2-0 quarterfinal loss at MLS rival Colorado.

It was the second year in a row the Quakes were eliminated in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup. San Jose lost in a penalty shootout against Austin FC last season. San Jose last reached the semifinals in 2017, but never has won the tournament, which dates to 1914. Colorado also has never won the tournament and is in the semifinals for the first time since 1999.

The Quakes advanced through the Round of 16 on April 28 by rallying for a 4-2 over Minnesota United FC. They opened tournament play on April 15 with a 2-0 win over Phoenix Rising FC.

San Jose is 11-4-2 overall and tied for first in the MLS Western Conference standings, but saw its winless streak reach five games (0-3-2) on Tuesday. The team has been without injured stars Timo Werner and Niko Tsakiris, but also is in the middle of a demanding stretch of five matches in 15 days.

With the MLS set to go on hiatus for the World Cup, the game against the Rapids was the Quakes’ fourth in 12 days. They play their final game before the break on Saturday night in Portland.

The Quakes were coming off a frustrating 3-2 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday that saw the go-ahead goal scored in the 93rd minute. Three days before that, Seattle Sounders FC broke a 2-2 tie in the 89th minute.

There was no need for a dramatic finish on Wednesday night. Darren Yapi put Colorado on the scoreboard in the 40th minute, and Rafael Navarro converted a penalty kick in extra time just before halftime.

The Quakes out-shot the Rapids 12-7. but were shut out for the second time this season. It was the first time San Jose hadn’t scored since March 15 against Seattle in their fourth MLS game of the season.

— The Earthquakes have never won the U.S. Open Cup championship, but a San Jose-based team has raised the trophy. the semi-professional San Jose Oaks Soccer Club won the Cup in 1992. The MLS debuted in 1996, and a team from the league has won all but one Cup title since.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 9:51 PM.