The California Clasico is the battle of north and south California. There is a lot of history between the San Jose Earthquakes and the Los Angeles Galaxy, and a lot of those moments are filled with bad blood.
What the Clasico means to California and the country
For the non-Major League Soccer (MLS) or soccer fan, the magnitude of this heated series is similar to the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants. No matter where these teams are in the standings they always want to beat each other. It is the bragging rights of not the city but of the state, which spices up the competition more.
For the people who live in these regions, this game is circled on the calendar and the buzz around town grows until a few days after the match ends. The emotions have to settle first before a person can move on to the next chapters of their lives. However, the California Clasico is not only important for people in the state, but also for the league.
Throughout the years, there have been a number of US Soccer legends and former MLS stars that have participated in these matches. These players are Dwayne De Rosario, Brian Ching, Ronald Cerritos, Cobi Jones, Eduardo Hurtado, Luis Hernandez, Jorge Campos, Mauricio Cienfuegos, David Beckham and of course, Landon Donovan. One can say that the history of MLS can be seen in this rivalry.
Many players have represented both teams, but Donovan has been a great hero and a villain for both sides. He has destroyed LA as a member of the Quakes in the playoffs and in 2001 final, and then he went on to win four MLS Cups as a member of the Galaxy before he retired. In total, the Donovan has won six MLS Cups between the two clubs.
How many times have the two clubs face each other
This rivalry has been going on since MLS began in 1996. This Sunday will be the 62nd time that the Earthquakes and LA Galaxy will meet in the regular season. If the post-season matches are included then this will be 72nd times LA and San Jose will clash.
Whether the match takes place in San Jose or in LA the atmosphere is always tingling with excitement for the upcoming game. Both fan bases will make the trip up or down the state in hopes of seeing something great happen. Now to make things more exciting the two clubs are only separated by one point in the competitive Western Conference.
This will be the second time these two clubs face this season. LA earned their 28th victory against their rivals in regular season play. The Galaxy defeated the Quakes 3-1 in front of a sold-out crowd of 25,667 people at the StubHub Center.
Now these two clubs will be meeting again in Southern California on Sunday. This match will be the 28th time San Jose and the Galaxy will battle in Los Angeles. The names might on both clubs have changed throughout the years, but the desire to beat one another has carried on.
"When San Jose comes here, we know that our fans get up for it and how passionate they are for this game. We know how crazy the games can be, and we make sure to come prepared," LA's defender AJ DeLaGarza told MLS Soccer contributor, Colin Stephenson, about the upcoming match against the Quakes. "When you play a rival, it's usually a team you really hate and I really hate San Jose."