 | ||||
| Nicknames | The Quakes The Goonies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | June 15, 1994 (31 years ago) (1994-06-15)[1] | |||
| Stadium | PayPal Park San Jose,California | |||
| Capacity | 18,000 | |||
| Majority owner | John Fisher | |||
| President | Jared Shawlee | |||
| Head coach | Bruce Arena | |||
| League | Major League Soccer | |||
| 2025 | Western Conference: 10th Overall: 20th Playoffs: Did not qualify | |||
| Website | sjearthquakes.com | |||
 Current season | ||||
TheSan Jose Earthquakes are an American professionalsoccer club based inSan Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete inMajor League Soccer (MLS) as a member of theWestern Conference. Originally known as theSan Jose Clash, the franchise began play in1996 as one of the charter members of the league. The Earthquakes took part in the first game in MLS history, defeatingD.C. United 1–0.[2] The Earthquakes have won twoMLS Cup titles (2001, 2003) and twoSupporters' Shields (2005, 2012). In 2002, the team played in its first CONCACAF Champions Cup, making it to the quarterfinals.[3]The team holds a fierce rivalry with theLA Galaxy known as theCalifornia Clásico.[4][5]
In 2005, the then-owner of the Earthquakes,Anschutz Entertainment Group, announced plans of the team relocating to Houston due to failing efforts to secure asoccer-specific stadium in San Jose. The organization in Houston would be considered an expansion team by the league, eventually becoming theHouston Dynamo, which began play in 2006. The Earthquakes returned after a two-year hiatus, resuming play in 2008. Since 2015, the Earthquakes have played their home games atPayPal Park (named Avaya Stadium from 2015 to 2019 and Earthquakes Stadium in 2020). The team previously played its home games atBuck Shaw Stadium on theSanta Clara University campus inSanta Clara, California, from 2008 to 2014.
In 1974, the Earthquakes became a franchise of theNorth American Soccer League where they competed during the duration of the league's short-lived existence. Playing out of San Jose, the Earthquakes hosted world-class players likeGeorge Best on their own roster while receiving visiting star talent like Brazilian football legend,Pelé.
In 1994, Daniel Van Voorhis, former owner of theAmerican Professional Soccer League'sSan Jose Hawks, successfully led a San Jose bidding group that was awarded one of Major League Soccer's inaugural teams. At that time, he handed over all existing Hawks player contracts, front-office resources and the rights to play inSan Jose State University'sSpartan Stadium to MLS in exchange for Type C stock in the league. He also became the franchise's investor-operator until outside concerns forced him to divest himself of these positions prior to the league's launch and accept a buyout from the league, leaving the franchise league-owned for several years. Meanwhile, a direct connection to the earlier Earthquakes came in the person of Peter Bridgwater, named as general manager of the MLS team. Although Bridgwater still owned the rights to the Earthquakes name and logo, the team became known as the Clash at the urging ofNike, a major investor in MLS.[6]
On December 7, 1995, Bridgwater hiredLaurie Calloway as the team's first coach, providing a second direct connection with the NASL Earthquakes, as well as a connection with the Hawks. On January 23, 1996, the Clash acquired US national team starEric Wynalda, despite the fact that Wynalda and Calloway did not get along during their time together with the Hawks. The Clash's connections to the Blackhawks continued when the club made the first trade in MLS history, sendingRhett Harty to theMetroStars forTroy Dayak.
San Jose was an integral part of the launching of MLS, hosting the league's inaugural game atSpartan Stadium before a crowd of 31,683 on April 6, 1996. The crowd did not go away disappointed as San Jose won its first game on the first goal in MLS history fromEric Wynalda, defeatingD.C. United 1–0. One month later, the club made history again, as they hosted theLos Angeles Galaxy in a match that drew 31,728 fans to Spartan Stadium, setting the record for attendance at a sporting event in the city of San Jose.[2] But Wynalda and Calloway were soon at each other's throats again, eventually leading to a locker room brawl between Wynalda andJohn Doyle. The skirmish reached memorable proportions when Wynalda hired an airplane to tow a banner demanding Calloway's firing.[7]
Although the Clash made the postseason in the inaugural MLS season in 1996, and Doyle earned recognition as the best MLS defender, the team floundered in 1997. By mid-season the team was sinking fast and Bridgwater fired Calloway and replaced him withBrian Quinn. The Clash finished 1997 at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 12–20 record. Things were no better in 1998, when the team finished 13–19 and well out of playoff contention. During the 1999 pre-season, the saga of player-coach antagonism continued whenRichard Gough left the team after an argument with Quinn. By the end of 1999, Quinn was done and the team released him to hireLothar Osiander.
The franchise's official name changed from the Clash to the Earthquakes on October 27, 1999, as the historic name had better recognition among fans in the area.[8] After missing four consecutive post-seasons with three different coaches, the Earthquakes hired head coachFrank Yallop days before the2001 MLS SuperDraft. Yallop's personnel changes and deft coaching with the help of assistant coachDominic Kinnear and goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley, along with the allocation of star forwardLandon Donovan on loan fromBayer Leverkusen, quickly turned around the Earthquakes' on-field fortunes, spurring the biggest regular season turnaround in league history (from 29 points in 2000 to 45 points in 2001) and leading the team to a 2–1MLS Cup 2001 overtime victory over the archrivalLos Angeles Galaxy.
