Ebobisse’s brace propels Quakes to Leagues Cup rout over Necaxa in Round of 32

Photo: San Jose Earthquakes

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Before Sunday, the San Jose Earthquakes were unsure whether they’d still be alive in Leagues Cup. They were heavily dependent on the LA Galaxy securing a much-needed win over Chivas de Guadalajara, which would allow the Quakes to slot into the second spot in the group and advance.

But when the Galaxy defeated Chivas, effectively tossing a lifeline to the Quakes, San Jose became set to host yet another Leagues Cup match — against Liga MX side Club Necaxa — a squad coming off a massive victory over the Seattle Sounders to move on to the knockout round.

On Thursday, at PayPal Park, the Earthquakes erupted for a 5-0 victory over Necaxa in the Round of 32, clinching them a spot in the upcoming Round of 16.

All but one of San Jose’s goals arrived in the first 35 minutes, as the Quakes instantly fired on all cylinders to begin the match, constantly pressuring Necaxa’s back line with inside feeds and crosses.

“We finished chances, we knocked them out, we transitioned well, we defended well, we won second balls,” interim head coach Ian Russell said. “Tonight was the first time that we finished our chances and continued to finish, continued to press, continued to get turnovers, and it was a complete game.”

The Earthquakes’ first three goals were all scored from beyond the 18-yard box.

Midfielder and captain Jackson Yueill broke the initial silence, finding the back of the net in the fifth minute. The goal was his first in well over a year, setting the tone for what would be an offensive masterclass for the black and blue.

It wouldn’t take too long for San Jose to double its lead, as midfielder Hernán López took command in the 17th minute, dribbling the ball into the attacking third by himself and striking it to the right side of the net to make it a 2-0 game.

Forward Jeremy Ebobisse would soon steal the show and eventually rise atop of Leagues Cup’s goal-scoring leaderboard. After missing a free-kick strike wide left moments before, Ebobisse delivered a soaring one-timer past goalkeeper Ezequiel Unsain for San Jose’s third first-half tally. Ebobisse’s shot was made possible by defender Rodrigues spearheading the counterattack, a system appearing revitalized and improved under Russell.

Six minutes later, Ebobisse capitalized on a well-executed and cerebral pass from López — who centered the ball off his heel — to give the Quakes an astounding four-goal lead.

Ebobisse’s brace brought him to four goals in three Leagues Cup matches, now leading all players in the tournament. The 27-year-old appears to have truly carved out a more involved and shot-hungry role for himself amid the Quakes’ successful run thus far.

After a sequence of pushing and shoving that saw Rodrigues initially given a red card upon further review, San Jose headed into the halftime break already feeling like the victor of a one-sided blowout. Necaxa’s defender Alan Montes received the red card instead and was ejected from the match.

Russell utilized his substitutes in the second half, including putting in midfielder Niko Tsakiris, who was the recipient of the Concacaf Under-20 Golden Ball just days before.

Substitute defender Paul Marie would cap off San Jose’s scoring flurry in the 88th minute, capitalizing on a Necaxa giveaway and using his right foot to seal the deal.

The 5-0 result was San Jose’s biggest margin of victory since its five-goal dismantling of Bay Cities FC in the 2022 U.S. Open Cup.

“We needed this. We needed to have a game where we just unleashed goals and it's been coming,” Russell said. “We actually kept on ramping it up, and that's the mentality we have to have.”

Goalkeeper William Yarbrough earned a clean sheet, the team’s first since July 7, and made four saves in the winning effort.

“Everybody's really finding joy in the competition, I think we needed it,” Marie said. “Obviously, we're not happy with our season, but we’ve just got to focus on Leagues Cup right now.”

Next, the Quakes will head south to face LAFC in the Round of 16. Los Angeles, a team yet to lose in regulation in Leagues Cup, is coming off a 2-0 victory over Austin FC. One of LA’s familiar foes, the Quakes will hope to forget the most recent head-to-head matchup’s 6-2 result and will seek an upset on the road. San Jose defeated LAFC 3-1 at Levi’s Stadium in the first meeting.

“It’s been a challenging season,” Ebobisse admitted. “But the fact of the matter is, we have missed chances in a lot of games, and those chances that we have missed could have put us in positions to have successful nights like tonight. So for us, it’s an example of what we can do when we’re at our best.

The critical do-or-die battle will kick off on Tuesday, August 13 at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, as the Quakes strive to keep their Leagues Cup dreams alive.

Kasey Kazliner is an undergraduate sports broadcaster at USC. He covers a variety of sports, but particularly loves analyzing the Quakes' prospect pipeline. He is The Town FC's official beat writer and covers every match for the club. You can follow him on Twitter here.