Rising looks to make midweek ‘cupset’ against one of the most in-form teams in North American soccer
Written by Zoë Lam
Phoenix Rising put together its most complete performance of 2026 against rivals New Mexico United on Saturday night, netting three goals to win 3-0 on April 11 at Phoenix Rising Stadium. Forward Ihsan Sacko netted a brace, midfielder JP Scearce netted his second goal of the season and goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky picked up a second clean sheet to propel Rising to its first regular season win of 2026.
“Everybody is excited because it’s an opportunity (against San Jose) for us to show there are players on the team,” forward Ihsan Sacko said. “We definitely want to win this game, which is why we’ll give all our effort for the win.”
Riding the momentum of its first regular season win on Saturday, along with a 2–1 victory over Orange County SC in the Second Round (April 1), Rising heads to the South Bay to face the San Jose Earthquakes in the 2026 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (PT) on Wednesday, April 15, at PayPal Park.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION –
WHAT: Phoenix Rising at San Jose Earthquakes
WHEN: Wednesday, April 15 (7:00 p.m. PT)
WHERE: PayPal Park (San Jose, Calif.)
HOW TO WATCH: CBS Sports Golazo Network, Paramount+
RISING IN THE CUP
2026 marks a third straight season in which Rising will compete in the Round of 32, having faced Houston Dynamo in 2025 and North Carolina FC in 2024. With a win, the club will advance to the Round of 16 for a second time in three years.
On the other side of Rising’s group, Minnesota United FC (MLS) will travel to face Sacramento Republic FC (USL Championship). The winner of that match will meet the winner of Rising’s match in the Round of 16.
10-8-3 all-time in the Open Cup since making its tournament debut in 2014, Rising will look to win three consecutive matches in the campaign for the first time in club history when it travels to San Jose for the first-ever meeting between the two sides.
“I’m very happy and proud of seeing these boys every day coming to work and putting in their maximum best,” Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “I’m just proud of how we’ve been continuing to play with guys out, players filling in. There’s no pouting, there’s nothing. And that just shows the resilience and the character of this team.”
HOW RISING ADVANCED
Rising advanced to the Round of 32 behind a 2-1 victory over Orange County SC on April 1 at Championship Soccer Stadium. Forward Gunnar Studenhofft opened the scoring in the 35th minute after capitalizing on a defensive giveaway, giving Rising control for much of the match. Orange County equalized late in regulation through Ousmane Sylla in the 86th minute, forcing extra time, where Aleksandar Vukovic delivered the winner in the 96th minute with a powerful header off a corner kick from Ihsan Sacko.
Rising’s resilience continued to show throughout, backed by a strong performance from goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky, who recorded a season-high five saves. Sacko continued his strong form, extending his goal contribution streak, while 17-year-old Jackson Gaydon made his professional debut late in extra time.
“I think we’re an incredibly stubborn team,” Kah said following the match. “We don’t know the word ‘give up.’ It doesn’t exist in our vocabulary. We’re a hard-working team with a lot of quality on the ball, and we know we can always score goals. For us, it’s our mentality, our will to keep pushing. This group is amazing.”
FACING THE ‘QUAKES
The San Jose Earthquakes enter Wednesday amid one of its best start to an MLS season in recent club history. Head Coach Bruce Arena’s club sits tied for first in the Western Conference following a 6-1-0 start to the regular season.
Five San Jose players have netted multiple goals this season, led by forward Preston Judd (3G). Niko Tsakiris leads the MLS side in goal contributions with six (2G, 4A). Their success has been highlighted by a defense that has conceded just twice all season, with defender Daniel Munie (2G) proving to be one of the club’s many breakout stars.
“You don’t play the occasion, you play the game,” forward Darius Johnson said.
While still searching for its first U.S. Open Cup title, the club has made multiple deep runs – with 23 wins all-time in the tournament – including semifinal appearances in 2004 and 2017. More recently, the Earthquakes reached the Quarterfinals last season, earning wins over Sacramento Republic FC and the Portland Timbers before falling in a penalty shootout to Austin FC.
Wednesday’s Round of 32 matchup marks the Bay Area side’s first foray into the Open Cup this season.