The Quakes followed with two consecutive runners-up finishes for the MLSSupporters' Shield and a 4–2MLS Cup 2003 win over theChicago Fire. Prior to reaching the 2003 final, the Earthquakes had rallied from four goals down to beat the Galaxy, 5–4 on aggregate, in a first-round playoff that many MLS watchers described as the greatest in league history. Following the season, Yallop returned to his native Canada to coach theCanadian men's national soccer team being named to the post on December 16.[9] Assistant coach Kinnear was then promoted to head coach, and former San Jose playerJohn Doyle was named as his assistant.
Having won two MLS Cup titles in three years, the Earthquakes were poised for greater success both on and off the field. However, in January 2004, general manager Johnny Moore, whose roots with the club dated back to his days as a player for the NASL Earthquakes, resigned after AEG and MLS considered allowing the team to be rebranded asSan Jose America (with ownership to transfer to the owners of Mexico'sClub América). Earthquake fans were similarly outraged at the proposed rebranding, coming just months after the MLS Cup. Former Los Angeles Galaxy defenderAlexi Lalas was named as Moore's replacement. Under Lalas' management, the club planned a move toHouston. Meanwhile, when the Quakes' star player,Landon Donovan, played briefly in Germany, Lalas traded away his rights, enabling Lalas' former team, the Galaxy, to acquire him.
On the field, Kinnear led the team to two more playoff appearances, including an MLSSupporters' Shield win in 2005.
Following the conclusion of the 2005 season, Earthquakes ownerAnschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) were granted permission to potentially move the team if a local buyer could not be found within a 30-day window.[10] After a city-led plan to build asoccer-specific stadium was rejected, AEG announced on December 15 that the team would move toHouston for the 2006 season. MLS announced that the Earthquakes name, colors, logo,wordmark, history and competitive records would not be transferred, similar to theCleveland Brownsdeal in theNational Football League, to be used by a future San Jose team.[11] The San Jose franchise was officially put on hiatus while the players, head coachDominic Kinnear and some of his coaching staff were moved to Houston;[12] the team were initially named Houston 1836 and later theHouston Dynamo.[13] The Houston Dynamo is technically considered an expansion team by MLS just as theBaltimore Ravens is by the NFL.[12][14]
On May 24, 2006, an agreement was reached between Major League Soccer and the principal owners of theOakland Athleticsbaseball team,Lewis Wolff andJohn Fisher, granting them a three-year exclusive option to develop a soccer-specific stadium and bring an expansion franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area.[15] An expansion team under the Earthquakes name was formally awarded to the duo by MLS on July 18, 2007. While functionally being the 14th franchise to join MLS, the team retained all records, logos, colors and titles of the 1996–2005 franchise and is a continuation of that franchise.[16]Michael Crowley, also Oakland A's president at the time, led the relaunched franchise and served as president until 2010.
In October 2007, the Earthquakes announced they would be moving their offices from theFairmont Hotel in downtown San Jose to an office park across the street from their temporary home, Buck Shaw Stadium, and across theCaltrain tracks from the location of the former FMC site.[17] On November 6, 2007, the team announced that former Earthquakes coachFrank Yallop was returning to the team as head coach. According to ESPN.com, the Earthquakes compensated Yallop's previous employer, theLos Angeles Galaxy, with a third-round pick in the 2008MLS SuperDraft.[18]
In 2008, England'sDarren Huckerby, the MLS Newcomer of the Year and Ireland'sRonnie O'Brien, who made 28 appearances for the Earthquakes, helped anchor the offense, combining for 10 goals and 10 assists. Both played a key part of the team's nine-game unbeaten streak that saw San Jose push towards a playoff berth. They also failed to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, losing toReal Salt Lake 4–0 in the first round of qualifying. In October the Earthquakes signed a partnership agreement with EnglishPremier League clubTottenham Hotspur.[19][20]
On January 27, 2009,Amway Global signed a three-year deal with the Earthquakes to become the team's official jersey sponsor.[21] The club made a historic trade on June 9, 2009, when they acquiredChris Wondolowski from Houston.[22]
The Quakes missed out on the playoffs for a second consecutive season in 2009 but looked to build on a solid second half of the year, which saw them go 4–4–4 following the All-Star Break. The Earthquakes finished in 14th place and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Earthquakes also failed to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, losing to New York Red Bulls on April 29, 2–1.
In 2010, the San Jose Earthquakes qualified for the playoffs as the West's No. 6 seed with 46 points. In the 2010 MLS playoffs, they were matched up with the No. 1 seeded New York Red Bulls. After losing the first game by a score of 1–0, the Earthquakes defeated the Red Bulls in the second game by a score of 3–1 to win the aggregate, 3–2, and upset New York. In the single-elimination semi-final match against theColorado Rapids, at Colorado, the Quakes suffered a 1–0 defeat.[23]
In 2011, the San Jose Earthquakes missed the playoffs after they finished seventh in the west and fourteenth in all of MLS.
