“Not many expansion teams are born with so many ready-made story lines.” So says Ann Killion of the San Jose Mercury News in her preview of the Earthquakes’ return to MLS, which begins Thursday against the Los Angeles Galaxy (ESPN 2, 10:30 PM ET).
Indeed, several ready-made story lines hover over the clash, but perhaps there’s none bigger than the Quakes’ grudge with their own history. Despite being one of Major League Soccer’s most successful teams, San Jose was cast out of the Bay Area at the end of the ’04 season for failing to find investors in a new stadium. The team relocated to Houston, where it went on to win back-to-back MLS championships with many of its old players. So the new Quakes come into the league needing to shake that history and establish a new identity. But at the same time, the club will also feel compelled to show MLS it can be successful both on and off the field.
Another ready-made story line includes the renewed rivalry with the Galaxy. Long before Chivas USA, L.A.-San Jose was the California derby. Now that rivalry is back — along with new villains Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas, former Earthquakes who are now with the Galaxy. Donovan was the Quakes’ star man with the MLS Cup winning 2001 and 2003 sides; at the end of the ’04 season he returned to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen — only to land back in L.A. a few months later. Lalas, meanwhile, started his management career in San Jose, where Killion says he did a poor job before being switched to the MetroStars.