Earthquakes, Chivas USA set for Raley Field tilt
Meanwhile in Sacramento, Chico State alum Chris Wondoloski and the San Jose Earthquakes will take on Chivas USA in the inaugural Sacramento Cup this Saturday at Raley Field. Game time is 7 p.m. With the U.S.-England World Cup game at 11:30 a.m., Saturday should be an action packed day on the pitch for Sacramento area soccer fans.
The game will be the Earthquakes second appearance in Sacramento, their first was March 16, 2002, when they faced off against CD Olimpia of Honduras in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match at a sold out Sheldon-Florin Community Stadium. Just a year after winning their first MLS Cup and led by marquee players such as Landon Donovan, Joe Cannon and Jeff Agoos, the Earthquakes would win the game 3-1 and advance to the next round of the CONCACAF Cup where they would lose 3-1 on aggregate to Mexican champion Pachuca FC.
Organized in 1994, the San Jose franchise became a member of the MLS on June 15 along with New England, Columbus, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Washington D.C., Tampa Bay, Denver, Kansas City and Dallas. Originally the "Clash," a name it kept for four seasons, the franchise changed their name to the Earthquakes prior to the 2000 season in honor of the former NASL team from the area during the 1970s and early 1980s.
The San Jose club played its inaugural game at Spartan Stadium before a crowd of 31, 683 on April 6, 1996, and made MLS history as San Jose forward Eric Wynalda scored the first goal in MLS history as they defeated D.C. United 1-0.
In their first five seasons, the San Jose franchise only made one playoff appearance, playing under three different head coaches and losing a key player in Eric Wynalda for two months during the 1998 due to international duty. However, San Jose continued to build a strong club for the future and got their first real taste of victory in the 2001 season.
Current coach Frank Yallop took over prior to the 2001 season, just two days before the MLS super-draft, becoming the fifth coach in Earthquakes history. Future MLS stars Landon Donovan and Dwayne De Rosario joined the Earthquakes that season and teamed up with current stars Ronald Cerritos, Joe Cannon and Jeff Agoos.
During the 2001 season, six Earthquake players were selected to the MLS West All-Star Team with Landon Donovan taking home the MVP honors after scoring four goals. The Earthquakes made their second playoff appearance that same season, and this time they made it count, making it all the way to the MLS Cup and defeating in-state rival Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 in overtime off of a golden goal by De Rosario.
The Earthquakes failed to defend their title the following year as the Columbus Crew swept them in the first round of the playoffs. Despite a disappointing 2002 playoff campaign and losing eight players due to trade or free agency that off-season, the Earthquakes were not affected even after losing 2001 MLS Cup star De Rosario to injury as they went on to win their second MLS Cup in three years defeating the Chicago Fire, 4-2.
Following the 2003 championship season, the Earthquakes suffered back-to-back playoff defeats and the franchise ended on a sour note, as it was put on hiatus by the league prior to the 2006 season. Players and coaches packed their bags and moved to Houston where they went on to play as the Houston Dynamo.
The club's hiatus was short-lived as Lew Wolff, majority owner of the Oakland Athletics, purchased an option to acquire an MLS team in 2006 and bring MLS soccer back to the Bay Area. Only a few players, including starting goalkeeper Cannon, remain from the Earthquakes championship days. The team has failed to make the playoffs in its two seasons since rejoining the MLS. That said, the Earthquakes have showed promise in the young 2010 season going 5-4-2 throughout 11 games as they sit in the fourth-place slot in the Western Conference, good enough to make the playoffs if they were to begin today.
Saturday's match between the Earthquakes and Chivas USA mark the return of soccer to Raley field. The Sacramento venue hosted consecutive soccer matches in 2006, 2007 and 2008.