In 2012, the San Jose Earthquakes had the best start in franchise history.[24] The team established a habit of scoring late goals to tie or win games. The first was a match against Real Salt Lake on April 21, 2012, scoring 2 goals in stoppage time to win 3–1.[25] The next week, a stoppage time goal produced a win against the Philadelphia Union.[26] Two more games resulted in ties with late goals, both scored byAlan Gordon.[27][28] On May 23, 2012, against the L.A. Galaxy, the Quakes scored 3 times in 18 minutes to win 3–2.[29] After this game strikerSteven Lenhart declared "Goonies never say die!" (a reference to the movieThe Goonies), and this was made into the rally cry of the team.[30]
The Quakes ended the 2012 regular season with 66 points and 72 goals, both team records, with 17 of those points created by goals scored in the 84th minute or later. The team clinched theSupporter's Shield, its first major trophy since their return to San Jose, and qualified for their first CONCACAF Champion's League tournament as a franchise in 2013. They returned to the playoffs for the first time since their 2010 season and faced two games against L.A. Galaxy. In their first playoff game, the Quakes scored a stoppage time goal to take the away leg 1–0,[31] but were knocked out of the playoffs following a 3–1 loss at home (3–2 on aggregate), their only loss at Buck Shaw Stadium for the season.[32][33]
In 2013, the Quakes began the year facing adversity with numerous players recovering from injury. With added depth in preparation for the upcoming CONCACAF Champions' League, they began the task of duplicating the success of 2012. While the style of scoring late goals were still present in games against New York,[34] Portland[35] and Montreal,[36] the team struggled to find success and quickly found themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference. The slow start of the team led to the departure of coach Frank Yallop andMark Watson was named interim coach.
On June 29, 2013, the Quakes played the L.A. Galaxy in the California Clásico. Despite being down 2–0 and having Victor Bernardez ejected, the Quakes staged another comeback, scoring twice in stoppage time to win 3–2,[37] becoming the first MLS team to do so.[38]
On August 7, 2013, the Earthquakes debuted in the2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League for the first time since their return to MLS. They lost the away game to the Montreal Impact 1–0. On October 23, 2013, the Earthquakes won group five on goal differential with a win at home againstHeredia,[39][40] and they moved on to the knockout stage of the tournament.[41]
Despite a league best record in games played after June,[42] the Quakes failed to qualify for the 2013 playoffs, losing the final spot to Colorado on a goal differential tiebreaker. The final home game of the season, a 2–0 win against FC Dallas, saw the final minutes of professional soccer for Ramiro Corrales, who had announced his retirement. Corrales was the last remaining active player who played in the inaugural season of MLS.
The Quakes in their 2014 campaign began, playing in the quarterfinals against Toluca in a two-game series in the2013–14 CONCACAF Champions League. Scoring a goal in stoppage time in the first game, the Quakes went to Mexico 1–1 on aggregate. In the second game, the game tied in regulation. The Quakes faced Toluca in Overtime where neither team could score against the other and the game went on to penalties. The Earthquakes lost 5–4 against Toluca in penalties and were eliminated.
San Jose ended the 2014 MLS Season with the club's worst ever record, winning only 6 matches, and suffering a 15-match winless streak. That streak surpassed the Quakes' previous record of 13 in 2011, and matched the second worst in league history.[43]
The Earthquakes welcomed back Dominic Kinnear to the club as coach after a nine-year tenure in Houston. The franchise's long-awaited stadium,Avaya Stadium, was the first professionalsoccer-specific stadium in theBay Area when it opened on March 22.
