Austin FC Reach First-Ever U.S. Open Cup Semifinal, Overcoming San Jose Earthquakes in Penalty Shootout
Brad Stuver made two key saves in PKs, Brandon Vázquez and Myrto Uzuni netted equalizing penalties in regulation and extra time.
Austin FC beat the San Jose Earthquakes in a thrilling 1-1, 2-2 (aet), 4-2 (PKs) in the U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif. Austin advances to its first-ever semifinal.
Goalkeeper Brad Stuver saved two of the first three shots in the shootout, and AFC midfielder Owen Wolff netted the final penalty to secure the knockout victory.
Early in the match, the Earthquakes got on the board quickly as forward Cristian, or ‘Chicho’, Arango scored in the 12th minute. After the Quakes created a buildup in midfield, defender DeJuan Jones sent a leading pass on the left side to midfielder Ousseni Bouda. Arango slammed a right-footed shot, crushing the ball to the high near post far above Stuver’s reach.
In his first Open Cup start, Arango tallied his first goal in the tournament. Arango has scored 10 this year in all competitions. That total is tied for fourth across MLS. He was signed as a designated player in the offseason from Real Salt Lake where he made his Open Cup debut in 2024.
Coming out of halftime, Los Verdes came out more assertive on the offensive end.
Austin FC equalized in the 65th minute via a Brandon Vázquez penalty kick. The forward drew the shot from the spot after Quakes defender Max Floriani fouled Vázquez in the box. Vazquez, with a strong running start, targeted the right side of the goal. Austin FC ‘keeper Daniel De Sousa Britto chose to go left, and the ball found the bottom right corner of the net.
Vázquez was Austin FC’s Open Cup hero previously this year. He scored a second-half brace against El Paso Locomotive, including the game-winning goal, in a 3-2 comeback victory. The 26-year-old forward – who was a member of Atlanta United’s 2019 Open Cup-winning side – has scored in every Open Cup game this season, but suffered what looked to be a serious knee injury in the minutes after he scored from the spot.
The final minutes of regulation ended dramatically. Quakes midfielder Cristian Espinoza took a hard foul, which resulted in a yellow card and a large laceration on his knee. The ordeal pushed the clock far past the eight minutes of allotted stoppage time. The Earthquakes got in one last attack, but Brad Stuver made two key saves in goal.
San Jose continued that pressure in extra time and found the go-ahead goal in the 99th minute. Forward Benjamin Kikanović, who subbed on for the injured Espinoza, scored off a rebound. Forward Josef Martínez had his on-target shot saved by Stuver, but San Jose regained the ball three more times, but Austin defenders blocked every attempt. It bounced toward Kikanović, who gained control with his right foot before smashing a shot into the far post.
That wouldn’t be the end of Austin FC, however. Again, they got back into the match with a penalty shot. Off a corner kick, Wolff drew the foul in the box from Quakes midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye. Myrto Uzuni took the shot for Los Verdes. Uzuni stutter-stepped his way past San Jose’s goalkeeper.
Austin kept the Quakes, who reached the Semis last in 2017, from advancing again. Meanwhile, Los Verdes notch their first go at the semis. The franchise joined the league in the 2022-23 season as an expansion team and has played in the United States’ oldest soccer tournament each year since.
The Earthquakes will face Minnesota United FC on the road in the next round. MUFC won its Quarterfinal in heart-racing fashion as well, in a 3-1 extra-time victory against a 10-man Chicago Fire squad.
-U.S. Open Cup Match Report-
Match: Minnesota United FC vs. Chicago Fire
Date: July 8, 2025
Competition: U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals – West Bracket
Venue: Allianz Field; St. Paul, Minn.
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT (8:00 p.m. ET)
Weather: 81 degrees, sunny
| Scoring Summary | 1 | 2 | OT1 | OT2 | F | PK |
| SJ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| AUS | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| SJ – Cristian Arango (Ousseni Bouda) | 28th minute |
| AUS – Brandon Vazquez | 65 |
| SJ – Benjamin Kikanovic | 99 |
| AUS – Myrto Uzuni | 115 |
Penalty Kicks:
SJ – Cristian Arango (saved)
AUS – Diego Rubio (goal)
SJ – Josef Martinez (goal)
AUS – Myrto Uzuni (goal)
SJ – DeJuan Jones (saved)
AUS – Robert Taylor (goal)
SJ – Ian Harkes (goal)
AUS – Owen Wolff (goal)
Lineups:
SJ: 42-Daniel, 18-Reid Roberts, 5-Daniel Munie, 25-Max Floriani (17-Josef Martinez, 76), 2-Jamar Ricketts (24-Nick Lima, 95’), 6-Ian Harkes, 34-Beau Leroux (14-Mark-Anthony Kaye, 59), 22-DeJuan Jones, 9-Cristian Arango (captain), 19-Preston Judd (10-Christian Espinoza, 76) (28-Benjamin Kikanovic, 102+), 11-Ousseni Bouda (26-Rodrigues, 105)
Substitutes not used: 36-Earl Edwards Jr.
Head coach: Bruce Arena
AUS: 1-Brad Stuver (captain), 29-Guilherme Biro, 4-Brendan Hines-Ike, 5-Oleksandr Svatok, 3-Mikkel Desler (20-Nicolás Dubersarsky, 90), 14-Besard Sabovic (16-Robert Taylor, 66), 8-Dani Pereira (6-Ilie Sanchez, 86), 17-Jon Gallagher (21-Diego Rubio, 66), 33-Owen Wolff, 11-Osman Bukari (10-Myrto Uzuni, 66), 9-Brandon Vázquez (23-Zan Kolmanic, 72)
Substitutes not used: 30-Stefan Cleveland
Head coach: Nicolas Estevez Martinez
Stats Summary: SJ / AUS
Shots: 27 / 12
Shots on Goal: 11 / 4
Saves: 2 / 9
Corner Kicks: 7 / 4
Fouls: 27 / 28
Offside: 2 / 5
| Misconduct Summary |
| AUS – Brendan Hines-Ike (Caution) | 13th minute |
| AUS – Owen Wolff (Caution) | 50 |
| SJ – Cristian Arango (Caution) | 57 |
| SJ – Daniel (Caution) | 63 |
| AUS – Oleksandr Svatok (Caution) | 91 |
| AUS – Mikkel Desler (Caution) | 96 |
| AUS – Nicolás Dubersarsky (Caution) | 98 |