Bay Cities FC‘s US Open Cup run was cut short by a 5-0 thumping from their MLS neighbors, the San Jose Earthquakes, at PayPal Park.
Two weeks ago, the third division Bay Cities stunned USL Championship side Monterey Bay FC 2-1 in the second round of the US Open Cup. On Tuesday night, their luck ran out against a superior side.
Fielding a starting squad made of many bench players and second-team players, San Jose controlled the ball from the tap. The most surprising statistic was that Bay Cities could withstand the Quakes’ offensive onslaught until the 25th minute when Jack Skahan scored their opening goal.
“The experiences when you win are always good. We thought that this was going to be a good opportunity for the players to play this game against Bay Cities FC,” said San Jose Earthquakes interim coach Alex Covelo.
A second goal by Paul Marie before the half gave the Quakes some breathing room. All doubt was erased in the 59th minute when Cade Cowell converted a penalty kick after Bay Cities defender Jonathan Partida took down Ousseni Bouda in the box.
Niko Tsakiris and Ousseni Bouda tallied two more goals in the game’s final ten minutes for the final scoreline.
For the game, San Jose controlled 77 percent of the possession and had 23 shots, nine on target, versus 3 shots and none on target for Bay Cities.
The win was their first victory in 2022 for the Earthquakes, who just parted ways with head coach Matias Almeyda. They hope to get their first league victory on Saturday against the Seattle Sounders FC at PayPal Park.
Despite the loss, Bay Cities FC can hold their heads high after advancing to play an MLS team in their first season in existence in the US Open Cup. Their next league game is against Cal United Strikers on Saturday in Orange County.