The 2015 season was a marked improvement over the previous season, but the Earthquakes still failed to reach the playoffs despite a late surge.Chris Wondolowski became only the ninth player in MLS history to score 100 goals with a penalty in a 1–1 draw against Orlando.[44]
On August 29, 2016, the Earthquakes parted ways with longtime general manager John Doyle. Earthquakes PresidentDave Kaval stated that he felt the Earthquakes "needed a fresh approach". Technical director Chris Leitch was appointed as interim GM.[45]
Following the firing of John Doyle, it was announced on January 5, 2017, thatJesse Fioranelli had been hired as general manager. He joined San Jose fromA.S. Roma and had previously also worked at Roma's cross-city rivalS.S. Lazio.[46]
Fioranelli made clear early on that he would be prioritizing youth development, international scouting, and generally creating a new identity for San Jose that was younger, more dynamic, and more attacking, intentions which were reflected by his off-season acquisitions ofJahmir Hyka,Florian Jungwirth,Marco Ureña,Harold Cummings, andDanny Hoesen usingTargeted Allocation Money.[47] He also expressed the necessity of the team reaching the playoffs in 2017, as it had not done so since 2012. Illustrating the seriousness of his commitment to improving San Jose, within one week in April Fioranelli made two key additions to the technical staff with the hiring of Alex Covelo as Director of Methodology and Bruno Costa as Head of Scouting.[48] Dave Kaval stepped down from his role as president on June 1, to be replaced by formerAston Villa F.C. chief executive andArsenal F.C. chief commercial officerTom Fox.[49] On June 22, 2017, San Jose announced Fioranelli's firstDesignated Player signing, Georgian attacking midfielderVako, who would join San Jose fromSBV Vitesse.[50]
Fioranelli took his ambitions for San Jose a step further just several days later, when he announced on June 25, 2017, that Dominic Kinnear had been fired, and would be replaced immediately and permanently byChris Leitch, the club's technical director and former interim general manager. Assistant coachJohn Spencer was also let go, and was replaced by Covelo.[51] The timing of the firing came as somewhat of a surprise, as it was announced hours after San Jose defeatedReal Salt Lake 2–1 at home. Fioranelli said of the firing that, coming off of a win, it was not reactionary, and rather he had "in the last two to three months...matured a gut feeling as to where [the club stands]", and that his respect for Kinnear "would not have allowed [him] to want to go for another three months knowing [they] would have parted ways at the end of the season".[52] In his first interview as head coach, Leitch reiterated Fioranelli's previously stated goals, saying that "the goal of the team...is [to] make the playoffs".[53] His first outing as head coach on June 28, 2017, was successful, seeing the Earthquakes achieve their first-ever victory over an MLS side in theU.S. Open Cup with a 2–1 victory againstSeattle Sounders FC that would advance them to the USOC quarter finals for the first time since 2012.[54]
Leitch's first MLS match as head coach was a 2–1 win over theLA Galaxy atStanford Stadium on July 1, in whichChris Wondolowski scored the equalizing goal off of an assist from goalkeeperDavid Bingham and substituteShea Salinas scored the winner in the 93rd minute.[55] The team experienced its first loss under Leitch three days later on July 4 atBobby Dodd Stadium, in a 4–2 loss toAtlanta United FC following red cards to bothKofi Sarkodie andVictor Bernardez; however, this match also sawTommy Thompson score his first league goal andChris Wondolowski breakRamiro Corrales' record for career starts at San Jose with his 229th start, as well as tie the league record for most goals scored away at 63.[56]
On July 7, 2017, a multi-year collaboration between the Earthquakes and theGerman Football Association was announced, "focused on knowledge exchange, game development and machine learning".[57]
On July 10, 2017, the Earthquakes defeated the Galaxy 3–2 at home, following a brace fromChris Wondolowski andDanny Hoesen's second goal of the tournament, to advance to the semifinals of theU.S. Open Cup for the first time since 2004 and for only the second time in club history.[58] Wondolowski wore the number 38 in this match in honor of teammateMatheus Silva, who nearly drowned the previous week.[59] New signingVako was introduced at the club for the first time during halftime.[60] Vako made his club debut four days later as a 63rd minute substitution in San Jose's 4–1 friendly defeat ofEintracht Frankfurt,[61] and shortly afterwards scored in his MLS debut as a halftime substitute against theNew York Red Bulls atRed Bull Arena on July 19.[62]
The Earthquakes announced a second new partnership aimed at pursuing the implementation ofartificial intelligence andmachine learning on July 21 with Los Angeles-based company Second Spectrum, Inc., the first of its kind in the league and inspired by the company's partnerships with theNBA and specifically theGolden State Warriors. Per this agreement, a new system was installed atAvaya Stadium to track players during matches and gather data on tactics and performance, to be delivered to players' mobile devices directly after games.[63] The signing of Swiss defenderFrançois Affolter fromFC Luzern was announced later the same day.[64]
San Jose lost in the Open Cup semifinals toSporting Kansas City, for the second time in franchise history, in sudden death penalties on August 9.[65]
On August 19, Wondolowski became the first player in MLS history to score ten or more goals in eight consecutive seasons, following his successful penalty kick in the dying moments of a 2–2 home draw against thePhiladelphia Union, whenShea Salinas was tripped in the box byJoshua Yaro.[66]
San Jose qualified for the2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, the club's first playoff appearance since 2012, following a 3–2 win at home on October 22 overMinnesota United FC in whichDanny Hoesen and Chris Wondolowski each recorded a goal and an assist, and substituteMarco Ureña scored the stoppage time winner. This sent the team on to play a knockout round match on the road againstVancouver Whitecaps FC on October 25.[67] However, the team was defeated 5–0.[68]
On November 24, 2017,Mikael Stahre, formerly ofBK Häcken, was announced as the team's new head coach. Leitch returned to his previous role as the club's technical director.[69] San Jose began to make roster moves not long after with contract options being declined for players, most notably for defenderVíctor Bernárdez[70] and goalkeeperDavid Bingham who spent six and seven years with the Earthquakes organization respectively. San Jose traded Bingham's MLS rights to their rivalLos Angeles Galaxy on December 18.[71] December also brought additions to the roster, reflecting different aspects of San Jose's leadership and management. On December 1, 2017, Joel Qwiberg was signed fromIF Brommapojkarna where he had helped to lead the team to two consecutive promotions, reaching Sweden's topic league.[72] The next signing of the off-season washomegrown goalkeeperJT Marcinkowski, who had finished his 3rd year at Georgetown. Just over a week later, San Jose announced in a joint press conference with theirUSL affiliateReno 1868 that they had signed three players from the team:Luis Felipe,Chris Wehan, andJimmy Ockford.[73] Reno's club president elaborated on what the signings meant for both organizations, stating "Today's news delivers on that promise to compete in Reno while developing the future of San Jose."[74] The next day San Jose continued on their developmental based signings with defender Jacob Akanyirige announced as signed straight from their academy at fifteen years old, San Jose's youngest ever player and the eighth youngest player in MLS history.[75] On December 20, the first Designated Player and second Swedish signing under Stahre's tenure was officially brought to San Jose.Magnus Eriksson joined fromDjurgårdens IF where he co-led theAllsvenskan as top scorer in the 2017 season.[76]
Stahre was dismissed by the club before the end of his first year in charge,[77] a season in which the team earned just four wins.[78] On October 8, 2018, the club announced that they had hired reigningCONCACAF coach of the yearMatias Almeyda, who would take charge for the 2019 season.[79] On May 18, 2019, Wondolowski scored four goals againstChicago Fire. With his second goal, he set the league's all-time scoring record.[80] The team had a negative record and missed the playoffs by four points.
