Though some Major League Soccer teams took part in the U.S. Open Cup in the league's inaugural season, the San Jose Clash did not enter the tournament until 1997. The Clash took on the Central Coast Roadrunners in San Luis Obispo on July 27, 1997 in their first-ever appearance in the oldest cup competition in United States soccer.
The U.S. Open Cup, the U.S. Soccer Federations' National Championship, began in 1914 and is the oldest annual American team tournament in United States sports history. It is a single-elimination tournament open to all amateur and professional soccer teams in the U.S. The tournament was renamed to the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1999 to honor one of the pioneer's of American soccer. Hunt helped form the North American Soccer League (NASL) and owned the Columbus Crew, the Kansas City Wizards, and the Dallas Burn of MLS. With the addition of MLS teams in 1996, the competition has become a true national championship.
The Clash entered the third round of the cup in 1997 with a match against the Central Coast Roadrunners of the Premier Development League. The Clash ventured down to San Luis Obispo, California to take on the amateur team on their home turf on July 27, 1997.
The Clash were hoping to use the U.S. Open Cup game as a way to turn around their recent play, as the last-place San Jose club was struggling in the midst of a four-game MLS losing streak. But the Roadrunners had proven to be a tough team in previous cup matches, as they defeated the USISL Select League Champion California Jaguars before taking on the Clash in the tournament.
In just the second minute of play at Mustang Stadium in San Luis Obispo, the Roadrunners were at it again as Central Coast midfielder Jeremy Schultz managed to give the amateur club an early 1-0 lead.
The Clash equalized the game in the 26th minute on an unassisted Lawrence Lozzano goal to put San Jose back in the game with plenty of time to spare. Zico was the next Clash player to find the net when he gave his team the lead with a penalty kick goal in the 44th minute.
The underdogs refused to give in to the professional team's pressure, though. Roadrunners midfielder Abel Gutierrez in the 74th minute to put Central Coast right back in to the game with a 2-2 tie.
But the Clash would not deal with the Roadrunners any longer, as they would silence the hopeful Central Coast team with three goals in the following eight minutes. Just one minute after the tying goal was scored, San Jose forward Jeff Baicher once again gave his team the lead with a goal in the 75th minute off of an assist from Zico. Lozzano found the net for the second time on July 27, 1997 with another goal for San Jose just six minutes later. Forward Ronald Cerritos would cap off the night with the Clash's final goal in the 83rd minute to finalize the score at 5-2.
The San Jose Clash's first U.S. Open Cup game on July 27, 1997 marked its first of many future successes in the tournament. The Clash and the Earthquakes reached the quarterfinals in 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, and 2002. The club reached its farthest point in the Open Cup in 2004 with a berth to the semifinals. Overall, San Jose owns a 9-7 record in U.S. Open Cup play, scoring 32 goals and allowing just 15.
