The Quakes will travel down to Southern California this weekend to face archrival the LA Galaxy for the fifth time this year in all competitions, including preseason and the U.S. Open Cup. The matchup has produced electrifying moments throughout history, with late goals, spats with mascots and miraculous comeback wins. This Sunday is gearing up to be no different.
The hundreds of fans that are traveling South to #InvadeLA have the chance to watch two Clasicos, as following the conclusion of the first team match, the Quakes Unified Team will face the LA Galaxy’s Unified squad.
The Quakes Special Olympics Unified Team consists of 23 players, ages 16-25, both with and without intellectual disabilities. Partnering with Special Olympics Northern California, the Unified Game aims to provide athletes of all ability levels the chance to play and be part of a team while learning skills such as teamwork, winning with grace and encouraging others to carry positivity into their everyday lives.
The unified teams have already faced off once this season at Avaya Stadium on May 27, taking the pitch after the first Quakes vs. Galaxy match of the 2017 MLS regular season. The result of Unified Game ended with a similar score as the first team, with Quakes Unified falling 5-2 and the first team losing 4-2.
Yet revenge is sweet, and in the next two encounters between the first teams, the Quakes secured three points. In the annual Stanford game on July 1, the Quakes came from behind to win 2-1 with Shea Salinas scoring the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.
Just 10 days later, the Quakes defeated the Galaxy 3-2 in the Quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to earn a place in the tournament’s Semifinal round.
The Sunday the Quakes look to make their overall record against LA this year 4-1-0 and Quakes Unified look to take care of some unfinished business. The first team match kicks off at 4 p.m. and will be aired live on Fox Sports 1, KNBR 1050 and KZSF 1370.