In 2020, the Earthquakes had a draw and a loss in their first two regular season games before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the season resumed with theMLS is Back tournament, the Earthquakes were drawn into Group B withFC Dallas (later replaced by the Chicago Fire),Seattle Sounders FC, andVancouver Whitecaps FC. They drew with Seattle and defeated both Chicago and Vancouver, the latter with a thrilling comeback from a 3–1 deficit, to win the group and advance to the round of 16.[81]
The Earthquakes would announce the firing of Fioranelli effective immediately on June 29, 2021, with technical directorChris Leitch and coachMatías Almeyda keeping their positions, along with the rest of the coaching staff.[82] On November 8 of the same year, Chris Leitch, former technical director, was named as the new General Manager.[83]
On April 18, 2022, the Earthquakes and Matias Almeyda agreed to part ways. Alex Covelo, the head coach of the newly establishedSan Jose Earthquakes II side, stepped in as his interim replacement. Covelo was joined by an assistant coaching staff consisting of former San Jose playerChris Wondolowski, former assistant manager and interim managerSteve Ralston, and Earthquakes II assistant Luciano Fusco.[84]
On August 17, 2022, the Earthquakes announcedLuchi Gonzalez, at the time an assistant coach with theUSMNT, to be the next coach of the team.[85]During the 2023 season under Gonzalez, the Earthquakes placed 9th, qualifying for the Wild Card round of the playoffs (the first playoff match in 3 years for the Quakes), but falling toSporting Kansas City on penalties after a scoreless draw, dropping them out of the competition.[86]
During the 2024 MLS Season, after a poor string of results brought them to the bottom of the league, Gonzalez was fired on June 24, being replaced by Assistant Head Coach Ian Russell, with assistant staffSteve Ralston, Luciano Fusco, and Adin Brown retaining their positions.[87] Despite the coaching change, the Earthquakes would finish off their season dead-last in MLS thus breaking the league record for the most last-place finishes in franchise history.[88]
Following the disastrous 2024 season, Earthquakes announcedBruce Arena as new head coach and sporting director on November 7, 2024.[89] The following 2025 season saw the team place 10th, barely missing out on the 9th-place wild-card playoff spot.[90]
On November 14, 2025, the team would announce the "mutually agreed" departure of General Manager Chris Leitch, without naming a new or interim GM.[91]
Since their inception, the Earthquakes have played in a color scheme featuring blue and black as dominant colors,[citation needed] usually with white highlights. The original San Jose Clash logo featured a stylizedscorpion in black and red with a white 'clash' wordmark.
