MLS
LA Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes meet again in the Cali Clásico
One of the most frenetic rivalries in MLS history will reignite this weekend with the two teams at opposite ends of the Western Conference.
MLS Rivalry Week begins on Saturday, starting an eight-day spell of thrilling fixtures across the league. And when it comes to MLS rivalries few can match the Cali Clásico, played between LA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes.
On Sunday evening the Earthquakes will visit a Galaxy side who have massively underperformed so far this season and currently find themselves joint bottom of the Western conference.
The visitors, on the other hand, are just two points off the top of the table and come into the game off the back of an impressive 2-1 win over LAFC.
Sunday’s fixture is not just a crucial game in terms of their respective league positions, but also represents the latest instalment of MLS’ most enduring rivalry.
The history of the Cali Clásico
No one has scored more goals in the history of MLS than San Jose Earthquakes legend Chris Wondolowski. He played more than 400 games during his 16-year career in the league and believes that the rivalry between the Earthquakes and the Galaxy ranks as one of the fiercest.
“San Jose and LA have had some epic games, which has added to the allure,” he says. “There’s a good rivalry, one where both clubs have successful pasts too. There’s that history, those battles you remember and get inspired by.”
The two teams first met in April 1996 when the Galaxy ran out 2-1 winners. Since then there have been another 94 Cali Clásico fixtures and the Galaxy have had the edge with 44 wins to the Earthquakes’ 33.
Their rivalry reached its peak in the early 2000s when the two teams were frequently in contention at the top of the Western Conference. From 2001 to 2005 they won four MLS Cups between them and boasted some of the league’s top players.
Key among them was former USMNT captain Landon Donovan. He won the MLS Cup twice in San Jose before making a controversial transfer to their California rivals the Galaxy, winning another four titles there.
One of their most famous meetings came in 2012 when the Earthquakes hosted the Galaxy at their Stanford Stadium in front of a franchise record 50,391 supporters. The game finished with a thrilling 4-3 victory for the host that saw Galaxy star David Beckham given a suspension for his role in an on-pitch scuffle.
Later that year the Galaxy got their own back, however, and eliminated their Cali rivals in the Western Conference semi-finals. That was the last time that they met in a play-off game.
Galaxy need things to change against the Earthquakes
San Jose’s impressive start to the 2023 season have been sparked by the incredible form of Cristian Espinoza, the Argentinian forward who currently leads the goal-scoring charts. The 28-year-old has scored eight times and recorded three assists in 11 MLS outings this year.
Espinoza was a key player last season, during which he notched 14 assists, but the Earthquakes spent much of the year moored to the bottom of the Western Conference. This time around he’s producing MVP form in a team that are competing at the right end of the table.
On Sunday Espinoza & co. face a Galaxy side that have lost five of their last six MLS games. LA Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney’s future reportedly hangs in the balance and the team is under pressure to turn it around against San Jose.
After last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to the Colorado Rapids, Galaxy captain Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez demanded improvement from his teammates.
“We’re LA Galaxy, man. When I say we need to behave and understand that – they’re giving you the chance to be the greatest,” Hernandez said. “You’re in the greatest f****ing organization in the USA. At the least, you give everything.”
“We’re not doing enough. That’s for sure. All of us. That’s for sure. That’s why we are where we are.”
A win in the Cali Clásico would certainly go some way to restoring confidence in the LA Galaxy squad. But that will not be easy against an in-form San Jose side who will likely smell blood against their California rivals.