The Best California “Clasico” Ever!

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Best California “Clasico” Ever!

2003.11.09 – The San Jose Earthquakes returned to the MLS pinnacle. The Quakes trailed the Galaxy 4-0 in the second leg of a two-game playoff series determined by aggregate score.

What happened next is remembered by some as ‘the greatest playoff game in MLS History’.

That’s when the Quakes roared to life, notching five consecutive goals over 70 electrifying minutes to beat the Galaxy, 5-4.

Members from both the Quakes and LA Galaxy offer their stories and experiences from that wild two-legged affair of the Conference Semi-Final in the 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs, that took the LA-SJ Rivalry to new heights.

“It was the single greatest soccer game I ever played in,” former Quakes star Landon Donovan said of that game in the video above.

The Quakes proceeded to beat the Chicago Fire for their second MLS Cup title in three years.

Vako – Yueill – Hoesen Score! Quakes beat Galaxy 3-1

Vako Qazaishvili had a goal and assist in Friday’s California Classico win over the L.A. Galaxy. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

2019.07.12 – Valeri Qazaishvili (Vako) and Jackson Yueill each had a goal and an assist, Danny Hoesen scored, and the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 3-1 in Carson.

Vako and Hoesen scored goals three minutes apart in the second half as the visiting Earthquakes dominated the run of play. Yueill added the finishing touch with a goal in the 85th minute as San Jose won for the fourth time in its past five games.

The Earthquakes (9-7-4) took 32 shots (16 on target), while the LA Galaxy (11-8-1) had just five shots (one on target).

2019.07.12 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

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2019.07.12 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

Rolf Feltscher gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead 101 seconds into the game off a corner kick from Jonathan dos Santos as both players were returning to the Galaxy from international duty.

Feltscher was playing in his first game since spending time with Venezuela in Copa America play, while dos Santos helped lead Mexico to the Gold Cup title.

San Jose could not find the finishing touch until Qazaishvili closed in on the Galaxy defense in the 61st minute. The midfielder fired a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area to the bottom left corner of the goal and past former Earthquakes and current Galaxy goalkeeper David Bingham for his fifth goal of the season.

Despite a relentless attack, San Jose could not find the finishing touch until Qazaishvili beat a defender as he cut toward the end line and rolled it to Hoesen in the center of the area where he side-footed the finish to give San Jose a 2-1 lead in the 64th minute.

Vako’s shot was parried goalkeeper David Bingham but Yueill ripped a rising volley to cap the scoring in the 85th.

The Earthquakes have won four of their last five and have just one loss in their last nine games.

Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, second in MLS with 13 goals, did not take a shot in the game, earning a yellow card for unsporting behavior in the 89th minute. Los Angeles fell to 10-1 when scoring the first goal of a game.

San Jose also defeated Los Angeles 3-0 at Stanford Stadium on June 29. The Galaxy still leads the all-time series 31-24-15

Vako leads Earthquakes over Galaxy 3-0 in Cali Clasico

Los Angeles Galaxy striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (center) gets blocked by San Jose Earthquakes Kashia in the California Classico win over the L.A. Galaxy. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

2019.06.29 – Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili scored early and the San Jose Earthquakes held on to beat the LA Galaxy 3-0 in the California Clasico on Saturday night.

Vako’s pass was blocked by a Galaxy player back to him and he sent a low hard shot from outside the area into the left corner in the 11th minute. Vako scored the Earthquakes’ last six goals in all competitions.

2019.06.29 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

Watch this video on YouTube

2019.06.29 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

Shea Salinas broke Vako’s streak in the 82nd minute, settling a long pass from Vako and firing it inside the left post. Three minutes later, Tommy Thompson’s cross was redirected into the goal by the Galaxy’s Perry Kitchen to cap the scoring.

Daniel Vega preserved his fifth shutout of the season with a diving save to deny Efrain Álvarez in the 89th minute. The Earthquakes (7-6-4) improved their unbeaten streak to five.

There were 50,850 fans on hand at Stanford Stadium, setting an attendance record for the rivalry.

The Galaxy dropped to 10-7-1.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy at Avaya Stadium

2015.06.27 – It’s A back–to-back “California Clasico” and really twice the fun. Four days later, the Galaxy returns for a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game at 18,000-seat Avaya Stadium.

The Open Cup runs concurrently with the MLS regular season. So after, the San Jose Earthquakes defeated the LA Galaxy 3-1 in front of a record 50,422 fans, the largest crowd in the history of the California Clasico at Stanford Stadium, they are competing again.

The feelings between the California teams embody many of the traits that make for rich rivalries, such as the famous “clasicos” of Barcelona FC vs. Real Madrid in Spain and Boca Juniors vs. River Plate in Buenos Aires.

2015.06.27 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

Watch this video on YouTube

2015.06.27 (San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy) See video

San Jose midfielder Tommy Thompson didn’t hold back in explaining what he likes best about facing the Galaxy, “The hatred each team has for the opponent,” said Thompson.

San Jose defender Clarence Goodson can’t remember how many times he has had to face a big rival in a short turnaround, except for a playoff series. “That said, the first one is the most important, because it’s the first one,” Goodson said. “First things first.”

The Earthquakes seem to find something extra when playing host to their biggest adversary. Even with stars David Beckham and Landon Donovan, the Galaxy has won only once in the past 11 regular-season games in the Bay Area.

The Quakes enter the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on an uptick. They have lost just once in eight games and hope to build off last weekend’s win against LA Galaxy and the surprising 2-0 victory at first-place Seattle. “That it happened right before the Cali Clasico is perfect,” Thompson said.

In a rarity, San Jose is almost at full strength, with their forward Steven Lenhart, who could be out with season ending injuries. In an effort to fill that void the Earthquakes announced Friday they have acquired forward Quincy Amarikwa from the Chicago Fire for reserve defender Ty Harden.

The San Jose team will need Amarikwa, 27 year of age, a player it selected out of UC Davis in the 2009 MLS draft.

Leading scorer Chris Wondolowski and midfielder Cordell Cato could be absent for much of July as they play in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

After two dismal starts in 2013 and ’14, the Quakes enter the summer brimming with confidence. Thompson credits Dominic Kinnear, who returned to San Jose after coaching the Houston Dynamo for nine years.

“Every player on this team knows exactly what is expected from him,” Thompson said. “Now that everyone knows their role, we’re executing it well. And it is showing in the results we’re getting.”

The Earthquakes face off against the LA Galaxy for the second time in four days, dueling in the Round of 16 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Avaya Stadium on Wednesday, July 1, beginning at 7:30 p.m. PT. San Jose.

Quakes will travels north to battle the Portland Timbers on Sunday, July 5, beginning at 2:00 p.m. PT, broadcast live on ESPN2, 1590 KLIV and 1370 KZSF.