When they rebranded to the Earthquakes in 2000, the team badge featured an inverted triangular shield containing a soccer ball invoking the rising sun used in the logo for the City ofSan Jose,[citation needed] a stylized 'Earthquakes' wordmark, and a color palette of blue, black, white and silver. The three points of the triangular shield represented the three largest communities of theBay Area (San Jose,San Francisco andOakland).[92]
The team rebranded again on January 30, 2014, to a new crest and uniform. While still featuring blue and black, as well as a new chevron design that invokes the geologic theme of the team's name, the new design also featured the year 1974 in red; this is an explicit reference of lineage to the previous NASL incarnation of the Earthquakes that had founded that year.[93][94]
On February 17, 2017, San Jose released its new home kit at a jersey release party atSan Pedro Square. The new kit is black, a callback to the black Goonies kits of the historic 2012 season, and features the blue slipstrike design from the crest on the front. Also included is a red neck tape, referring again to the team's NASL history, "SJ 74" in blue on the bottom left corner, and the words "UNITY", "DEVOTION", and "HERITAGE" written in white across the blue border on the right sleeve.[95]
On February 11, 2018, the Earthquakes released their new away kit, theNavy SEAL Foundation Jersey, and announced that 5% of each jersey sale would be donated to the Foundation, becoming the first club in MLS history to donate part of its jersey revenue to anonprofit organization. The jersey release party was held near the site of theUSS Hornet Museum and the kit itself presented by a retired SEAL alongside squad membersTommy Thompson,Joel Qwiberg, and, offshore in a military rescue boat,Nick Lima andJackson Yueill.[96]
The 2020–2021 away jersey incorporated the colors of theflag of San Jose (blue, white, yellow).[97]
         1996 |    1997–98 |      1999 |  2000–02 |    2003–04 |     2005 |      2008 |   2009 |     2010–11 |     2012–13 |
    2014–16 |      2017–18 |      2019–20 |      2021–22 |      2023– |
     2000–01 |    2002–03 |     2004 |      2005 |      2008–09 |    2010–11 |   2012–13 |   2014 |      2015 |     2016 |
 2017 |    2018–19 |     2020–21 |    2022– |
| Name | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| PayPal Park | San Jose, California | 2015–present |
| Levi's Stadium | Santa Clara, California | 2014–2015, 2023–2024(marquee venue) |
| Buck Shaw Stadium | Santa Clara, California | 2008–2014 |
| Spartan Stadium | San Jose, California | 1996–2005 |
| Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Oakland, California | 2008–2009(big game venue) |
| Stanford Stadium | Stanford, California | 2011–present(big game venue, scheduled in July) |
On January 13, 2007, theSan Jose Mercury News reported that the city of San Jose,San Jose State University and the Earthquakes owners were in negotiations to build asoccer stadium just east of the Earthquakes' previous home,Spartan Stadium. The new facility, to have 22,000 permanent seats but be expandable to a capacity of 30,000 for single games, would be privately built by Lewis Wolff and John Fisher, the primary owners of the Earthquakes, with San Jose State providing the needed land. Additionally, the team and the university would build community soccer fields across Senter Road inKelley Park using San Jose municipal bond money that had been approved years earlier for the purpose but never spent.[98] The plan was for the new version of the San Jose Earthquakes to play in Spartan Stadium during the 2008 MLS season, then move into the new stadium in 2009. Plans for the stadium collapsed on April 19 of that year after the Earthquakes and SJSU could not come to an agreement on revenue sharing.
On May 8, the city of San Jose and Earthquakes Soccer, LLC confirmed that their new primary focus was on a site nearSan Jose International Airport on the site of the formerFMC plant. The new site was owned by the city, which was exploring either leasing it to Earthquakes Soccer, LLC or selling it outright. The 75-acre (30 ha) site is adjacent to not only the airport but the plannedBART extension to Santa Clara and the existing Santa ClaraCaltrain station, and near bothInterstate 880 andU.S. Route 101. On June 12, 2007, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding to explore construction of a new stadium to bring MLS back to San Jose and adopted a resolution authorizing the city manager to enter into an Exclusive Right to Negotiate agreement with Wolff and his partners regarding the potential development of the former FMC site. The first payment on the new stadium land of $3 million was made in June 2008.[99][100][101][102]
The preliminary designs were released to the public on September 19, 2009.Earthquakes Stadium was slated to be a three-sided European style stadium with 18,000 permanent seats and a grass berm at the open end.
On March 16, 2010, the San Jose city council voted 9–0 to rezone the Airport West property to allow for development of the new Earthquakes Stadium.[103]
The San Jose Earthquakes franchise made history when 6,256 people participated in groundbreaking for the new stadium. This set a world record byGuinness World Records as the largest ever crowd to participate in a groundbreaking ceremony.[104][105] The construction was completed in early 2015 and hosted its first event, a friendly, pre-season match against LA Galaxy, on February 28, 2015.[106] The stadium's official opening took place on March 22, 2015, when the Earthquakes hosted Chicago Fire for their first home game of the 2015 MLS regular season.[107]Fatai Alashe scored the first official, regular-season goal at Avaya in the fifth minute of the 2–1 victory.[108]
The California Clásico[109][110][111] is a rivalry between twoMajor League Soccer teams, theLA Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, which existed from1996 to2005 and was resumed in2008. It is considered to be one of the oldest rivalries in American soccer. The rivalry originated from the historicalNorthern California vs.Southern California sporting and cultural rivalries, as well as from the relative proximity of the cities (about 360 miles apart) which allows rival fans to attend each other's games. While there have been several players to play for both teams beforehand, the rivalry intensified after theAnschutz Entertainment Group (owner of the Los Angeles Galaxy) took sole ownership of the San Jose Earthquakes in December 2002. The rivalry reached its peak from 2001 to 2005, during which time the Earthquakes and the Galaxy combined to win fourMLS Cup titles in a five-year period. Both clubs reachedMLS Cup 2001, with San Jose posting a 2–1 overtime victory on goals byLandon Donovan andDwayne DeRosario.
