Our weekly summary is finally here. We have the highlights from the Quakes draw with Nashville and Bay FC also even with Portland this past weekend. Our friends at Soccer Bay Area and the Oakland Roots Blog have their takes.
‘I could taste three points…’ Bay FC concede late goal, draw Portland Thorns
Next up for Bay FC is a Saturday match to LA to face Angel City at 5:45 pm while Portland returns home to face North Carolina on Friday at 7 pm.
With Bay FC playing out the schedule and rebuilding for next season original player Rachael Kundananji was transferred to Chicago Stars for $700,000 in cash. While she was a marquee player who was a fan favorite there was only one playoff appearance to show back in the inaugural year of 2024. Now, Bay FC goes in a different direction for year four, while the Chicago Stars themselves have a player to rebuild around.
Opinion: Racheal Kundananji leaves Bay FC. The club will always be indebted to her
The Roots got an important 4-2 win at Tulsa and return to the area to face rival already playoff bound Sacramento this Saturday. A win or draw with help will propel them into the postseason.
Oakland Roots vs. FC Tulsa: What I loved, hated, and remain unsure about
Oakland Roots one point behind playoffs after 4-2 comeback win over FC Tulsa
Going into their match against Sacramento at the Capital, the Roots can qualify with a win and Phoenix and Orange County draw or lose their games. If the Roots draw with Republic then Phoenix and Orange County must both lose. A Roots loss regardless of the other results eliminates them from the USL post-season.
The Quakes draw even with Nashville 1-1 last Saturday at PayPal Park in a possible finals preview. Hany Mukhtar gave the current Eastern Conference leaders the lead with his 34th minute goal, but in the second half at the 70th minute Preston Judd equalized the game with his career setting 16th goal. Along with Chris Wondolowski and Jeremy Ebobisse, Judd is the third player to achieve that feat.
With San Diego and Portland both getting tied in their respective matches San Jose qualifies for the MLS Cup playoffs for the first time since 2023 and will play at Dallas on Saturday. The remaining four matches will determine where the Quakes will rank when they head to the postseason. A top 4 finish will assure them of hosting at least one first round game and possibly the second.
Meanwhile, the Quakes second team lose their playoff game at Austin 2-1 and eliminates them from the 2026 MLS Next Pro championship.
