Commerce City, CO– For the first time since 2006, the Colorado Rapids are in the quarter-final of the US Open Cup. The MLS original has never won the competition, and now they face another MLS original in the San Jose Earthquakes. San Jose has never won the competition either, and they are off to one of the best starts in not just their history but MLS history. Some schedule congestion has caught up to them, but this San Jose side is a different one than their usual selves. It is going to be a difficult game for the Rapids, who are aiming for their first semi-final berth since 1999. Let’s take a look at the matchup.
When: Wednesday May 20th @ 8:00 p.m. MST
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV/Streaming: Paramount Plus, CBS Sports Network, Fubo Sports
Dramatic Win Against In-State Rivals
It took 120 minutes and penalties for the Rapids to win against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the Round of 16. The road to the quarter-finals was made more difficult by a red card for Kosi Thompson late in the second half. The Rapids persevered and took the already tied game into extra time, seemingly scoring the winner through Georgi Minoungou. But a last-gasp penalty for the Switchbacks forced more penalties. Keegan Rosenberry wasn’t a part of the first five penalty takers, but it was his strike that squirmed under the Switchbacks’ shotstopper to put the Rapids through.
Amongst the worst stretches of the season so far, it was disappointing that Colorado couldn’t put the USL Championship side away in 90 minutes. It was turned into a positive as the team played well down a man. The general sense after the game was one of pride, rather than disappointment. For both sides.
If the Rapids want to take down a high-flying San Jose side, however, they cannot play as they did against the Switchbacks. This is the first MLS opponent that the Rapids will face in this competition. The stakes and the level of play have shot up from round to round. The Rapids beat the Earthquakes at home en route to their only trophy. Maybe it will be deja vu for the Rapids on Wednesday.
Lineup Prediction:
Hansen / Cannon, Herrington, Holding, M. Navarro / Ojediran, Frederick, Aaronson / Yapi, R. Navarro (c), Sealy
There’s no availability report for US Open Cup matches, so there could be injuries we don’t know about, or players could be back. Doubt Zack Steffen returns. Really doubt Ted Ku-DiPietro returns. Nico Hansen is a more than capable backup, possibly earning a starting spot over Steffen anyway.
This is the part of the competition where many MLS teams would start to go for it. We will start to see full-strength elevens. Matt Wells opted for strong teams even before this. He is going to go for it. Wells has made it known that he is trying to keep the team fresh through the schedule congestion. He possibly made some choices in the last two MLS matches to keep the team ready for this Open Cup affair. At the very least, players like Darren Yapi, Rob Holding, and Dante Sealy should be fresh.
San Jose Run in Open Cup Amidst Best Start in MLS History
The San Jose Earthquakes combined their best start in MLS history with two wins in the US Open Cup. A 2-0 win against Phoenix Rising and a 4-2 win against Minnesota United. 11 wins in their first 12 games across all competitions. They have gone four games without a win in MLS since their win against Minnesota in the Open Cup. They have also had to play some tough games with some rotation. Don’t be fooled by this recent dip in form; Bruce Arena has his team playing some of the best soccer in the league.
San Jose has been one of the shocks of the season. They moved on from their front three of Josef Martinez, Chicho Arango, and Cristian Espinoza. Those three accounted for a lot of goals in 2025. They only brought in Timo Werner as their big splash signing this offseason. They were supposed to get a whole lot worse. It’s been the opposite for the Bay Area side.
There have been improvements in every area for San Jose. They have scored the third-most goals in MLS and boast the fourth-best defensive record. A team that leaked goals last season has sured up the backline, and the Earthquakes are making the most of it. San Jose are on the same points as Vancouver. Colorado will have to steel their nerves against a potentially superior opponent on Wednesday.
Prediction: San Jose shows their class, and it’s another disappointing match against a tough opponent. San Jose wins 3-1.
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Eamon Shaw 