TheHeritage Cup withSeattle Sounders FC was begun in the2009 MLS season by the respective supporters' groups. Any present or future MLS teams that carry on the names of theirNASL predecessors are eligible for the Cup, but supporters of the other eligible MLS teams (Portland Timbers andVancouver Whitecaps FC) have chosen not to participate.[112][113] San Jose and Seattle have had a rivalry since the NASL. However, it did not completely resurface during the 2009 season with fans of both teams viewing other clubs as bigger rivals.[114] That season, the first MLS meeting of the teams was not considered for the competition due to the schedule consisting of two games in Seattle and only one in San Jose. Seattle won the initial meeting at home 2–0 and the second 2–1. The Earthquakes won the inaugural cup ongoals scored after a 4–0 home victory on August 2, 2009.[115]
Among the supporters' groups affiliated with the Earthquakes are the San Jose Ultras, Club Quake, Soccer Silicon Valley, The Casbah, The Faultline, and Epicentro74.[116][117]
Punk musician,Lars Frederiksen is a supporter of the Earthquakes. Along with his band, The Old Firm Casuals, he wrote the new anthem and theme song, "Never Say Die", for the club, which was performed as part of the team's rebranding ceremony on January 30, 2014. The song features backing vocals by various team members. Frederiksen said of the team that they are the most "punk rock" team in the MLS.[118]
There was no mascot in 2003.
On April 26, 2010, Q was one of three mascots featured onKNTV, along withSan Jose Sharks mascotS.J. Sharkie andSan Jose Giants mascot "Gigante".[119]
At the beginning of 2013, the Quakes had 5,000 season ticket holders, and although revenues had been increasing, the Quakes stadium did not allow them to generate sufficient revenues to be profitable.[120] Quakes management predicted in 2013 that season ticket sales would double once they move into their new stadium, and the Quakes would become profitable at that time.[120] Management also stated that they are "pursuing independent revenue streams that will provide the team with real and lasting financial freedom."[121] With the completion of their new soccer-specificAvaya Stadium, in early 2015 the Earthquakes reached their cap of 12,000 season tickets sold.[122]
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Sleeve sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–1999 | Nike | Honda[123] | — |
| 2000–2002 | Yahoo! Sports[123] | ||
| 2003–2004 | Yahoo! en Español[123] | ||
| 2005 | Adidas | — | |
| 2008 | |||
| 2009–2011 | Amway Global[124] | ||
| 2012–2015 | — | ||
| 2016–2018 | Sutter Health[125] | ||
| 2019 | — | ||
| 2020 | Intermedia | Clover Wells Fargo | |
| 2021–2024 | PayPal | ||
| 2025–present | El Camino Health[126] | Habbas Law |
From 2023, every Earthquakes game will be carried onMLS Season Pass on theApple TV app, with select national games onFox orFox Sports 1. Prior to the streaming deal, the Earthquakes were seen on TV across the Bay Area on a number of stations, with the most recent linear partner being cable outletsNBC Sports Bay Area andNBC Sports California.
On the radio, all Earthquakes games are broadcast in English on810 KGO (since 2023) and in Spanish on1370 KZSF (since 2011).[127] The English-language broadcast features Ted Ramey as the play-by-play announcer, and former Earthquakes goalkeeperJoe Cannon as the color analyst. Carlos César Rivera serves as the Spanish-language play-by-play announcer, while former Quakes defenderRamiro Corrales is the analyst.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Coaching staff | |
|---|---|
| President | Jared Shawlee |
| General Manager/Head Coach | Bruce Arena |
| Assistant Coach | Dave Sarachan |
| Assistant Coach | Shalrie Joseph |
| Assistant Coach | Steve Ralston |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Adin Brown |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Max Lankheit |
| Head Athletic Trainer | Manny De Alba |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Brendon Taguinod |
| Assistant Athletic Trainer | Beatriz Olmedo |
| Equipment Manager | Andy Dunbar |
| Assistant Manager Equipment | Hector Perez |
| Team Administrator | Sean Mearns |
Source:[130]
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This is a partial list of recent seasons completed by the Quakes. For the full season-by-season history, seeList of San Jose Earthquakes seasons.
