Soccer <\/p>\n
Saturday evening brings one of the\u00a0San Jose Earthquakes<\/a>\u2019 cherished annual traditions.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Quakes will make the short trip northwest to Palo Alto to host their cross-state rivals, the LA Galaxy<\/a>, in a California Cl\u00e1sico clash at Stanford Stadium, the noisy college football venue that usually packs in upwards of 50,000 fans for this special occasion \u2013 more than double the capacity of their usual home, PayPal Park (10:30 pm ET | Apple TV<\/a>).<\/p>\n The intensity of those crowds tends to add further spice to an already-heated matchup. And with the Bay Area still awash in the glow of a highly successful turn as a 2026 FIFA World Cup<\/a> venue, plus the excitement around San Jose\u2019s resurgent start to the season, Bruce Arena\u2019s squad are eager to seize the moment this weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cI was honestly impressed by the turnout and how excited people have been around this area for the World Cup,\u201d winger Ousseni Bouda<\/a> told reporters earlier this week. \u201cJust in San Jose, in San Pedro Square, there were so many people at the watch parties, and then all over, even in San Francisco.<\/p>\n \u201cI think [with] that energy, there’s no better time for us to have a Cali Cl\u00e1sico than now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n most iconic rivalry \ud83e\udd1d most iconic goals <\/p>\n The Cali Clasico at Stanford Stadium is home to the MOST ICONIC goals in @MLS<\/a> history, with some of them being the best last-minute #Quakes74<\/a> game-winning goals. <\/p>\n get your \ud83c\udf9f\ufe0fs \u2026 you don\u2019t wanna miss this pic.twitter.com\/ecrlYwwzNJ<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Even with several teams perceived to have less mainstream appeal, the region’s NFL stadium in Santa Clara was at or near full capacity for the six World Cup matches it hosted this summer, the highlight being a packed house for the United States<\/a>‘ 2-0 Round-of-32 win<\/a> over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1.<\/p>\n The Earthquakes hosted outdoor viewing parties at the San Pedro Square market in downtown San Jose throughout the tournament, drawing nearly a million attendees across the event, with the USMNT and Mexico particular draws.<\/p>\n It all offered a tantalizing sense of possibility for a club working hard to transcend several years of pronounced struggle in MLS.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously we have to have success on the field as well to take advantage of all of this,\u201d Arena told reporters the day after the US-Bosnia match. \u201cBut the sport has grown in the country and is certainly getting good support in our area, so hopefully that says good things for the Earthquakes in the future, and our league as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe potential here is awesome,\u201d Arena added. \u201cIt’s a great area, the Bay Area, with some of the biggest corporations in the world; the demographics are very favorable for our sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n AIN\u2019T NO PARTY LIKE A SAN JOSE PARTY \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\u203c\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/boEyzzJqRK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) July 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Stanford holds plenty of soccer heritage unto itself.\u00a0<\/p>\n Its men’s and women’s programs have each won three NCAA College Cup national championships, producing a multitude of future professional and international players \u2013 including Bouda \u2013 and the stadium’s original iteration hosted several huge 1994 World Cup matches before a 2005-06 rebuild into its current configuration.<\/p>\n Every visit to \u201cThe Farm\u201d gives the Quakes another chance to introduce themselves to that corner of their sprawling metropolitan region. With German star Timo Werner<\/a> orchestrating the attack and a 10W-3L-2D record before MLS\u2019s World Cup pause that has them tied with Vancouver Whitecaps FC<\/a> for first place in the Western Conference, even after a frustrating\u00a04-0 loss<\/a> to Antoine Griezmann<\/a>‘s Orlando City<\/a> on Wednesday, they believe they’re building something worth paying attention to.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially with World Cup being here in the city, everybody’s showing their love for the game, said striker Preston Judd<\/a>, whose 11g\/2a makes him the top-scoring domestic player in MLS at present.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a good team here in the city that they can support. So everybody needs to come out, and we have a good chance this year \u2013 we’re first in the Western Conference, so we got to keep on going and keep the fans coming, bring the noise.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n it’s #BeatLA<\/a> from now until 7:30PM tomorrow \u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n California Clasico. Stanford Stadium. Most iconic rivalry in @mls<\/a>. Biggest firework show in the Bay. $25 Supporter Tickets \ud835\ude69\ud835\ude64\ud835\ude59\ud835\ude56\ud835\ude6e \ud835\ude64\ud835\ude63\ud835\ude61\ud835\ude6e.<\/p>\n Be there. pic.twitter.com\/7R7QNM9AIV<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) July 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Remarkably, PayPal Park has yet to host an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match in its decade of existence. Changing that this autumn is job one for the Quakes, and a win in Saturday’s Cl\u00e1sico is the next step.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can tell like soccer means a little bit more than what people think,\u201d said All-Star defender Daniel Munie<\/a>. \u201cIt’s going to be a huge boost for American soccer and MLS going forward. So I’m really excited to see what it’s capable of doing.<\/p>\n \u201cHopefully we can put on a good show.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Dedicated fans<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Stanford’s shining moment<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Growing the game<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n