It’s that time again!
Black and Blue versus Navy and Gold. North against South. The skydivers soaring down onto the field with “BEAT LA” emblazoned on the flag. The pageantry and parade of American heroes being saluted on the pitch. And of course, the Bay Area’s largest fireworks show illuminating the night after the final whistle.
Northern California natives know: The California Clasico is finally upon us.
On Saturday night, the San Jose Earthquakes and LA Galaxy will take the field for the 13th time at Stanford Stadium and the 105th edition overall of the timeless interstate derby. It’s a battle like no other in Major League Soccer.
This year’s edition is marked by a Quakes renaissance. Despite dropping their last game against Orlando City SC on Wednesday, San Jose remains tied on points for first place in the Western Conference for the first time since 2012—the initial season that the annual summer clash at Stanford became an MLS tradition.
The Quakes are 5-3-2 against the Galaxy at The Farm, with four of those wins coming in dramatic come-from-behind fashion. San Jose also captured the season series in 2025, winning 1-0 in Carson and drawing 1-1 at Stanford.
To understand the significance of this matchup, allow us to take you back in time to revisit five memorable games in chronological order.
July 20, 2012: Quakes 4, Galaxy 3
In front of 50,391 fans, the Earthquakes took the Stanford Stadium field for the first time in the Clasico.
Just two months earlier, Steven Lenhart invoked the “Never say die” mantra when San Jose scored three unanswered goals in the last 14 minutes to shock the Galaxy in Carson, 3-2.
This time Lenhart again would be a protagonist by opening the scoring, but the cheers soon turned to despair as the Quakes found themselves trailing 3-1 in minute 41.
What transpired next was emblematic of the “Goonies” who would go on to win the Supporters’ Shield that year. First, Victor Bernardez responded with a goal before intermission. Then on the other end of the break, Sam Cronin broke free in behind the back line and equalized for the Quakes, who now had almost an entire half to grab the winning goal. It took them less than 15 minutes as Chris Wondolowski struck from a set piece in minute 61 to deliver what would end up being the deciding goal.
The chaos was far from over, however. Late in stoppage time, Galaxy midfielder David Beckham drop-kicked a ball at Cronin while he was on the ground, igniting a brawl now infamously known for the English legend squaring up at Quakes mascot Q and taking this rivalry to another level.
June 29, 2013: Quakes 3, Galaxy 2
The sequel to the Stanford opener did not disappoint as it provided one of the most iconic moments in Earthquakes history.
In minute 68, the Black and Blue found themselves once again trailing by two goals against the Galaxy. This time Alan Gordon etched his name in Cali Clasico lore and came up with a brilliant header to make it 2-1. Another comeback looked to be within reach, but a Bernardez red card in minute 77 exacerbated the Quakes’ problems.
Despite being down a man, San Jose continued to push forward, and after a long throw-in broke loose in the box, Shea Salinas pounced on it to level the game in stoppage time. Most teams would have been content with securing a point while down a man, but the Quakes wanted more.
Just one minute later, Cronin gathered the ball at the top of the box and sent a perfect ball to Gordon at the back post to dunk home his second goal of the night and the game-winning goal. Euphoria set in at Stanford as he ripped off his shirt and celebrated with his teammates and the Ultras behind the goal. The Goonies had done it again on The Farm.
July 1, 2017: Quakes 2, Galaxy 1
The 2017 edition of the Clasico was no different. The Galaxy struck first early on, but by this time, the crowd had seen this movie before and waited for the second-half hijinks to ensue. Sure enough, in minute 75, Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham sent a long ball to Wondolowski, who took one touch inside and curled the ball with his left foot into the far corner to tie it 1-1.
Once again, San Jose had the final say in the third minute of stoppage time as Shea Salinas buried the game-winning goal and ripped his kit off to run across the field amid a sea of Black and Blue supporters losing their minds. Later Salinas would tell reporters he had a prescient moment before the match and told his wife if he scored he would do just that. The subsequent yellow card was well worth it as the moment was immortalized years later in a Shea Salinas shirtless bobblehead.
June 30, 2018: Quakes 3, Galaxy 3
Zlatan Ibrahimović added his own brand of flair to the rivalry when he took the field for LA and scored two early goals as the Galaxy jumped out to a 3-1 lead. However, not even Zlatan himself could stop the inevitable: a Quakes resurgence at Stanford.
Vako netted to pull one back for San Jose before intermission and Wondolowski converted from the penalty spot in minute 69 to salvage a 3-3 draw and send their SoCal rivals home without three points yet again.
July 1, 2023: Quakes 2, Galaxy 2
This epic encounter was absolute cinema. The Earthquakes fought back from an early deficit to tie it 1-1 with a Jack Skahan goal. But LA would surge ahead shortly after halftime thanks to future Quakes star forward Preston Judd—one of a handful of players to feature for both teams during their careers. With time running out, the Stanford magic emerged to LA’s dismay once more as Cristian Espinoza found the back of the net in the final 10 minutes to steal a point in a 2-2 draw.
July 25, 2026: The Future is Now
Can the Quakes get back on track Saturday? After so many games on the opposite sideline, Bruce Arena now mans the San Jose bench and has led the team to their best start in club history.
But he has a new challenge on his hands. Due to an accumulation of yellow cards, Judd (who currently leads all domestic players in MLS with 11 goals) and defensive midfielder/team captain Ronaldo Vieira will miss the match.
The Galaxy are struggling this season in 10th, one spot off the playoff positions. German star Marco Reus and Ghanaian winger Joseph Paintsil will be the focal points in attack with striker Joao Klauss out with injury and Gabriel Pec recently transferred to Brazilian side Cruzeiro.
While the Quakes appear to be favored on paper, throw the records out the window when it comes to the California Clasico, where no lead is safe, new heroes are made each time and the fireworks are prevalent on and off the field.
