There they were, jammed in together like a big can of sardines. All 42,823 of them—the official count at Stanford Stadium. Even though it wasn’t, it felt like a sold-out crowd. All braving the summer’s first heat wave to see the latest installment of the “California Clasico,” purported to be the biggest, most historic grudge match in American soccer. And it is. Because it’s got what every other MLS rivalry lacks: beef.
The last time they did this here, Chicharito was doing the clown dance en route to a 3-2 win for the Galaxy because some home fans unveiled a very pointed tifo. Rewind to the first time we did this at Stanford over ten years ago; the Quakes came back from down 3-1 at halftime to beat the Galaxy 4-3. That same night, David Beckham (don’t say he bent it) nailed a downed Sam Cronin with a perfect drop-ball kick and got into a fight with the mascot afterward.
Suffice to say, there’s a reason why the Quakes play this game here every year. The games skew dramatic and feisty (they can sell more tickets). Neither side ever yields until the final whistle (see: they can sell more tickets), and chaos almost always ensues (stay for the fireworks show after the game). That’s why the building rocked as it did Saturday night.
The rivals played each other straight up. Both lined up in a 4-3-3, with talented midfielders and dangerous wide players dictating the game. Without Chicharito, coach Greg Vanney turned to young star midfielder Riqui Puig and the wily Douglas Costa, who had been largely absent since signing last year because of injuries, to take hold of the game. On the night, the Brazilian looked like the version of himself that once excelled at Bayern and Juventus—tallying two assists and making any defender who stepped up to him look, well, foolish.
Possession and shots were nearly even, but it was the Quakes who found themselves down 2-1 yet again after 80 minutes. This time, however, down another lynchpin—no Jamiro Monteiro (injury) and still no Cade Cowell (international duty). So an even bigger burden fell on the shoulders of Cristian Espinoza, whose first All-Star selection this year has been single-handedly keeping San Jose afloat in the Western Conference playoff race.
The Argentine has already played in over 140 matches for the club across five seasons but is finally blossoming under manager Luchi Gonzalez—leading the team with nine goals and six assists with still a little under half a season to play.
“By now, every opponent has scouted us and knows what Cristian does for us and how influential he is on our right side,” Gonzalez said after the game.
Yet, the 28-year-old winger still found himself at the heart of every meaningful Quakes attack. His thundering 81st-minute strike rescued a point for the hosts. Still, it was moments like his attempted nutmeg inside the opposing box in the 42nd that created the chance for Carlos Akapo to set up Jack Skahan for San Jose’s first goal, sending Stanford Stadium into raptures.
Every time the Galaxy struck, the Quakes struck back. They always do.
Replacing Monteiro in the midfield was 18-year-old Niko Tsakiris, who coincidentally started this very game last year but has missed time this season because of injury. Skahan kept his spot as Cowell’s replacement on the wing, and his goal also comes nearly a year to date from his first professional goal in Toronto.
Outside of Espinoza, the two youngsters rose to the occasion of the Clasico. After Preston Judd fired the Galaxy ahead in the 47th minute, Tsarkiris responded by settling a ball inside the box, turning, and shooting a shot just wide of goal—creating space like a veteran. Moments later, he released Espinoza down the right-hand side for a dangerous attack and then picked up a yellow card for a hard tackle.
“Niko has such a good soccer sense for as young as he is,” Quakes captain Jackson Yueill said. “He recognizes space, dribbles into it, and tends to find the right pass. The guys all like him in the locker room. Now, can we get him more opportunities, not only playing but in front of goal where his left foot unlocks a lot.”
As for the Galaxy, Vanney’s men will feel hard done not to leave Northern California with all three points. In the 87th minute, referee Ramy Touchan called a penalty for the Galaxy only to reverse his call after a long video review. Later, in stoppage, a clumsy Yueill tackle on a charging Costa at the halfway line was also reviewed for a possible red card but not given.
“Once you’ve made a [penalty] call, it should take an extraordinary threshold to change it,” Vanney said. “The reality is, that was a foul. This is the same referee who called some nonsense on us against Real Salt Lake. I think right now, what we’re getting is a bunch of referees without a ton of experience.”
The draw leaves MLS’s most decorated team tethered to the bottom of the standings, which means they’ve now lost more games than they’ve won since 2017. What’s gone wrong for the Galaxy? Mainly, Vanney says, it’s come down to the fact that a team built with superstars isn’t really good when said superstars aren’t consistently on the field. They’ve been without two out of their three designated players for much of this season.
The man who oversaw it all—Chris Klein—became so despised that Galaxy fans boycotted home games until he was fired last month.
In light of his former employer, Toronto FC, also recently dismissing a key figure at the club after a disappointing season, Vanney offered his perspective on what’s changing for the league’s old standard-bearers:
“Well, the league has 29 teams now,” Vanney told Soccer Bay Area in an exclusive interview. “It’s a complicated league, and the margins are extremely fine. Just look at LAFC. They started out on fire, and now they’re going through some struggles. When you look at teams that do well, they typically stay healthy and have some continuity year over year. So if you’re a big club going through any sort of transition, you have to get the timing of all that right. If you don’t, you pay a steep penalty.”
“We kicked off this season without Javier [Chicharito] and Douglas, plus some important veterans on our backline,” he added. “Without the impact of your DPs, there’s only so many ways in our league for you to create these tiny little competitive advantages. Some people might love to see the big guys (like us or Toronto) struggle because it’s a bigger story, but we can’t get caught up in that noise. We can only try to be honest and make as many smart, collaborative decisions as we can to get back in the right direction.”
About the Author: Kevin V. Nguyen has covered soccer for The Guardian, The Sacramento Bee, and The San Francisco Standard. Follow him on Twitter @KevinNguyen_89