| Season | League | Position | Playoffs | USOC | Continental / Other | Average attendance | Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Conf. | Overall | Name(s) | Goals | ||||||
| 2016 | 1 | MLS | 34 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 38 | 1.12 | 9th | 17th | DNQ | R4 | DNQ | 19,930 |  Chris Wondolowski | 12 | |
| 2017 | MLS | 34 | 13 | 14 | 7 | 39 | 60 | −21 | 46 | 1.35 | 6th | 12th | R1 | SF | 19,875 | Chris Wondolowski | 15 | |||
| 2018 | MLS | 34 | 4 | 21 | 9 | 49 | 71 | −22 | 21 | 0.62 | 12th | 23rd | DNQ | R4 | 19,032 |  Danny Hoesen | 12 | |||
| 2019 | MLS | 34 | 13 | 16 | 5 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 44 | 1.29 | 8th | 15th | Ro16 | 19,032 | Chris Wondolowski | 15 | ||||
| 2020 | MLS | 23 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 35 | 51 | −16 | 30 | 1.30 | 8th | 16th | R1 | NH | MLS is Back tournament | QF | 15,112 | Chris Wondolowski | 9 | |
| 2021 | MLS | 34 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 46 | 54 | −8 | 41 | 1.21 | 10th | 21st | DNQ | NH | DNQ | 12,101 |  Javier Eduardo López | 12 | ||
| 2022 | MLS | 34 | 8 | 15 | 11 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 35 | 1.03 | 14th | 26th | DNQ | Ro16 | DNQ | 12,911 | Jeremy Ebobisse | 17 | ||
| 2023 | MLS | 34 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 39 | 43 | −4 | 44 | 1.29 | 9th | 16th | WC | R3 | 2023 Leagues Cup | GS | 18,041 |  Cristian Espinoza | 13 | |
| 2024 | MLS | 34 | 6 | 25 | 3 | 41 | 78 | −37 | 21 | 0.62 | 14th | 29th | DNQ | Ro16 | 2024 Leagues Cup | Ro16 | 18,782 |  Amahl Pellegrino | 9 | |
| 2025 | MLS | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | QF | DNQ | TBD |  Chicho Arango | 9 | ||
^ 1.Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2.Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in league,MLS Cup playoffs,U.S. Open Cup,MLS is Back tournament,CONCACAF Champions League,FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
Club Deportivo Olimpia – 1:0, 3:1 (Earthquakes advanced 4:1 on aggregate)C.F. Pachuca – 0:3, 1:0 (Pachuca advanced 3:1 on aggregate)Rosenborg BK – 0:2
FC Rubin Kazan – 1:1Viking FK – 1:3Lyn Oslo – 3:1
C.S.D. Municipal – 2:4, 2:1 (Municipal advanced 5:4 on aggregate)
GIF Sundsvall – 3:1Stabæk Fotball – 2:1Viking FK – 1:1 (Viking Stavanger advanced 5:3 on penalties)
FC Dynamo Kyiv – 1:1 (Earthquakes won 6:5 on penalties)
L.D. Alajuelense – 0:3, 1:0 (Alajuelense advanced 3:1 on aggregate)
Montreal Impact – 0:1Heredia Jaguares de Peten – 0:1Montreal Impact – 3:0Heredia Jaguares de Peten – 1:0Deportivo Toluca F.C. – 1:1, 1:1 (Toluca advanced 5:4 on penalties)Statistics below are for all-time leaders. Statistics are for regular season only.Bold indicates active players.
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Players
| Builders
| Staff
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| This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Name | Years |
|---|---|
| John Doyle | 1996–2000 |
| Jeff Agoos | 2001–2004 |
| Wade Barrett | 2005 |
| Nick Garcia | 2008 |
| Ramiro Corrales | 2009–2013 |
| Chris Wondolowski | 2014–2021 |
| Jackson Yueill | 2022–2024 |
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(August 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Name | Nat | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| Laurie Calloway |  England | December 7, 1995 – June 25, 1997[133] |
| Brian Quinn |  Republic of Ireland | June 25, 1997– September 16, 1999[134] |
| Jorge Espinoza |  Chile | September 16, 1999 – September 22, 1999[135][136] |
| Lothar Osiander |  Germany | September 22, 1999 – January 12, 2001[137] |
| Frank Yallop | Canada | February 3, 2001 – December 12, 2003 |
| Dominic Kinnear | United States | January 6, 2004 – December 15, 2005 |
| Frank Yallop | Canada | November 9, 2007 – June 7, 2013[138] |
| Mark Watson | Canada | June 7, 2013 – October 30, 2013interim October 30, 2013 – October 15, 2014 |
| Ian Russell | United States | October 15, 2014 – October 26, 2014interim |
| Dominic Kinnear | United States | October 16, 2014 – June 25, 2017[139] |
| Chris Leitch | United States | June 25, 2017 – November 24, 2017 |
| Mikael Stahre | Sweden | November 24, 2017 – September 17, 2018 |
| Steve Ralston (interim) | United States | September 17, 2018 – October 28, 2018 |
| Matías Almeyda | Argentina | October 29, 2018 – April 18, 2022 |
| Alex Covelo (interim) |  Spain | April 19, 2022 – January 2, 2023 |
| Luchi Gonzalez | United States | January 3, 2023 – June 23, 2024 |
| Ian Russell | United States | June 24, 2024 – November 6, 2014interim |
| Bruce Arena | United States | November 7, 2024 – present |
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| Nation | Name | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| England | Peter Bridgwater | 1995–1998 |
| United States | Lynne Meterparel | 1999–2000 |
| United States | Tom Neale | 2001[140] |
 Scotland | Johnny Moore | 2002–2003 |
| United States | Alexi Lalas | 2004–2005 |
| United States | Kate McAllister and Ken Freccero (interim) | 2005 |
| United States | John Doyle | 2008–2016 |
 Switzerland | Jesse Fioranelli | 2017–2021 |
| United States | Chris Leitch | 2021–Present |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
