It’s that time again!
Black and blue versus navy and gold. North versus South. Paratroopers take off onto a field with the words “BEAT LA” on the flag. A ceremonial procession and parade of American heroes being welcomed onto the field. And of course, the Bay Area’s largest fireworks display lights up the night after the final whistle blows.
Northern California natives know: The California Clasico is finally coming.
On Saturday night, the San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles Galaxy will take to the field for the 13th time at Stanford Stadium and the 105th time in the history of the immortal Interstate Derby. It’s a battle unlike any other in Major League Soccer.
This year’s edition marks the rebirth of the Quakes. Although they lost their last game against Orlando City on Wednesday, San Jose remains tied for first in points in the Western Conference for the first time since 2012, the first season in which the annual Stanford summer showdown became an MLS tradition.
The Quakes are 5-3-2 against the Galaxy at The Farm, with four of those wins coming from behind in dramatic fashion. San Jose also won the season series in 2025, winning 1-0 at Carson and tying 1-1 at Stanford.
To understand the significance of this match, let us go back in time and revisit five memorable games in chronological order.
July 20, 2012: Earthquakes 4, Galaxy 3
In front of 50,391 fans, the Earthquakes took to the field at Stanford Stadium for the first time in the Clasico.
Just two months earlier, Steven Lenhart had used the mantra “Never Say Die” as San Jose scored three unanswered goals in the final 14 minutes to shock the Galaxy with Carson 3-2.
This time Lenhart was the hero again, opening the scoring, but the cheers soon turned to despair as the Quakes trailed 3-1 after 41 minutes.
What happened next was emblematic of The Goonies, who managed to win the Supporters’ Shield that year. First, Victor Bernardes responded with a goal before the break. Then, at the other end of the break, Sam Cronin burst behind the backline to equalize for the Quakes, who now had almost the whole half of the field to score the winning goal. They needed less than 15 minutes when Chris Wondolowski took a set-piece in the 61st minute to score what would ultimately be the deciding goal.
However, the chaos was far from over. Late in stoppage time, Galaxy midfielder David Beckham kicked Cronin while he was on the ground, sparking a brawl that infamously saw the English legend take on Quakes mascot Q and take the rivalry to the next level.
June 29, 2013: Earthquakes 3, Galaxy 2
The follow-up to the first match at Stanford did not disappoint, as it became one of the most iconic moments in Earthquakes history.
In the 68th minute, the Black and Blues were again two goals behind the Galaxy. This time Alan Gordon etched his name into Cali Clasico history with a brilliant header to make it 2-1. Another comeback seemed within reach, but Bernardez’s 77th-minute red card added to the Quakes’ woes.
Despite being down a player, San Jose continued to push forward and after a long throw-in, Shea Salinas burst into the box to level the game in stoppage time. Most teams would have been happy with a point without a player, but the Quakes wanted more.
Just a minute later, Cronin collected the ball at the top of the box and sent a perfect ball to Gordon at the back post for his second goal of the night and the winner. The euphoria began at Stanford when he ripped off his shirt and celebrated the goal with his teammates and ultras. The Goonies have done it again at the Farm.
July 1, 2017: Earthquakes 2, Galaxy 1
The 2017 Clasico was no exception. Galactica struck first early on, but by this time audiences had seen the film before and were waiting for the second-half hijinks to follow. Indeed, in the 75th minute, Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham sent a long pass to Wondolowski, who with one touch of the ball curled the ball into the far corner with his left foot to level the score 1-1.
Once again, San Jose had the last word in the third minute of stoppage time, when Shea Salinas scored the winner and tore off his gear to run across the field amid a sea of distraught Black and Blue fans. Salinas later told reporters that he had a visionary moment before the match and told his wife that if he scored, that’s what he would do. The subsequent yellow card was worth it as the moment was immortalized years later in the form of a shirtless goofy Shea Salinas.
June 30, 2018: Quakes 3, Galaxy 3
Zlatan Ibrahimovic added his own talent to the rivalry when he came on for Los Angeles and scored two early goals as the Galaxy raced to a 3-1 lead. However, even Zlatan himself could not stop the inevitable: the rebirth of the Earthquakes at Stanford.
Waco scored one for San Jose before halftime, and Wondolowski converted a penalty in the 69th minute to salvage a 3–3 tie and again send their SoCal rivals home three points short.
July 1, 2023: Earthquakes 2, Galaxy 2
This epic meeting was truly cinematic. The Earthquakes fought back from an early deficit to level the score at 1-1 thanks to a goal from Jack Skahan. But Los Angeles took the lead shortly after the break thanks to future Quakes star forward Preston Judd, one of the few players to play for both teams during his career. As time expired, the Stanford magic showed up again, to the consternation of Los Angeles, as Christian Espinoza scored in the final 10 minutes to steal a point in a 2-2 tie.
July 25, 2026: The future is now.
Can the Quakes return to action on Saturday? After so many games on the opposite line, Bruce Arena now sits on the San Jose bench and has led the team to its best start in franchise history.
But he faces a new challenge. Due to the accumulation of yellow cards, Judd (who currently leads domestic players in MLS with 11 goals) and defensive midfielder/team captain Ronaldo Vieira will miss the match.
The Galaxy are struggling in 10th place this season, one place off the playoff spot. German star Marco Reus and Ghanaian striker Joseph Paintsil will be at the heart of the attack. Striker Joao Clauss is out due to injury, while Gabriel Peck recently moved to Brazilian club Cruzeiro.
While the Earthquakes appear to be favored on paper, throw the notes out the window when it comes to the California Clasico, where no lead is safe, new heroes emerge every time and fireworks dominate on and off the field.