Earthquakes Draw Houston in MLS Cup Playoffs; Game 1 at PayPal Park on Nov. 24
Fourth-seeded San Jose will host fifth-seeded Houston in Round One Game 1 on Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. PT — the club's first playoff home game at PayPal Park.
By the Bay Area Brief staff · Edited by Seamus McKenna · · 2 min read
Palm trees and the Hotel Valencia at Santana Row in San Jose on a sunny day. Photo: Payton Chung / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped, resized and color-graded). Archive photo of the area; not a photo of the events in this story.
The San Jose Earthquakes will host the Houston Dynamo in Game 1 of their Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One series on Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. PT at PayPal Park.
The Earthquakes said the fourth-seeded Quakes face fifth-seeded Houston in a best-of-three series, with Game 2 in Houston on Nov. 28 and a potential Game 3 back in San Jose on Dec. 2. It will be San Jose's first postseason home game at PayPal Park since the stadium opened in 2015. The club finished fourth in the Western Conference with 52 points.
Why it matters:MLS confirmed the Nov. 24 PayPal Park kickoff (10 p.m. ET) on Apple TV, FS1 and FOX Deportes. Tied matches in Round One go straight to penalty kicks. Coach Bruce Arena said home-field support will matter against Houston.
Sources
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The San Jose Earthquakes came back from a goal down while playing a man short to draw the Colorado Rapids 2-2 Wednesday night, a result that clinched the club's first home playoff game since PayPal Park opened in 2015.
San Jose is fourth in the West after a 3-0 loss at FC Dallas. The top four get home field in the best-of-three first round, which starts the week of Nov. 20.
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Bay FC closed its third NWSL season Sunday with a 1-0 home loss to the San Diego Wave on a ninth-minute goal by Mimi Van Zanten. The club finished 7-17-6 and out of the playoffs for a second straight year. It now turns to a new Treasure Island training center and the 2027 season.
