When Major League Soccer was founded back in 1996, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes were two of the league’s inaugural clubs. The fortunes of each team have been very different, the Galaxy are a 5-time MLS Cup champion and have been a consistent contender since 1996. The San Jose Earthquakes on the other hand have been up and down, they won 2 MLS Cups in 2001 and 2003 with Landon Donovan leading the charge, since then things have been stagnant for the Quakes.
The Galaxy leads the all-time series with 41 wins to the Earthquakes 31. The largest margin of victory belongs to the Earthquakes who won 4-0 in their last meeting on October 14, 2020. Landon Donovan has the most wins of any player with 42.
It was the transfer, so to speak, of Landon Donovan that caused fans blood to boil. Donovan, who won 2 titles with the Quakes returned to MLS after an ill-fated stint in Germany, but to the Galaxy. The rest is history as Donovan went on to win 4 more titles, while the Earthquakes went on to being a dead last team.
Landon Donovan as an LA Galaxy player (Getty).
List of players who played for both the San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles Galaxy
- Curt Onalfo – with Galaxy: 1996; with San Jose: 1997
- David Kramer – with Galaxy: 1996–1997; with San Jose: 1997–1999
- Harut Karapetyan – with Galaxy: 1996–1998; with San Jose: 1998, 2000
- Dan Calichman – with Galaxy: 1996–1998; with San Jose: 2000
- Eddie Lewis – with San Jose: 1996–1999; with Galaxy: 2008–2010
- Lawrence Lozzano – with San Jose: 1997–1998; with Galaxy: 1998–1999
- Gabe Eastman – with Galaxy: 1999; with San Jose: 2000
- Adam Frye – with San Jose: 1999; with Galaxy: 2000–2002
- Zak Ibsen – with Galaxy: 1999–2000; with San Jose: 2001–2002
- Joe Cannon – with San Jose: 1999–2002, 2008–2010; with Galaxy: 2007
- Simon Elliott – with Galaxy: 1999–2003; with San Jose: 2009
- Danny Califf – with Galaxy: 2000–2004; with San Jose: 2005
- Ian Russell – with San Jose: 2000–2005; with Galaxy: 2007
- Brian Ching – with Galaxy: 2001; with San Jose: 2003–2005
- Brian Mullan – with Galaxy: 2001–2002; with San Jose: 2003–2005
- Craig Waibel – with Galaxy: 2001–2002; with San Jose: 2003–2005
- Landon Donovan – with San Jose: 2001–2004; with Galaxy: 2005–2014, 2016
- Gavin Glinton – with Galaxy: 2002–2003, 2006–2007; with San Jose: 2008
- Alejandro Moreno – with Galaxy: 2002–2004; with San Jose: 2005
- Todd Dunivant – with San Jose: 2003–2004; with Galaxy: 2005–2006, 2009–2015
- Chris Aloisi – with Galaxy: 2004; with San Jose: 2005
- Jovan Kirovski – with Galaxy: 2004–2005, 2009–2011; with San Jose: 2008
- Ned Grabavoy – with Galaxy: 2004–2006; with San Jose: 2008
- Alan Gordon – with Galaxy: 2004–2010, 2014–2016; with San Jose: 2011–2014
- Kelly Gray – with San Jose: 2005, 2008–2009; with Galaxy: 2007
- Cornell Glen – with Galaxy: 2006; with San Jose: 2009–2010
- Ty Harden – with Galaxy: 2007; with San Jose: 2013–2015
- Brandon McDonald – with Galaxy: 2008; with San Jose: 2009–2011
- Dan Gargan – with San Jose: 2013; with Galaxy: 2014–2015
- David Bingham – with San Jose: 2011–2017; with Galaxy: 2018–present
The players that most standout are Landon Donovan, Eddie Lewis, who both played pivotal roles for the U.S. in World Cups. Brian Ching’s time in L.A. was forgettable, and Alan Gordan was clutch for the Quakes.
The coaches who have worked for both teams are Lothar Osiander, Frank Yallop, and Dominic Kinnear. Both Yallop and Kinnear are identified more with their time in San Jose, while Osiander coached the Galaxy to their first final, which they lost to D.C. United.
