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There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. San Jose were the underdog, by a wide margin.
The Quakes are last in the overall MLS standings, 19 points off the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pace in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, Chivas are a perennial LIGA MX contender and have one of the continent’s largest fanbases. To that latter point: 50,675 fans attended Levi’s Stadium, establishing a new Leagues Cup record.
But those dynamics sometimes evaporate in a tournament setting, especially with Leagues Cup offering teams a clean slate. And so San Jose got an early Jeremy Ebobisse header, some stunning saves from Daniel on his return from injury, and Vitor Costa scored the game-winner from the spot.
Why were penalty kicks required? Chivas star Roberto Alvarado scored a, um, controversial equalizer in the 98th minute. Wave after wave of pressure finally poked through the Quakes’ defense. But San Jose earned the extra point and, frankly, composed themselves in ways we haven’t seen this season.
Wild, wild stuff… which also spoiled Cade Cowell’s homecoming. He missed a PK for Chivas.
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